{"id":1226,"date":"2026-05-28T19:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1226"},"modified":"2026-05-28T19:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:37:14","slug":"some-wake-schools-have-empty-seats-can-they-persuade-families-to-come-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1226","title":{"rendered":"Some Wake schools have empty seats. Can they persuade families to come back?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 NC dog owner faces new charge in dog attack that killed 85-year-old woman<\/a><\/p>\n

Aversboro Elementary\u2019s classroom trailers have transitioned into use as storage space. But the Garner school hopes to one day fill them again with students eager to learn.<\/p>\n

Aversboro is one of several under-enrolled schools in the Wake County school system. But school leaders say they\u2019re making a comeback as they try to persuade families to attend the school, instead of the other educational options in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are making a rebound with enrollment,\u201d Tiffany Stuart, Aversboro\u2019s principal, said in an interview with The News & Observer. \u201cOur numbers are going back up. We\u2019re working very hard to partner with our families and really make a difference with our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aversboro was part of the Wake County school system when it merged in 1976 with Raleigh City Schools. At the time, there were concerns about under-enrolled Raleigh schools and overcrowded county schools.<\/p>\n

Aversboro\u2019s demographics have changed. The school\u2019s enrollment has gone from 29% minority in 1983 to 80% minority last school year. In addition, 64% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe serve a population that\u2019s very high need,\u201d Stuart said. \u201cWe receive (federal) Title I funding to offset the impacts of poverty, and it is just a truly rewarding place to be every day. Students come in excited to learn, teachers come in excited to teach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stuart calls Garner \u201cthe best-kept secret in Wake County\u201d based on all of the support that the community provides. This includes a church dropping off snacks for students and a business donating T-shirts so they can be printed and given to all of the students.<\/p>\n

A decade ago, Aversboro had close to 600 students. The four trailers on campus were used for classes.<\/p>\n

But Stuart said Aversboro is still recovering from having students reassigned to Bryan Road Elementary when it opened in 2018. Then came the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Read more 2 venomous spiders are active in North Carolina. Here\u2019s how to spot them<\/a><\/p>\n

Aversboro\u2019s enrollment dropped to as low as 323 students in 2023. The school is up to 397 students this school year. But that means the school is still only at two-thirds capacity, including the trailers.<\/p>\n

Enrollment dropped in traditional public schools across the country and in Wake County during the pandemic. Enrollment still remains below pre-pandemic levels in the district, although there are pockets of high growth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The district\u2019s growth has slowed to the point where planners project Wake will only grow by 2,633 students over the next decade. This is leading Wake to make adjustments, such as reducing the number of multi-track year-round schools<\/a> that are used to increase campus capacity.<\/p>\n

In some cases, Wake has added magnet programs<\/a> to try to lure students to schools with empty seats. That didn\u2019t happen at Aversboro, which is four miles from a school that received a magnet program in 2009.<\/p>\n

Aversboro has embraced the advantages of being small, according to Stuart.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving smaller numbers, we know our students even better,\u201d Stuart said. \u201cThat number is growing and increasing each year. But we are able to really connect with our families and respond to their needs, and also get ahead of their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an effort to boost Aversboro\u2019s enrollment, the district reassigned some neighborhoods back from Bryan Road Elementary. It was a hard sell, with some parents complaining about their children being reassigned to a school with lower test scores<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last school year, Aversboro had a \u201cD\u201d school performance grade from the state, compared to the \u201cB\u201d grade for Bryan Road. The performance grades show that high-poverty schools tend not to score as well as schools with fewer low-income students.<\/p>\n

Stuart said she unexpectedly won over some families after hiring two former Bryan Road parents who had math backgrounds. Aversboro was able to use flexibility given to some low-performing schools in hiring teachers.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle did I know, they\u2019re out in the community, spreading the good word,\u201d Stuart said. \u2018\u201dYou\u2019ve got to come to Aversboro, it\u2019s a great school. You need to get in here and see it for yourself. Don\u2019t be scared. Don\u2019t believe everything you read. Don\u2019t believe everything you hear.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Is Wake losing the school choice battle? How the district competes for students<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 5:15 AM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wake County schools are responding to post-pandemic under-enrollment with reassignment, magnets and local outreach as Aversboro Elementary works to regain students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nSome Wake schools have empty seats. 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