WCPSS Sees 3,700 More Students for 2008-09

September 30, 2008 - Enrollment in the Wake County Public School System increased to 137,706 on the 20th day of the 2008-09 school year, 3,700 students more than last year.

WCPSS 20th-Day Enrollment

137,706 - 2008-09
108,970 - 2003-04
92,036 - 1998-99

The 20th day enrollment is a snapshot of one day’s school enrollment that is annually reported to the state.

On September 29th, WCPSS schools were serving 138,502 students, an increase of 796 more than the official 20th day.  Most of that increase occured in year-round schools where the official 20th day count was taken prior to the first day of school for traditional calendar schools.

The increase in enrollment of 3,700 students is less than enrollment increases in recent years. In 2007-08, enrollment increased by 6,930 and in 2006-07, enrollment increased by 7,568.

The increase to 137,706 students this year is less than the projection for 140,443 students. The Wake County Planning Department and the WCPSS Growth and Planning Department who jointly develop the projections will review the data to see what they can learn from it and revise projections for the future. The serious downturn in the national economy had an impact on WCPSS enrollment. Other large school systems in the state saw similar trends of slower growth.

Largest schools
The school system has 67,508 elementary school students, 30,921 middle school students and 39,227 high school students. Last year, the school system had a total of 134,002 students with 65,690 in elementary schools; 29,975 in middle schools and 38,347 in high schools.

The largest high schools are Wakefield High with 2,721; Enloe High with 2,643; Leesville Road High with 2,502; Millbrook High with 2,417; and Garner High with 2,317.

The largest middle schools are West Lake Middle with 1,420 students; Wakefield Middle with 1,322; Heritage Middle with 1,288; and Leesville Road Middle with 1,281. West Lake and Heritage are year-round schools; Wakefield and Leesville Road are traditional calendar schools.

The largest elementary schools are Middle Creek Elementary with 1,030; Olive Chapel Elementary with 1,022; Willow Springs Elementary with 997; Holly Grove Elementary with 986; West Lake Elementary with 977; and Davis Drive Elementary with 975. Middle Creek, Olive Chapel, Willow Springs, Holly Grove and West Lake are year-round schools. Davis Drive is a traditional calendar school.

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