The new school year opens next Monday across NC — except in this large school district
Hundreds of thousands of North Carolina public school students will kick off the new school year next Monday — except for Wake County.
Monday will be a teacher workday for Wake County’s traditional-calendar schools. Students will begin the new school year on Tuesday, giving them a four-day week to kick off the new school year.
Wake said the Aug. 27 start was recommended by the district’s calendar committee, which consists of school employees, parents and community members.
“It was a committee decision — the ideal start date from the staff and parents who serve on the committee,” Wake said in a statement.
North Carolina’s largest school district didn’t elaborate on why Tuesday is the “ideal start date.”
The committee recommended having teachers report this week on Wednesday for their first day of work. Teachers will have four consecutive workdays to receive training and get their classrooms ready before students return.
Wake follows school calendar law
The calendar committee worked under the state’s school calendar law that says that classes can’t begin before the Monday closest to Aug. 26.
According to a state report, a quarter of North Carolina’s 115 school districts are defying the calendar law by beginning classes in early-to-mid August. But most districts, including Chatham, Durham, Johnston and Orange counties and Chapel Hill-Carrboro, are starting on Aug. 26.
Wake and New Hanover County are opening Tuesday, Aug. 27. Currituck and Davie counties are starting Wednesday, Aug. 28.
The Wake County school board adopted this fall’s calendar well in advance on April 11, 2023. At the time, the board was debating whether to adopt a schedule that followed the calendar law.
There was no discussion at board meetings last year about traditional-calendar classes starting on Tuesday.
Database editor David Raynor contributed.
