Wake County schools see first enrollment drop in five years
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Wake County Public School System, the state's largest district, is reporting a decline in student enrollment for the first time in nearly five years.
The district has fewer students in classrooms compared to the last school year.
District data show enrollment dropped by more than 700 students year over year. The decrease represents less than a 1% drop overall.
The decline was seen across most grade levels. Fourth, sixth, seventh, and 11th grades were exceptions, with fourth grade recording the largest increase.
The change has drawn attention from parents navigating school options. Some say the variety of choices can be difficult to manage.
"You want to do the best for your kids, obviously," said Alex Caywood, a Wake Forest parent.
Malcolm Stevens, a Raleigh parent, said he continues to support traditional public schools.
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"We actually have this conversation with our parent friends all the time. I'm a big proponent of public schools," said Stevens.
Parents cited alternatives such as voucher programs, private schools, and specialized public school options in their decision-making. Cost also remains a factor for some families.
"Private school is a big investment, too. And so that's the other side, too. It's like, if I can send them to public school for free, or at least at a much cheaper cost, and he has all those same experiences," Caywood said.
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Even as school choice initiatives gain support from state lawmakers, a report from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction suggests voucher programs are not pushing students out of public schools.
"What's happening in Wake is happening across the state, where private schools are getting a lot of money, even though they're not serving formerly public school students," said Heather Koons, research and communications director for Public Schools First NC.
Experts point to broader demographic trends as the main drivers of enrollment changes. These include declining birth rates and shifts in where families are moving.
Koons said funding pressures tied to enrollment could affect future decisions for families.
"The funding problem is going to make people look really hard, I think, about the services that we're losing in our public schools, and that might affect people's decisions moving forward," she said.
Despite the decrease, some parents say district offerings remain a key draw. They point to resources such as magnet-school programs as reasons to stay in Wake County public schools.
