Some things to consider:

MORE STUDENTS: The school system estimates that 41,976 students will attend 49 year-round schools. They're projecting that year-round schools will hold 48 percent of the elementary-school students and 28 percent of the middle-school students this year. Enrollment shot up after 22 schools were converted to the calendar in 2007.

THOSE WHO LEFT: A total of 3,927 students have left year-round schools this summer to attend traditional-calendar schools. They belong to families that applied for seats in February and to those that refused to consent to assignment to year-round schools.

NEW SCHOOLS: Three new year-round elementary schools open today: Laurel Park in Apex, Mills Park in Cary and Sycamore Creek in North Raleigh. Sycamore Creek students will use Hilburn this month until their campus is completed.

UNCERTAIN LEGAL ACTION: Wake is still bound by a Superior Court ruling requiring it to get permission from parents to send children to year-round schools. The N.C. Court of Appeals reversed the ruling in May, but the N.C. Supreme Court blocked enforcement of that order until it decides whether to hear the case. No news is expected until at least late August.

HOW YEAR-ROUND WORKS: Students attend 180 days of classes, just as students at traditional schools do. But the school year runs longer because the long summer break is replaced by more frequent but shorter breaks. More or less, students go to class for nine weeks and then take breaks of three weeks.

MULTI-TRACKING: Wake uses multi-track year-round in which students are divided into four groups, or tracks, with different calendars. Three are in class and one is on break throughout the year. This is supposed to allow schools to handle up to 33 percent more students. But the court ruling and slower-than-expected growth mean Wake has not seen much of the gains yet.

REMEMBERING LUNCH MONEY: Wake has started a new program for parents to pay for their children's school lunches.

Starting today, parents can enroll at www.myLunchMoney.com or by calling (800) 479-3531. The service allows parents to deposit money into their child's account whenever they want from their home computer, phone or fax.

The service is optional.

END OF SUMMER: Traditional-calendar students return Aug. 25. Modified-calendar schools open July 24. The Wake Early College of Health and Sciences begins Aug. 6.