Wake County Public School System
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The Wake County Public School System is a public school district located in Wake County, North Carolina. With 134,002 students enrolled as of the 2007/08 school year, it is the largest public school district in North Carolina.[1] It ranks 19th largest nationwide. The school population is projected to grow by 20,242 students over the next three years.[2] New schools are being built, but no word has come from the transportation department of how to transport these students to the schools. The transportation department is currently in need of 75 bus drivers.[3]
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[edit] History
The current school system is the result of a 1976 merger between the largely white Wake County school system and the largely black Raleigh City schools. The merger was supported by the business community due to fears that continued white flight from the downtown Raleigh schools would have a negative impact on the economy. It was also hoped that merging would make it easier to integrate the schools. But the merger was unpopular with residents, who rejected it by a 3-1 margin in a non-binding referendum in 1973. School and business leaders instead went directly to the General Assembly, the state's legislature, to approve the merger.[4]
The district is notable for its attempts at desegregation. Schools are integrated based on parents' reported income level, with a goal of having a maximum percentage of low-income children in one school at 40%. Many suburban students ride buses to magnet schools located in the inner city. Students in neighborhoods with many poor people are assigned to schools in the suburbs. The desegregation program is supported by some local residents. Test scores have risen over time, with some crediting it to the program, with 91% of third through eighth grade students performing at or above grade level on standardized tests.[5] Due to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling restricting the use of race in assigning students, Wake has been cited as a model for how other school systems can still maintain diversity in enrollment.[6]
Due to efforts to promote diversity and to keep up with growth, Wake reassigns thousands of students each year to attend different schools.[1] Many parents object to this annual shuffle of students. For the 2008-09 school year, the school district will move 6,464 students to different schools. This plan puts into effect a new policy designed to make schools in the same area have similar student demographics. This will result in the movement of many low-income students to schools which have few of these poor students.[2]
Wake County Public Schools now names schools for the roads they are built on (such as Athens Drive and Leesville Road) or the areas they serve (such as Apex High and Garner High). Schools are no longer named after people, but older schools were grandfathered.[7]
There are currently 150 public schools in the system, consisting of 93 elementary (K-5), 28 middle (6-8), 22 high (9-12), and 7 special/optional schools.
[edit] Year Round Schools
The Wake County Public School System made headlines in 2006 and 2007 for converting 19 elementary schools and three middle schools to a mandatory year round calendar. It puts more than a third of the elementary schools on the year-round calendar starting in July 2007. Hundreds of Wake County residents have signed an online petition[citation needed] against mandating year round school attendance. The petition signers think it should be optional for families, rather than forced on them, and are continuing to resist this proposal.[8] A group of parents has filed a lawsuit[9] to try to block the school system from converting the schools.[10] Ultimately Ballentine, Baucom, Brassfield, Green Hope, Harris Creek, Highcroft, Hodge Road, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Leesville Road, Lockhart, Middle Creek, Olive Chapel, Pleasant Union, Rand Road, Salem, Vance, Wakefield and Willow Springs elementary schools were converted to year round calendars beginning with the 2007 school year. A judge ruled in May 2007 that the school system must offer parents the choice between the year round and traditional calendar. The school system offered families the option to opt out of year-round schools and attend traditional-calendar schools of the school board's choosing,[11] a choice approximately 5% of the enrollment took advantage of.[12] But enough families have left so that many year-round schools have empty seats and many traditional-calendar schools are overcrowded.[13] In May 2008, the N.C. Court of Appeals overturned the lower court decision, saying that Wake does not need parental permission for students to attend year-round schools. School leaders said they'll still seek consent for the 2008-09 school year but will not do so the following year.[3]
The switch to a year round calendar in many schools has led to some unanticipated needs. PTA's at affected schools are considering purchasing sun shades for installation on playgrounds to provide shelter for students during North Carolina's hot and humid summer months.[14]
[edit] Public High Schools (9-12)
[edit] Raleigh
- Athens Drive High School
- Broughton High School
- Enloe High School
- Leesville Road High School
- Millbrook High School
- Sanderson High School
- Southeast Raleigh High School
- Wakefield High School
[edit] Apex
[edit] Cary
[edit] Fuquay-Varina
- Fuquay-Varina High School
[edit] Garner
[edit] Holly Springs
- Holly Springs High School
[edit] Knightdale
- Knightdale High School
[edit] Wake Forest
[edit] Wendell
- East Wake High School, divided into:
- East Wake School of Arts, Education, and Global Studies
- East Wake High School of Health Science
- East Wake School of Integrated Technology
- East Wake School of Engineering Systems
[edit] Public Middle Schools (6-8)
[edit] Raleigh
