Green Hope High School (Front Entrance) 2006

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is a public school district located in

Wake County, North Carolina Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

. With 157,673 students in average daily membership and 194 schools as of the 2021–2022 school year, it is the largest public school district in North Carolina and fourteenth largest in the United States as of 2016.

History

The current school system is the result of a 1976 merger between the previous (historically largely white) Wake County school system and the former (historically largely minority) Raleigh City schools. The merger was proposed initially by business leaders in the early 1970s out of concerns that continued "

white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

" from Raleigh's inner-city schools would negatively impact the county's overall economy. Political and educational leaders also hoped that merging the two systems would ease court-mandated

desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

. The proposal proved initially unpopular with residents, however, who rejected it by a 3-1 margin in a non-binding referendum in 1973. School and business leaders instead convinced the North Carolina General Assembly to force the merger. The district since has become notable for its integration efforts. Schools in the system are integrated based on the income levels reported by families on applications for federally subsidized school lunches, with the goal of having a maximum ratio of 40% low-income students at any one school. Consequently, thousands of suburban students are bused to

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

s in poorer areas—and likewise, low-income students to suburban schools—to help maintain this income balance. Magnet schools are characterized as being public schools that specialize in a particular area, such as science or the arts, to encourage desegregation by drawing students from multiple neighbourhood and districts to the same school. Professor Gerald Grant of Syracuse University used Wake County as a metaphor of hope in his 2009 book '' Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh''. Grant says, "The research is very clear that having the right mix of kids socioeconomically, as Wake County does, has enormous benefits for poor kids without hurting rich kids." According to ''U.S. News & World Report'', in 2005, 63.8% of low-income students in Wake County passed the state's end of high school exams, which was significantly higher than surrounding counties that do not have similar integration policies. The county's residents are divided in their support for the system's integration program due, partially, to some of the means of achieving that integration, such as long bus rides for many students and a lack of neighbourhood schools. Despite improved integration, test results among poorer students continue to lag: for the 2007–2008 school year, only 18% of the district's schools met the adequate yearly progress goals of the No Child Left Behind Act, with only 71 percent passing state standardised tests. 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. In the effort to maintain economic diversity and keep up with rapid growth in its student population, Wake routinely reassigns thousands of students each year to different schools. Many parents object to this annual shuffle. For the 2008–09 school year, for example, the school district has stated that it will reassign some 6,464 students in order to affect a new system-wide policy designed to help schools in the same geographic area achieve similar economic demographics. This wave of changes will require the reassignment of many low-income students to schools that have greater proportion of higher-income students. In February 2009, the school board approved a plan that would move 24,654 students to different schools over the next three years). The newly elected board gained a 5:4 Republican majority and was successful in overturning the integration policy that had been operating in Wake County for years. There are currently 171 public schools in the system, consisting of 104 elementary (K-5), 33 Middle (6-8), 26 High (9-12), and 4 special/optional schools. With numerous new schools opening each year, the school board names new schools for a geographic feature (such as Holly Ridge) or for road where they are located (such as Athens Drive and Leesville Road) or for the geographic area they serve (such as Holly Springs High, Apex High and Garner High). The board, however, has recently tried to avoid naming schools after nearby subdivisions because such names may lead some residents to believe that the school is the "neighbourhood school." Unlike earlier times, schools are no longer named after people, which has proven to be controversial in the past. Schools named prior to the current naming policy, however, retain their existing non-geographic names.

Year-round calendar

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 put more than a third of the elementary schools on the year-round calendar starting in July 2007. The decision was unpopular with some families who argued that the calendar switch should've been voluntary. The switch to a year-round calendar in many schools has led to some unanticipated needs. For example, PTA chapters at some of the affected schools have considered the purchase of sun shades for playgrounds to provide shelter for students during North Carolina's hot and humid summer months. A group of parents sued to block the school system from converting the schools. In May 2007, Judge Howard Manning ruled that the school system may offer a year-round calendar, but that it must obtain informed consent from a student's parents before assigning the students to a year-round school. Approximately 9% of the affected students did not consent and were assigned to a traditional calendar school. As a result, many year-round schools have empty seats and many traditional-calendar schools remain overcrowded. In May 2008, the North Carolina Court of Appeals overturned the lower court decision, ruling that Wake does not need parental permission for students to attend year-round schools, but the State Supreme Court School agreed to hear the case and stayed the appellate decision until it makes a ruling. District leaders sought consent for the 2008–09 school year but did not plan to do so the following year (2009–10). In October 2008, the school board voted to convert Baucom Elementary in Apex and Green Hope Elementary in Cary back to the traditional calendar, citing a less than expected increase in enrollment. Salem Elementary in Apex was also considered for conversion back to a traditional calendar but that move was voted against by the board. Also at that same meeting, the board voted to convert Leesville Road Middle in North Raleigh to a year-round calendar. In May 2009, the state Supreme Court ruled that parental consent is not needed to send students to year-round schools. As a result, the school board decided to no longer seek consent. But the election of new school board members in October 2009, who said they opposed mandatory year-round schools, caused the district to go back to asking parents for permission.

