Raleigh, N.C. — The Wake County Public School System released school assignments for a second and final round of children Thursday, finishing off the student assignment process for thousands of families.

Results were available for parents who submitted an application in Choice Selection Round Two on April 14, those who were on a waiting list for their first choice and those who were still waiting for an assignment.

For many families, the news was good. For others, it was disappointing.

"It has been a real nightmare for us in terms of getting what we want," said parent Josh Lippy, whose 7-year-old was not assigned to the year-round school near their home, but instead will be attending a year-round school about 5 miles away.

Karen Meier recently moved her family to the Triangle from Michigan. They bought a home in Apex because it was near a good school, she said.

"We decided to locate here specifically for that reason," she said. 

But, on Thursday, she learned that her child was not assigned to the school she wanted.

She told school board members at their Tuesday meeting that she regretted moving to the area.

"Had we been fully aware of the new choice school assignment program, I don't think we would have moved to Wake County," Meier said.

Despite a number of outspoken parents dissatisfied with the new student assignment plan, which they said was more of a lottery than a choice-based model, the school system said the majority of Wake County families got into the schools they wanted.

The information was released on the school system's website Thursday evening, after numerous technical issues required the site to be taken down for several hours.

Parents who have not yet logged in can still do so by using the same username and password they created to make their school choice online. Parents can also call 919-431-7333 for help or if they forgot that information.

The school system does have an appeals process in place for families who are dissatisfied with their assignment.

The assignment plan required parents to list their top preferred schools for their children. Proximity to the school, where siblings attend and other factors determined where the children were ultimately assigned, but those factors were only used in deciding whether a family got its first school choice.

The second, third and fourth choices were more random.

Final assignment notification letters will be sent to all families by May 15.