The Wake County School System plans to add three new schools to the 2023-24 student assignment plan, according to the second draft of the assignment plan released Tuesday.

The draft assignment plan affects 50 schools of the school system’s nearly 200 schools, enrolling roughly 51,000 of the school system’s nearly 160,000 students. Relatively few students at those schools would be affected, though it’s unclear how many.

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The school board will hold a public hearing Nov. 10 before voting on a final assignment plan Nov. 16.

The revision comes after more than 2,000 people provided feedback to the district online.

Feedback suggested people cared most about the proximity of their school to where they live and having stability in school assignment for students, followed closely by concern for transportation issues.

The school system is not opening any new schools next year but is shifting students still, in part, because of capacity issues at some schools and to reduce some long commutes.

Under this plan, which would affect assignments for the next school year, all current students shifted are eligible to stay at their current school. They would not be able to ride the bus to their school, however.

Rising kindergarten, sixth grade or ninth grade students would also be able to attend the same school as their older siblings, if their siblings choose to stay at their current school. They also would not be able to ride the bus to their school.

Not being able to ride the bus will be a big deal for many families, Board Member Monika Johnson-Hostler said.

“Transportation has really risen to the top for so many parents that they just will not be able to remain at those schools even though they want to,” she said.

What’s changing

People can see if their address is impacted on the district's website, here.

For the most part, the revision presented during Tuesday’s school board work session isn’t different from the first draft.

The second draft does add three high schools to the impacted schools: Heritage High, South Garner High and Wake Forest High.

None of the changes would change anticipated percent capacity levels — measured to the nearest whole percent — at the schools involved, except for one.

In total, it makes four changes:

  • It moves a portion of South Garner High’s attendance area that neighbors Southeast Raleigh High and moves it into Southeast Raleigh High’s attendance zone.
    • It also moves a portion of Heritage High’s attendance zone into the Wake Forest High attendance zone. That would reduce capacity at Heritage High from 102% capacity during the 2025-26 school year under the current assignment plan to 101% capacity that year. The percent capacity levels, rounded to the nearest whole percent, at Wake Forest High would not measurably change.
      • The revision also reduces the area of Beaverdam Elementary’s attendance zone that would move into Forestville Road Elementary’s attendance zone. All neighborhoods west of the highway would remain in Beaverdam Elementary’s attendance zone.
        • The revision makes a similar change at the middle school level, too. River Bend Middle neighborhoods west of the highway will remain in their attendance zone, rather than shifting to Neuse River Middle’s attendance zone.

          The school board could vote on the matter Nov. 16 — a Wednesday. The board typically meets on the first and third Tuesday or each month. But the board changed the date after learning the North Carolina School Boards Association would host an event Nov. 15 announcing their superintendent of the year. Wake County Public School System Superintendent Catty Moore is nominated for the award.

          What the impact would be

          District spokeswoman Lisa Luten told WRAL News the district does not have an estimate of how many students would be affected and won’t until a final draft is completed.

          The district publishes only the impact on capacity levels at schools, measured in a percent rounded to the nearest whole percent.

          In several cases, the reassignments aren’t designed to immediately change capacity levels at the schools involved or are switches between two schools, making it difficult to tell how many would be affected by those reassignments. In cases where capacity levels would change, the shifts would result in roughly 1,100 to 1,700 students moving.

          In many cases, the reassignment moves students from an area miles away from the rest of the their attendance zone into an adjacent attendance zone.

          For example, Laurel Park Elementary students who live near Fuller Elementary inside the I-440 beltline will now be zoned for Fuller Elementary. Laurel Park Elementary is in Apex. The schools are 16.5 miles apart, driving along I-40 for nearly a half an hour, according to Google Maps estimates. Bus rides are longer.

          Many of the reassignments involve calendar changes. Students may have to shift from traditional to year-round or vice versa.

          In a handful of cases, the reassignment plan would decrease capacity at a school. In other cases, the reassignment plan would not change capacity levels, though it may mitigate further overcapacity issues.

          In instances that don’t involve a major geographic shift, or that involve moving neighborhoods closer to one school to a different nearby school, the change has a greater impact on capacity levels.

          For example, parts of South Lakes Elementary’s attendance zone have been shifted to Fuquay-Varina Elementary and Willow Springs Elementary. The impact on capacity would be significant. Rather than hitting 117% capacity, South Lakes Elementary would hit only 91% capacity. For Fuquay-Varina Elementary, it would hit 94% capacity, up from 84%. For Willing Springs Elementary, it would hit 88% capacity, instead of 79%.

          More students will be zoned into the new Herbert Akins Middle, from Fuquay-Varina Middle. That would keep Fuquay-Varina Middle from reaching 130% capacity, to hitting just 90%. It would push Herbert Akins Middle from 75% capacity to 100% capacity. For students implicated, it would move them from traditional calendar to multi-track year-round.

          Capacity levels are based on the capacity of the school building and any trailers it may have for additional classrooms.