Controversies

Diversity controversy

National controversy arose in 2010 over the 5–4 decision of the Wake County School Board in March to switch from the socioeconomic diversification policy it had followed for a decade to a system that focused on neighborhood schools. The prior plan, under which the public schools of the county were to "have no more than 40 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch" was set aside for concerns over long student bus rides, but immediately raised comments among the public and the NAACP that the outcome of the shift would be to " resegregate" schools. The decision led to protests spearheaded by the state NAACP chapter, with arrests in June and July, and to the resignation of the superintendent of Wake County schools. The NAACP lodged a civil rights complaint with the office of the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Departmen ...

, which began an investigation into the matter. The complaint also prompted one national

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

agency, AdvancED, to evaluate the schools to see if the decision would impact the school's accreditation standing. In January 2011, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' featured a story on the controversy, following which it and the ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

'' were provided a letter by

United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities re ...

Arne Duncan, in which he wrote that it was "troubling to see North Carolina's Wake County school board take steps to reverse a long-standing policy to promote racial diversity in its schools" and "urge school boards across America to fully consider the consequences before taking such action". The situation was also lampooned on ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...

''. According to ''The Washington Post'', the decision has been backed by prominent members of the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defi ...

. Some strides have been made towards compromise in Wake County between proponents and critics of the old integration plan. Michael Alves, an education consultant with 30 years of experience designing and implementing choice-based student assignment plans in districts across the United States, has developed an ''integration by achievement'' plan for Wake County. Integration by achievement will assign students to schools based on their previous achievements on standardised state test scores. Schools will have 70% of its students' scores at or above the proficient level while the remaining 30% scores below the proficient level. The plan stipulates that once a child is placed in a school, he or she cannot be reassigned during their time in that school. The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the area's largest business membership organisation, has suggested this plan to the Wake County school board.

LGBT flashcards controversy

In May 2022, it was revealed that a teacher in a preschool classroom at Ballentine Elementary School (part of the Wake County Public School System) in

Fuquay-Varina Fuquay-Varina ( ) is a town in southern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, lying south of Holly Springs and southwest of Garner, and north of the Harnett County town of Angier and west of the unincorporated community of Willow Sp ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

showed her students

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

-themed flashcards to teach them the colors of the rainbow, with one of the flashcards depicting a pregnant man. The flashcards were removed from the school. A Wake County spokesperson stated that "An initial review determined that flash cards were not tied to the district's Pre-K curriculum, did not complement, enrich, or extend the curriculum and were used without the principal's review, knowledge, and/or approval." The teacher later resigned.

Schools

High schools

* Apex Friendship High School (Patriots) * Apex High School (Cougars) *

Athens Drive High School Athens Drive Magnet High School, formerly known as Athens Drive High School, is a secondary Wake County public high school in southwestern Raleigh, North Carolina that serves grades 9–12. As of 2020–2021, the school has 2,075 enrolle ...

(Jaguars) *

Cary High School Cary High School is one of six public high schools in Cary, North Carolina and is part of the Wake County Public School System. In 1907, Cary High School became the first state-funded public high school in North Carolina.Byrd, Thomas M. and Cos ...

(Imps) * Crossroads FLEX High School (Phoenix) *

East Wake High School East Wake High School (formerly known as Vaiden Whitley High School) is a public high school located in Wendell, North Carolina, in the United States. It is part of the Wake County Public School System. The school serves the Wake County towns of ...

(Warriors) * Felton Grove High School (opening in 2025-26) (mascot TBD) * Fuquay-Varina High School (Bengals) * Garner High School (Trojans) *

Green Hope High School Green Hope High School is a secondary school located at 2500 Carpenter Upchurch Road in Cary, North Carolina. It is a part of the Wake County Public School System. History Green Hope School origins The school is named for the historic Green Hope ...

(Falcons) *

Green Level High School Green Level High School is a public high school located at 7600 Roberts Road in Cary, North Carolina. It is part of the Wake County Public School System. History The school opened in 2019. Before Green Level formally opened, it housed students of ...

