This site provides demographic and geographic data on students and schools, socioeconomic diversity, growth issues and enrollment projections.

OVERVIEW

SCHOOLS

STUDENTS

DATA

REPORTS

MAPS
The Wake County Public School System is the largest public school system in North Carolina and the nineteenth-largest in the United States.
Enrollment in the Wake County Public School System increased to 134,002 on the 20th day of the 2007-08 school year; 5,930 students more than last year. This increase in enrollment made WCPSS the largest school district in NC, passing Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools which reported 20th day enrollment of 132,281. This gain also means that WCPSS moves up two places to 19th largest school district in the nation. |20th day membership by school |

Level

   

Membership (MLD 20th-day)
Annual Increase
   

2005-06
(Actual)

2006-07
(Actual)

2007-08

2005-06
(Actual)
2006-07
(Actual)

Elementary

58,249

62,395

65,680

3,493

4,146

3,285

Middle

27,759

29,031

29,975

1,047

1,272

944

High

34,496

36,646

38,347

1,896

2,150

1,701

WCPSS Total

  

120,504

128,072

134,002

6,436

7,568

5,930

Seven new schools opened in 2007-08, bringing the total number of schools to 153: 96 elementary, 30 middle, 23 high, and 4 special/optional schools.
|new 2007 school openings-map | historic school openings-table | district schools-map | Area Superintendent Districts-map |
The following graphs illustrate the total growth of the WCPSS student population and the annual net percentage increase (20th day data) over the last 25 years.
What attracts people to NC, and Wake County in particular, is a growing and vibrant economy with constant creation of jobs, particularly in technology and services, a very favorable and still-affordable housing market, the high quality of WCPSS public schools, and an excellent quality of life.

Historical evidence seems to indicate that the student growth tends to be cyclical in nature and not linear. For example, fluctuations of enrollment can be affected by:
1. Economy – whether the economy and the job market are perceived as good or bad during a particular time period.
2. Housing market - building trends, the mortgage market, and availability of appropriate housing options for new residents; similarly, whether a prospective new resident is able to sell a residence in another area to move into Wake County.
3. The rate of immigration into Wake County.
4. Visibility of Wake County and WCPSS at state and national level, including accolades and awards.
5. School dropout and graduation rates. Students leaving or staying in the system affect enrollment figures, as do new students entering the system for the first time (KI, and 1-12 grades).
6. Other schoolling options (home, private, charter).
7. Natural growth trends (fertility - mortality).

Enrollment History ppt

About 17,000 new students entered WCPSS in 2007-08 for the first time, with the net estimated gain being in the 6,000 range. Roughly 80% of the 17,000 are in elementary schools (with majority being at the kindergarten level), 10% are in middle schools, and 10% are in high schools.

New student distribution, by their place of residence, shows similar pattern as last year's. Thirty-seven percent (37%) live within Raleigh city limits, 28% in un-incorporated Wake County areas, 15% within Cary city limits, and 5% within Apex city limits. About 3% live in each Holly Springs and Wake Forest, while Morrisville, Fuquay-Varina, and Garner are home to about 2% of student population each. Finally, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wendell and Zebulon are home to less than 1% each.

jpg | ppt |corporate limits | KI



 
 
Site Contact: , AICP; Director, Demographics