Your first step is to enroll in Wake County Public Schools. You do this by enrolling online and then visiting your base school to finalize enrollment and get your student ID number.

Use SchoolUpInfoSheet for a timeline of important dates to help get your organized.

If you are looking for performance data on schools I recommend the NC School Report Cards as an alternative to Great Schools. Here you will find performance and growth scores as well as other data for all public schools.

Families looking for high school data can use the following charts:

• 2022 Average SAT Scores
• 2021 AP Test Results

For more advice on selecting a high school read my recent blog post.

Magnet schools are public schools that are part of the Wake County Public School System but have specialized courses or curricula. You can learn more about our WCPSS magnet schools here.

Magnet students are selected based on certain socioeconomic priorities.

Magnet pathways are the next-level schools in which a magnet student has first priority. View the magnet pathways here.

View a map of magnet school to find school near you:

• Magnet elementary schools
• Magnet middle schools
• Magnet high schools

To learn more about the decision between AP course offerings and an IB high school diploma program read this blog post  by Advantage College Planning.

Charter schools are public schools that are authorized by the State Board of Education and operated by independent non-profit boards of directors. The are tuition free schools which operate outside of the Wake County Public School System. The have open enrollment and cannot discriminate in admissions, associate with any religion or religious group, or charge-tuition. Learn more about the history of charter schools here.

You can view a map provided by DPI here. Or search my list of local charter schools.

Wake County  provides services to students with learning differences through the office of Special Education.

The Special Education Services Family and Community Connections team answers questions from parents about the special education process. The team is a point of contact for families who are moving to the area with a child who has special needs.

Parenting on Your Own Path is a blog by Dr. Emily King, a local psychologist who specializes in working with neurodivergent children. Read her school related posts here for advice on advocating for your student.