Thousands of students stepped into brand new classrooms across Wake County for the new school year.
Students at Felton Grove High School describe their first day as exciting. Sprawled across 400,588 square feet, it’s the largest school in the district.
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Roughly 800 students attend Felton Grove High School, which is one of four new schools for the 2025-26 school year in Wake County in order to address overcrowding.
Bowling Road elementary in Fuquay-Varina, Pleasant Plains Elementary in Apex and Rex Road Elementary in Holly Springs also opened their doors to students this school year, as well.
“It's been a long time coming,” Morrison said. “This area is growing.”
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State data shows an 18% population increase in Apex and Holly Springs and 35% increase in Fuquay-Varina from April 2020 to July 2024.
“There's a certain excitement in a brand-new building,” Felton Grove principal Robert Morrison told WRAL News. “We get to set the culture.”
Dene’ Almeida said her oldest son went to Enloe High School, which holds historical significance as a Raleigh’s first integrated public high school. Now, she says it’s an adjustment having her son Jack Almeida go to a brand-new school.
“Sometimes, you worry about, ‘Will there be tradition?’” Dene’ said.
She said creating those traditions will require teachers and staff to work closely with students.
“I think they’re well on their way to making some really neat school traditions,” Dene’ said.
Student Lea Thomas said the new school gives her the opportunity to blaze her own path by creating clubs.
“I’m just trying to get my name and place, trying to lay out who I am,” Lea told WRAL News.
Jessie Thomas, Lea’s mother, said she hopes departments like Theatre can grow over time.
Because only freshmen and sophomores attend the school for now, Dene’ believes it will make her son’s transition into high school more seamless.
Both families told WRAL News they were originally planning to go to other schools before getting reassigned to Felton Grove High School. However, they say they’re glad about the switch so far.
“We’re thrilled about the new school and the new campus and the new facilities…it’s also closer to our neighborhood, which is a big plus, so we’re happy with it,” Jessie Thomas, Lea’s mother, said.
Lea said she signed posters that the school plans to hang in honor of the school's first graduating class.