AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n
Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n \n On July 1, 1976, Raleigh City Schools and the old Wake County school system faded into the history books. Enter the unified Wake County Public School System, which 50 years later, is the biggest school system in North Carolina and the 14th largest nationally. But the district faces new challenges in 2026: both crowded schools and under-enrollment, plus major competition from other education options.\n <\/p>\n Read more With Stanley Cup Final in sight, why \u2018tunnel vision\u2019 is key for Hurricanes<\/a><\/p>\n Fifty years ago, the new and controversial Wake County school system \u2014 formed by the merger of city and county schools after the idea was soundly rejected in a nonbinding referendum \u2014 could throw its weight around.<\/p>\n It was the only game in town.<\/p>\n Now, more than a quarter of the county\u2019s school-age children<\/a> are homeschooled or attend charter schools or private schools. The increased competition is having an impact on North Carolina\u2019s largest school district, which shrank in enrollment this school year<\/a> and remains below pre-pandemic student totals.<\/p>\n How well Wake competes in this era of expanded school choice will determine how much money it gets from the state and is a gauge of how much support it has in the community.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to do a better job of being champions and cheerleaders for Wake County Public Schools,\u201d school board chair Tyler Swanson said in an interview with The News & Observer. \u201cI can assure you that the rich history and the amount of passion and talent that our educators bring every day to the classroom, no school \u2014 whether it\u2019s a private school, private charter school or public charter school or homeschool \u2014 can compete with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Private schools were the only alternative in 1976 when the Wake County and Raleigh City Schools merged. Now more than 56,000 Wake County students are homeschooled or attend charter schools or private schools \u2014 a figure that would make it equivalent to the fourth-largest district in the state.<\/p>\n The percentage of Wake County students not attending district schools has risen from 17% in 2012 to a record 26% last school year.<\/a> Wake County is still the state\u2019s largest school district with more than 160,000 students.<\/p>\n Over the last two school years, state data indicates more than 1,400 students have left the Wake County school system to attend private schools using an Opportunity Scholarship to help cover their costs<\/a>. Since the 2024-25 school year, state lawmakers opened the private school voucher program to all families,<\/a> regardless of income.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that there\u2019s a drive for kids to go to other schools,\u201d said Amy Skorich, Apex Friendship Elementary School\u2019s PTA president, in an interview. \u201cBut I\u2019m really hoping that we can continue to encourage families to invest back into their own local public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n The financial impact is noticeable. This school year, Wake County private schools are getting $79 million in state funding from the Opportunity Scholarship program. Charter schools are getting $80 million in local school funding.<\/p>\n \u201cI promise you that this board and this superintendent could have put that money to good use,\u201d said school board member Lynn Edmonds at the May 5 board meeting.<\/p>\n But Becky Lew-Hobbs, chair of the Wake County chapter of Moms for Liberty, said that money is going toward meeting the needs of students who don\u2019t think the school system is the best option for them.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as one size fits all for any child,\u201d Lew-Hobbs said in an interview. \u201cEducation needs to be very personalized.\u201d<\/p>\n The school district has tried to stay competitive by expanding the magnet school program. Magnet schools used to be heavily concentrated around downtown Raleigh and Southeast Raleigh, but have since been added throughout the county.<\/p>\n Magnet schools typically offer unique programming to entice families to apply from other schools. But newer magnet schools, such as East Wake High School in Wendell, are using their programming to also lure back neighborhood families who have left for other education choices.<\/p>\n East Wake calls itself an iTech and Design magnet school, which provides students access to technology such as drones and 3-D printers.<\/p>\n Read more NC nurse busted after using unlicensed employee to charge Medicaid, records allege<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to see more growth next year in terms of our student population, which is a testament to the school,\u201d Eric Betheil, the principal of East Wake High, said in an interview. \u201cStudents are staying here versus looking at other options.\u201d<\/p>\n Wendell was the state\u2019s fastest-growing town last year, The N&O previously reported<\/a>. Zebulon was the second-fastest, Rolesville was fifth and Knightdale was ninth on the list.<\/p>\n But even with the area\u2019s growth, Betheil said East Wake is still trying to overcome \u201cthat perception that may be out there of the past.\u201d The magnet program is the latest concept the school district has tried over the past two decades to help East Wake.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s a lot of history at in this community and at this school, a lot of great history that we want to focus on,\u201d Betheil said. \u201cBut it\u2019s also changing some of that public perception of things that may have taken place here.\u201d<\/p>\n The school also has an extensive career and technical education program offering automotive technology, agriculture and life sciences.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hands-on technology,\u201d Keauna Price, East Wake\u2019s magnet coordinator, said in an interview. \u201cWe\u2019re all engineers.\u201d<\/p>\n David Colin, 16, a sophomore at East Wake, expects he\u2019ll get his drone operator\u2019s license before his driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most fun parts about being here at East Wake is all the different varieties of classes you can do that other schools just don\u2019t have, like a drone class,\u201d Colin said in an interview. \u201cNot many schools have a drone class or a drone club.\u201d<\/p>\n It will be a lot harder persuading some families to stay in district schools given the political climate and the ready access to other options.<\/p>\n Schools have become part of the culture wars amid book challenges<\/a> and accusations of political indoctrination<\/a>. One of Becky Lew-Hobbs\u2019 children is graduating from a Wake County high school this spring, but she says she understands why some parents are opting out of the district.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of politically charged information in the classrooms that I know I was never exposed to as a student, and that\u2019s just one of our objections,\u201d Lew-Hobbs said. \u201cThese are conversations that parents need to have with their children, not a teacher with a student.\u201d<\/p>\n Moms for Liberty unsuccessfully filed challenges to remove 20 books from Wake County school libraries<\/a> that the group said were too vulgar or sexually explicit for students. Several of the books featured LGBTQ characters or had scenes discussing topics such as rape and prostitution.<\/p>\n The book challenges come at a time when Republican state lawmakers have passed laws such as the Parents\u2019 Bill of Rights that restrict access to LGBTQ materials in grades K-4. There\u2019s a new bill that would expand the Parents Bill of Rights<\/a> to limit what books can be in elementary school libraries and allow parents to file lawsuits against schools accused of violating the law.<\/p>\n Swanson, the school board chair, said they <\/b> can try to find common ground with parents who have concerns about the district. But Swanson also believes there\u2019s a limit to what they can do.<\/p>\n \u201cMy problem and concerns I have is we can\u2019t tell other parents what\u2019s best for their kids, and we can\u2019t govern for all parents,\u201d Swanson said.<\/p>\n