Wake wants more students to attend magnet schools. Application period opens Saturday.
The Wake County school system is making a new push to promote magnet schools by opening the application period months earlier than normal in October and by holding an informational fair on Saturday in Cary.
The application period for magnet schools and year-round schools begins on Saturday instead of the usual December or January start date. The early start also coincides with Saturday’s Magnet School, Early College and Year-Round Schools Fair that will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Panther Creek High School, 6770 McCrimmon Parkway in Cary.
Wake has historically held the annual magnet school fair at Southeast Raleigh High School. But school leaders want to get more families to apply this year, especially from western Wake.
Schools offer choice with purpose
Thousands of Wake County families apply each year for the chance to attend schools that offer unique themes and programming. The schools offer what school leaders call “choice with a purpose.”
Magnet school programs help fill and diversify schools that otherwise would have high concentrations of low-income students. Students are attracted by offering programs not found at their neighborhood schools, such as advanced arts courses.
“Magnet schools offer a unique combination of innovative courses, rigorous education, diverse environments and a range of programs that let students get immersed in the subjects that make sense for them,” Mason Wasik, a student at Broughton HIgh School in Raleigh, says in a Wake promotional video. “All of which which makes them a great option for all kinds of kids.”
The year-round schools provide options for families who want a calendar that eliminates long summer vacations by spreading shorter but more frequent breaks during the school year. Year-round schools have historically drawn more affluent applicants, but school leaders are talking about ways to encourage more low-income families to attend.
Wake’s early colleges are designed to attract students who’d be the first in their family to get a college degree. Early colleges allow students to get a high school diploma and up to two years of free college credit.
The application period for early colleges has already opened and runs to Dec. 16. The application period for magnet schools and year-round schools runs to Jan. 30.
Families will be notified Feb. 19 of the application results.
Selection priority used to fill schools
Applications aren’t processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead, different priorities are used for filling schools.
Most of the magnet schools give priority to applicants who are leaving schools with a “high” socio-economic status, meaning they come from affluent areas. In contrast, priority is given to year-round school applicants who are leaving schools with a “low” socio-economic status.
Safety from school reassignment
One of the draws of being accepted into magnet schools and early colleges is being safe from reassignment.
Wake annually reassigns students to fill new and under-utilized schools, ease crowding at existing schools and help balance schools demographically. The current proposal for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years has drawn complaint from some parents.
But reassignment changes don’t impact magnet application or early college application students. In return, these students often have longer commutes. Some application schools offer limited or no school bus options for families.
The safety from reassignment and the unique offerings has led to resentment from some parents at non-magnet schools.
Learn more about school choices
▪ Go to wcpss.monkeybreadtech.com/ to use Wake’s Magnet Explorer to learn about the different program themes.
▪ Plug in your address at wwwgis2.wcpss.net/addressLookup/ to find out what your school choices are, as well as what level of bus service is available. Choices vary based on address.
▪ Go to www.wcpss.net/Page/113 to learn more about magnet schools, year-round schools and early colleges.
▪ In addition to Saturday’s fair, various information events will be held over the next few months. Go to www.wcpss.net/Page/40214 for more information on events.
▪ Parents can also contact the district’s Magnet and Curriculum Enhancement Programs Office by emailing magnetcenter@wcpss.net or calling 919-533-7289.
This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 5:20 PM.
