Some Wake schools have empty seats. Can they persuade families to come back?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Aversboro Elementary is one of several under-enrolled schools in Wake County.
- Aversboro enrollment dropped to 323 in 2023 and is 397 this school year.
- Aversboro received Title I funding and was 80% minority last school year.
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50 years of Wake County Public Schools
On July 1, 1976, Raleigh City Schools and the old Wake County school system faded into the history books. Enter the unified Wake County Public School System, which 50 years later, is the biggest school system in North Carolina and the 14th largest nationally. But the district faces new challenges in 2026: both crowded schools and under-enrollment, plus major competition from other education options.
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Some Wake schools have empty seats. Can they persuade families to come back?
Aversboro Elementary’s classroom trailers have transitioned into use as storage space. But the Garner school hopes to one day fill them again with students eager to learn.
Aversboro is one of several under-enrolled schools in the Wake County school system. But school leaders say they’re making a comeback as they try to persuade families to attend the school, instead of the other educational options in the area.
“We are making a rebound with enrollment,” Tiffany Stuart, Aversboro’s principal, said in an interview with The News & Observer. “Our numbers are going back up. We’re working very hard to partner with our families and really make a difference with our students.”
Shifting school demographics in Garner
Aversboro was part of the Wake County school system when it merged in 1976 with Raleigh City Schools. At the time, there were concerns about under-enrolled Raleigh schools and overcrowded county schools.
Aversboro’s demographics have changed. The school’s enrollment has gone from 29% minority in 1983 to 80% minority last school year. In addition, 64% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.
“We serve a population that’s very high need,” Stuart said. “We receive (federal) Title I funding to offset the impacts of poverty, and it is just a truly rewarding place to be every day. Students come in excited to learn, teachers come in excited to teach.”
Stuart calls Garner “the best-kept secret in Wake County” based on all of the support that the community provides. This includes a church dropping off snacks for students and a business donating T-shirts so they can be printed and given to all of the students.
Enrollment drops in Wake, Aversboro
A decade ago, Aversboro had close to 600 students. The four trailers on campus were used for classes.
But Stuart said Aversboro is still recovering from having students reassigned to Bryan Road Elementary when it opened in 2018. Then came the pandemic.
Aversboro’s enrollment dropped to as low as 323 students in 2023. The school is up to 397 students this school year. But that means the school is still only at two-thirds capacity, including the trailers.
Enrollment dropped in traditional public schools across the country and in Wake County during the pandemic. Enrollment still remains below pre-pandemic levels in the district, although there are pockets of high growth.
The district’s growth has slowed to the point where planners project Wake will only grow by 2,633 students over the next decade. This is leading Wake to make adjustments, such as reducing the number of multi-track year-round schools that are used to increase campus capacity.
In some cases, Wake has added magnet programs to try to lure students to schools with empty seats. That didn’t happen at Aversboro, which is four miles from a school that received a magnet program in 2009.
Aversboro has embraced the advantages of being small, according to Stuart.
“Having smaller numbers, we know our students even better,” Stuart said. “That number is growing and increasing each year. But we are able to really connect with our families and respond to their needs, and also get ahead of their needs.”
Asking families to give the school a chance
In an effort to boost Aversboro’s enrollment, the district reassigned some neighborhoods back from Bryan Road Elementary. It was a hard sell, with some parents complaining about their children being reassigned to a school with lower test scores.
Last school year, Aversboro had a “D” school performance grade from the state, compared to the “B” grade for Bryan Road. The performance grades show that high-poverty schools tend not to score as well as schools with fewer low-income students.
Stuart said she unexpectedly won over some families after hiring two former Bryan Road parents who had math backgrounds. Aversboro was able to use flexibility given to some low-performing schools in hiring teachers.
“Little did I know, they’re out in the community, spreading the good word,” Stuart said. ‘”You’ve got to come to Aversboro, it’s a great school. You need to get in here and see it for yourself. Don’t be scared. Don’t believe everything you read. Don’t believe everything you hear.’”