(Gators) * Heritage High School (Huskies) * Holly Springs High School (Golden Hawks) * Jesse O. Sanderson High School (Spartans) * Knightdale High School (Knights) *

Leesville Road High School Leesville Road High School (also known locally as Leesville High School, abbreviated as LRHS), is a comprehensive public high school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is a part of the Wake County Public School System. Established in 1993, it ...

(Pride) * Middle Creek High School (Mustangs) * Millbrook High School (Wildcats) * North Wake College and Career Academy (Griffins) * Needham B. Broughton High School (Capitals) * Panther Creek High School (Catamounts) *

Rolesville High School Rolesville High School is a public high school located in Rolesville, North Carolina, United States. The school opened in 2013 after the splitting of the former Wake Forest-Rolesville High School (now Wake Forest High School). The school is operate ...

(Rams) *

Southeast Raleigh High School Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School is a magnet high school in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. It opened in 1997 as a magnet school with a focus on math, science, and technology. The current magnet theme is University Connections, which ...

(Bulldogs) *

South Garner High School South Garner High School is a school in Garner, North Carolina, near the Research Triangle area. It is a part of Wake County Public Schools. The mascot is the Titan, and the school colors are platinum and purple. History The building opened in 2 ...

(Titans) * Vernon Malone College & Career Academy (Silver Hawks) * Wake Early College of Health and Sciences * Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies (Mavericks) *

Wake Forest High School Wake Forest High School, formerly Wake Forest-Rolesville High School, is a four-year high school (9–12) located in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Demographics In 2016–2017 there were just over 2,000 students attending Wake Forest High ...

(Cougars) * Wakefield High School (Wolverines) * Wake STEM Early College High School (Wolves) * Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy (Phoenix) *

Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy (WYWLA) is a public secondary school for girls in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is a part of Wake County Public School System. It has grades 6–13, with the Governor Morehead School's campus housing most grades ...

(Owls) * William G. Enloe High School (Eagles) * Willow Spring High School (Storm)

Middle schools

Alston Ridge Middle School
(Warriors)
Apex Friendship Middle School
(Chargers)
Apex Middle School
(Cougars)
Carroll Middle School
(Cougars)
Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School
(Wolfpack)
Davis Drive Middle School
(Panthers)
Dillard Drive Middle School
(Dragons)
Durant Road Middle School
(Dolphins)
East Cary Middle School
(Imps)
East Garner Middle School
(Trojans)
East Millbrook Middle School
(Cougars)
East Wake Middle School
(Warriors)
Fred J. Carnage Middle School
(Trojans)
Fuquay-Varina Middle School
(Bengals)
Heritage Middle School
(Patriots)
Holly Grove Middle School
(Bulldogs)
Holly Ridge Middle School
(Hornets) * John W. Ligon Middle School (Little Blues)
Oberlin Middle School
(Blue Jackets),
Leesville Road Middle School
(Pride)
Leroy Martin Middle School
(Mustangs)
Lufkin Road Middle School
(Lightning)
Mills Park Middle School
(Leopards)
Moore Square Magnet Middle School
(Mountain Lions)
North Garner Middle School
(Trojans)
Pine Hollow Middle School
(Pilots) ** It opened in 2016 as a year-round school, the first such school to open in the district since 2012.
Reedy Creek Magnet Middle School
(Eagles)
River Bend Middle School
(Tigers)
Rolesville Middle School
(Rams)
Salem Middle School
(Spartans)
Wakefield Middle School
(Wolves)
Wake Forest Middle School
(Cougars)
Wendell Middle School
(Wolves)
West Cary Middle School
(Imps)
West Lake Middle School
(Wildcats)
West Millbrook Middle School
(Wildcats)
Zebulon Middle School
(Cougars)

Elementary schools

Cedar Fork Elementary School (aerial view)

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

, it is a joint project between WCPSS and the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

Demographic Background

As of the 2018–2019 school year the Wake County student body is split 51.2% male with a total of 82,424 students and 48.8% female representing a total of 78,535 students.

References

External links

*
Year Round Schools Conversionwral.com

WRAL-TV WRAL-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Research Triangle area. It is the flagship station of the locally based Capitol Broadcasting Company, which h ...

archive of year-round conversion stories
News & Observer's Wake school reassignment archiveMandatory year-round assignment story archive from WRAL
{{Authority control 1976 establishments in North Carolina Education in Raleigh, North Carolina Education in Wake County, North Carolina School districts established in 1976 School districts in North Carolina