Enrollment Projections Down for Wake County Schools

Raleigh, N.C. — Enrollment projections are down for Wake County schools. The school board met Wednesday to review the data.

This year, fall enrollment in Wake County was nearly 134,000 students. That was an increase of 6,000 over the previous year, but 2,000 fewer than expected. Because of that, the long term projections had to be lowered.

The county will still need to build several new schools over the next decade. What these lower numbers could mean are fewer year-round schools, or fewer mobile classrooms.

County officials expect an extra 6,400 students for next school year. The following year, another 6,600 students are expected and another 7,200 for the third year. Combined, nearly 6,000 fewer students will attend Wake County public schools by 2011, than previously thought.

The Wake County school system is officially the largest in the state. The district has 65,690 elementary school students, 29,975 middle school students and 38,347 high school students. Last year, the district had 62,395 students in elementary schools, 29,031 in middle schools and 36,646 in high schools.

No decision was made as to what these new numbers will mean for school construction, or the need for future bonds. The county and school board will sort that out later.

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The decreased enrollement probably went to the private sector or decided it was best to home-school. The kids are here, just not going to public school.

bobbythreesticks
November 23, 2007 11:42 a.m.

What is the actual growth in student population? How many new students enter the system and how many leave the system? Much is made about a student to teacher ration. What is the ratio of administrator to teacher ratio? Need to ensure this one is as high as possible.

colliedave
November 22, 2007 10:35 p.m.

Historically, WCPSS has never been able to predict anything accurately, or even NEAR accurate.

This is "busy work" they do to justify their salaries, that is all.

And it's long overdue to break up this huge monolith called a school district, it's too big to manage, especially by the bozo's who have failed in doing so for so long.

Break it up, more accountability and more 'local' management has a much better chance at successfully planning than the huge mess it has been for so long.

Nancy
November 22, 2007 9:20 a.m.

Increased property taxes, toll roads, and eventually a tax on the sale of property, will continue to slow growth in Wake County. How can they forecast enrollment projections until 2011 when then can not acurately forecast from 2006-2007.

whatusay
November 22, 2007 9:13 a.m.

I agree we need to replace most of the existing school board for many reasons. The only one I would not replace is the board member that was against the school bond and who also supported writing a simple letter to the state recommending the state lift the cap on Charter schools. Figuring out how many children are going to come into the school district: I will cut them some slack on that although they did get rid of the one person that had it right a few years ago. But that has to be a difficult assessment to figure out the growth in student population. In my own neighborhood there is constant moving in and out of families. Some that move in have children and some don't. Some that leave have children and some don't. But over all my opinion of our current school board is that hey care little about the children and much more about the system and making the system larger at the expense of the educational opportunities for all our children.

whatelseisnew
November 22, 2007 8:59 a.m.