Accommodating Growth in the North Raleigh/Wake Forest Area
Wake County continues to experience dramatic growth, and the North Raleigh/Wake Forest area is no exception. Four already overcrowded elementary schools in this vicinity are projected to gain more than 300 students next year, meaning 1,685 students will be in mobiles, modulars or non-traditional classroom spaces. To help alleviate overcrowding at Fox Road, Wakefield, Wildwood Forest and Wake Forest elementary schools, WCPSS is opening the new Forest Pines Drive Elementary two years early as a modular school on the DuBois site.
Forest Pines Drive Elementary will open in the Wakefield community in 2007. The students who live closest to the new school's permanent location were chosen to attend Forest Pines Drive; the farthest driving distance from these students' homes to the new school is only 1.3 miles. In the interim, the driving distance from the modular school at DuBois to the farthest point in the same Wakefield node is 5.2 miles.
Employees and volunteers at the historic DuBois Center provide tutoring, recreation programs and training classes for the Town of Wake Forest, area agencies and other members of the community. The DuBois Center also partners with Wake Forest schools, cultural arts organizations, churches and businesses to perform service projects.
Overcrowding Figures
Fox Road Elementary has 962 students, a school building capacity of 540, 18 mobile classrooms, and a modular cafeteria. Only 44.2 percent of its students are in permanent seats this school year. Enrollment is projected to reach 998 in 2005-06.
Wakefield Elementary has 1,059 students, a school building capacity of 586, and 14 mobile classrooms. Only 57.5 percent of its students are in permanent seats this school year. With an enrollment of 1, 275 projected for 2005-06, the overcrowding will only get worse.
Wake Forest Elementary has 715 students and is expected to reach 840 students next year. Although there isn't room for mobile units on this campus, 86 percent of students are in permanent seats because the school is using non-traditional classroom spaces.
Wildwood Forest Elementary has 912 students, a school building capacity of 586, and 13 mobile classrooms. The school currently has 67.8 percent of its students in permanent seats, and its enrollment is projected to reach 1,003 students next year.