- Carnage Middle School
- Carroll Middle School
- Centennial Campus Middle School
- Daniels Middle School
- Dillard Drive Middle School
- Durant Road Middle School
- East Millbrook Middle School
- East Wake Middle School
- Leesville Road Middle School
- Ligon Middle School
- Martin Middle School
- Moore Square Middle School
- Wakefield Middle School
- West Millbrook Middle School
[edit] Apex
- Apex Middle School
- Lufkin Road Middle School
- Salem Middle School
[edit] Cary
- Reedy Creek Middle School
- West Cary Middle School
- Davis Drive Middle School
- East Cary Middle School
- Salem Middle School
[edit] Fuquay-Varina
- Fuquay-Varina Middle School
[edit] Garner
- East Garner Middle School
- North Garner Middle School
[edit] Holly Springs
- Holly Ridge Middle School
[edit] Wake Forest
- Heritage Middle School
- Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School
[edit] Wendell
- Wendell Middle School
[edit] Zebulon
- Zebulon Middle School
[edit] Public Elementary Schools (K-5)
[edit] Raleigh
- Baileywick Elementary School
- Barwell Road Elementary School
- Brassfield Elementary School
- Brentwood Elementary School
- Brier Creek Elementary School
- Brooks Elementary School
- Bugg Elementary School
- Combs Elementary School
- Conn Elementary School
- Dillard Drive Elementary School
- Douglas Elementary School
- Durant Road Elementary School
- Fox Road Elementary School
- Fuller Elementary School
- Green Elementary School
- Harris Creek Elementary School
- Hilburn Drive Elementary School
- Hunter Elementary School
- Jeffreys Grove Elementary School
- Joyner Elementary School
- Lacy Elementary School
- Lead Mine Elementary School
- Leesville Road Elementary School
- Lynn Road Elementary School
- Millbrook Elementary School
- North Ridge Elementary School
- Oak Grove Elementary School
- Olds Elementary School
- Partnership Elementary School
- Pleasant Union Elementary School
- Poe Elementary School
- Powell Elementary School
- River Bend Elementary School (formerly E19)
- Root Elementary School
- Smith Elementary School
- Stough Elementary School
- Swift Creek Elementary School
- Underwood Elementary School
- Vance Elementary School
- Wakefield Elementary School
- Washington Elementary School
- Wilburn Elementary School
- Wildwood Forest Elementary School
- Wiley Elementary School
- Yates Mill Elementary School
- York Elementary School
[edit] Apex
- Apex Elementary School
- Baucom Elementary School
- Middle Creek Elementary School
- Olive Chapel Elementary School
- Salem Elementary School
- West Lake Elementary School
[edit] Cary
- Adams Elementary School
- Briarcliff Elementary School
- Carpenter Elementary School
- Cary Elementary School
- Davis Drive Elementary School
- Farmington Woods Elementary School
- Green Hope Elementary School
- Highcroft Drive Elementary School
- Kingswood Elementary School
- Northwoods Elementary School
- Penny Road Elementary School
- Reedy Creek Elementary School
- Turner Creek Elementary School
- Weatherstone Elementary School
[edit] Fuquay-Varina
- Ballentine Elementary School
- Fuquay-Varina Elementary School
- Lincoln Heights Elementary School
[edit] Garner
- Aversboro Elementary School
- Creech Road Elementary School
- East Garner Elementary School (Opens August 2007)
- Rand Road Elementary School
- Timber Drive Elementary School
- Vandora Springs Elementary School
[edit] Holly Springs
- Holly Grove Elementary School (Holly Grove will be occupying 1 wing of Holly Springs High School for the 2006-2007 school year while the actual elementary school is under construction)
- Holly Ridge Elementary School
- Holly Springs Elementary School
[edit] Knightdale
- Forestville Road Elementary School
- Hodge Road Elementary School
- Knightdale Elementary School
- Lockhart Elementary School
[edit] Morrisville
- Cedar Fork Elementary School
- Morrisville Elementary School
[edit] Rolesville
- Rolesville Elementary School
[edit] Wake Forest
- Forest Pines Elementary School (opens July 9 2007)
- Heritage Elementary School
- Jones Dairy Elementary School
- Wake Forest Elementary School
[edit] Wendell
- Carver Elementary School
- Wakelon Elementary School
[edit] Willow Springs
- Willow Springs Elementary School
[edit] Zebulon
- Zebulon Elementary School
[edit] Special/Optional Schools (all grades)
[edit] Raleigh
- Bridges Program (K-5)
- Longview School (6-12)
- Mary E. Phillips High School (9-12)
- Mt. Vernon School (6-8)
- Project Enlightenment (Pre-K)
- Richard Milburn School (6-12)
- River Oaks Middle School (6-8)
- Wake Early College of Health and Sciences (9-12]
[edit] References
- ^ newsobserver.com | Wake school enrollment in top 20
- ^ WCPSS: New Enrollment Projections Released
- ^ http://media.newsobserver.com/content/news/education/wake/story_graphics/20071012_wschools.jpg
- ^ http://wakeedpartnership.org/publications/d/WCPSS-30th.pdf
- ^ As Test Scores Jump, Raleigh Credits Integration by Income - New York Times
- ^ To Get Diversity, Some Schools May Look to Socioeconomic Class Rather Than Race - US News and World Report
- ^ WCPSS: Board Policy - Naming of Schools (2570)
- ^ Wake Cares letter to School Board et al. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ Wake Cares Inc, vs. Wake County School Board et al. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ newsobserver.com | Parent group sues Wake schools
- ^ Wake Cares Inc, vs. Wake County School Board et al. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ WCPSS:Board Assigns 2,600 Students to Traditional Calendar Schools
- ^ newsobserver.com | Year-round school shuffle possible
- ^ "Schools want sun shelters for hot kids", News and Observer, 2007-07-12. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
[edit] External links
- Wake County Public School System
- Year Round Schools Conversion
- WRAL-TV archive of year round conversion stories
- News & Observer's Wake school reassignment archive
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