BACK TO SCHOOL: Hundreds of thousands of students return to classroom

Hundreds of thousands of students on the traditional calendar year returned to the classroom Monday.

In fact, six new schools opened in Wake County alone.

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River Bend Middle School in Raleigh, North Wake College and Career Academy, Hortons Creek Elementary, Rogers Lane Elementary, Score Academy, and Connections Academy all opened Monday.

In all, 183 schools opened their doors to more than 161,000 students.

Wake County teachers ready for first day of school

The Wake County Public School System also launched several new magnet programs.

Along with the new additions, the county has also launched a new app that makes it easier for parents to track their child's bus and know they are safe.

The school district launched a free school bus tracking app last week called "Here Comes the Bus."

RELATED: New app lets WCPSS track child's bus

The app lets parents see real-time information on the exact location of their child's school bus with a customizable map on a smart phone, tablet, or personal computer. It also notifies parents when the bus is near their stop or if there has been a schedule change.

In Durham County, some students headed back to school on school buses that now have seat belts.

Durham's one of 13 counties testing the seat belts as part of a statewide pilot program.

RELATED: Durham Public Schools part of bus seat belt pilot program

Nine buses have been outfitted with seat belts, and each seat can hold three students.

And all Durham school buses now have cameras to help drivers keep order, and concentrate on the road.

Meanwhile in Cumberland County, the first day of school marks a fresh start for school systems in the Sandhills.

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In November, ABC11 was at Walter Spivey Elementary School as students returned to the classroom nearly two weeks after Hurricane Matthew devastated much Fayetteville.

Monday, those same students in for a warm welcome by Cumberland County Schools Interim Superintendent Tim Kinlaw as they embark on a new beginning.

Walker Spivey Elementary School serves hundreds of young students in the Old Wilmington and Habitat Village Community.

In October, much of those areas under water after Matthew.

Ten months later, teachers are stocked up on paper, pencils and posters as they welcome back students for another school year.