Four new schools prompting reassignment proposal in southwestern Wake County next year

A few thousand Wake County students — primarily in the southwestern corner — would be affected by the opening of four new schools next year, according to a draft enrollment plan unveiled by school system leaders Tuesday afternoon.

Hundreds of students would move into each of three new elementary schools for the 2025-26 academic year. The new high school will begin with ninth and tenth grade students only in 2025-26 and will ultimately have a student body of about 900.

The entire plan for the 2025-26 school year would affect 22 elementary schools — including the three new ones — by either moving kids into them or out of them.

It would affect 12 middle schools and six high schools — including the new high school, Felton Grove.

“Huge, lots of growth happening,” Suresh Choudhary, Wake Schools Parent said.

The plan will go through public feedback for the next month, and the district will consider whether to revise the draft based on board and public feedback. The district typically issues two drafts before the final one, although officials don’t always make major changes. A final school board vote on the plan is scheduled for Nov. 12.

The system is proposing multi-track, year round calendars for all of the new elementary schools, in anticipation of high growth.

“Still early for us to give overall numbers, generally as we get closer to middle of process, we’ll give a percentage of impacted students,” Glenn Carrozza, Assistant Superintendent for School Choice Planning and Assignment said.

Multi-track, year-round means the school operates year-round and has up to four cohorts of students rotating in and out. Because one cohort is always tracked out at any given time, this type of school calendar allows a school to enroll more students.

District officials presented the plan to the school board’s work session Tuesday, where board members responded with some questions about alternatives.

Board Vice Chairman Monika Johnson-Hostler cautioned district officials that many schools in her area, which includes Fuquay-Varina and other parts of southeastern Wake County, aren’t used to multi-track, year-round schools. The proposal would add many to the area, she said, and create incongruity with middle schools on traditional calendar, she said. That could be a headache for families with students at a year-round elementary school but a traditional calendar middle school.

That’s “a huge concern for me,” Johnson-Hostler said. “I think you need to start thinking about options” (for those families).

New schools:

• Rex Road Elementary School would receive students from Buckhorn Creek and Holly Grove elementary schools. Staff is recommending a multi-track year-round calendar, because no new elementary schools are scheduled to open soon in the high-growth area. It would only be about half full once it opens, but leaders expect it to fill up soon. Four other elementary schools would be affected through additional rearrangement of students intended to keep enrollment stable at each school: Herbert Akins, Holly Ridge, Holly Springs and Lincoln Heights.

• Bowling Road Elementary School would receive students from Buckhorn Creek, Lincoln Heights, Herbert Akins, Fuquay-Varina and South Lakes elementary schools. Staff is also recommending this school be multi-track, year-round.

  

• Pleasant Plains Elementary School would receive students from Scotts Ridge, Apex and Apex Friendship. Then Scotts Ridge would add students from Olive Chapel, to avoid losing too many students to Pleasant Plains. Staff is recommending a multi-track year-round calendar.

  

• Felton Grove High School would take students from Apex, Apex Friendship and Holly Springs. Then portions of Apex Friendship High would move into Apex High.

  

Many of the changes may seem dramatic now but are intended to get ahead of expected growth in the area that will affect more schools than just the new ones, said Susan Pullium, district school assignment office senior director. The changes are intended to provide stability in fast-changing areas, she said.

“If we do this, we can stay away for a while,” she said.

Families affected by the new elementary schools could apply to stay at their current school if they will be in fourth or fifth grade next year, or have a sibling who will be, although they would not receive busing.

Families affected by the new high school will stay at their current school, without needing to apply to, if they will be in 11th or 12th grade next year, because Felton Grove will only have ninth and tenth grades. Younger siblings of those older students could apply to go to their original high school, as well.

Renovated schools:

• Fuquay-Varina Middle School is opening in a new location. It will add students from Holly Grove Middle.
• The renovated Baucom Elementary will be able to house 208 more students, allowing it to take on students from some more crowded schools: Salem and Olive Chapel. Salem would then be able to take students from Laurel Park. One Baucom neighborhood that is next to Penny Road’s district would be moved into Penny Road’s district.

Existing schools:

• A portion of Apex Friendship Middle School’s assignment zone that is located in the middle of Apex Middle School’s assignment zone will be reassigned to Apex Middle School’s assignment zone.
• Portions of Apex Middle and Holly Ridge Middle will move into the Lufkin Road Middle assignment zone.

• A portion of Oak Grove Elementary’s assignment zone would move to Powell Magnet Elementary.

• A portion of Dillard Drive Magnet Middle would move to Ligon Magnet Middle

• A portion of Carroll Magnet Middle would move into Leesville Road Middle

• A portion of Centennial Magnet Middle would’ve into West Millbrook Magnet Middle

• A portion of Southeast Raleigh Magnet High would move into Millbrook Magnet High

Existing schools experience reassignments, as well, because of anticipated population changes leading to over- and under-crowding, or related to a desire for closer transportation.

The district is also proposing removing or changing some calendar application schools — schools that a family can apply to attend if they prefer the calendar at that school, compared to their assigned school.

For more information on the proposal, people can visit the districts enrollment proposal webpage.

People can provide feedback at the district’s online forum, as well.

The school system will hold three virtual information sessions later this month for families affected by the new schools and a general virtual information session. It will also host an in-person “open house” on Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. at Herbert Akins Road Middle School.