2 Raleigh elementary schools will switch calendars. Here’s what will change.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wake County board approved year-round calendar shift for two Raleigh schools.
- North Forest Pines and Pleasant Union will move to single-track by 2027-28.
- Board cited low growth, community input and cost savings in final decision.
Families and staff at two North Raleigh elementary schools will be able to stay on a year-round calendar, but it will be different from the one they’re now using.
The Wake County school board voted this week to convert North Forest Pines Elementary and Pleasant Union Elementary from a multi-track, year-round calendar to a single-track, year-round calendar in the 2027-28 school year. The decision was promoted as a compromise because student assignment staff had recommended switching the schools to the traditional calendar.
The vote drew applause from the parents who attended Tuesday’s school board meeting. The parents had said that they could accept the single-track calendar if it meant keeping the year-round schedule.
“I want to thank the community and the staff who were willing to meet us halfway,” said school board member Wing Ng, whose district includes both schools. “In some ways, it was a no-win situation. But we got something out of it that both sides had some benefit.”
Wake operates multiple school calendars
The majority of Wake’s 203 schools operate on a traditional calendar. This means a late August opening, an early June closing and a 10-week summer vacation.
Wake also operates multiple types of year-round schools, in which students take short periodic breaks instead of having a long summer break.
North Forest Pines and Pleasant Union currently use the multi-track, year-round calendar. Students are split into four rotating groups, called tracks, with three in session and one on break at all times.
The multi-track calendar can increase a school’s capacity by 25% or more to provide extra seats in high-growth areas.
In a single-track, year-round school, all the students follow the same schedule, so there is no capacity gain.
All the students at North Forest Pines and Pleasant Union will use track 4 after the switch. That track typically starts in late July and ends in late June.
This will be a change for families on the three other tracks that typically start the new school year in early July. Depending on the track, they now end in either early June or late June.
Financial savings from converting calendars
Student assignment staff had recommended converting North Forest Pines and Pleasant Union because they’re both located in the Falls Lake watershed, which limits the amount of residential growth. According to Wake County data, North Forest Pines is at 78% capacity this school year. Pleasant Union is at 81%
“Calendar conversions are generally recommended to the board as one of our last options to address long-term planning concerns,” Glenn Carrozza, assistant superintendent for school choice, planning and assignment, told the board. “In this portion of the county, the additional seats that the multi-track, year-round calendar provide are no longer needed.”
Carrozza said operating multi-track schools cost the district additional money. But Carrozza said operating multi-track schools in high-growth areas can save the district money from not having to build as many new schools.
“This is not easy, this process,” Carrozza said. “No matter what decision you make tonight, someone will be impacted.”
Families lobby against traditional calendar
But surveys of parents and employees at both schools found strong support for staying on the multi-track calendar. Families have argued that attending on a year-round schedule benefits them and their children.
“The year-round calendar is a component that really strengthens our school culture,” Katie White, a North Forest Pines parent, told the board on Tuesday. “It reduces burnout and learning loss over long breaks. It offers many families the opportunity for better balance between their student’s academic pursuits and their family life.”
Multiple speakers said converting the schools to a traditional calendar would cause some families to leave for year-round calendars at charter schools or private schools.
“We could lose more money with students leaving than we would save by this change, and it’s not worth the risk,” said Jaymie Boose, a Pleasant Union parent.
School board members agreed to go with single track after Carrozza said it would have the same financial savings as switching the schools to a traditional calendar.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 9:45 AM.
