Wake County Schools to Reallocate Over 1,500 Students, Check if Your Child is Affected by School Changes

Wake County’s student assignment plan has been approved by the school board, despite objections from some parents. The plan aims to address overcrowding in existing schools, fill a new school, and reduce the number of buses needed by 2024-25. Pleasant Grove Elementary will be converted to a year-round calendar as part of the plan. Although no assignment changes were made, the plan takes into account feedback from families and offers a “stability transfer” option for eligible students. Around 73% of the 1,572 students being moved are eligible for this transfer, allowing them to stay at their current school if they provide their own transportation. The details of the plan can be found on the school district’s website, and families directly affected by the changes will be contacted by Wake County. The plan affects less than 1% of the district’s 160,000 students. Student reassignment has historically been a contentious issue in the school system, with previous plans facing opposition from families. The plan includes moving students to fill the new Woods Creek Elementary School and address the bus driver shortage. Some neighborhoods will be moved closer to schools to improve transportation routes. Wake will also stop providing bus service for certain students who have applied to schools on a different calendar. The plan also includes moving students from Bryan Road Elementary to Aversboro Elementary to ease crowding, despite concerns about the latter’s performance. The most controversial changes involve moving students from Pleasant Grove Elementary to other schools to alleviate overcrowding at Alston Ridge Elementary and Parkside Elementary. In response to complaints, Pleasant Grove’s calendar may be changed to a year-round schedule. Wake County will provide a stability transfer period for students who don’t want to move schools, allowing them to stay at their current school if they provide their own transportation. The rules for stability transfers vary depending on the school a student is reassigned to.