FAQS: Newcomers

If I move into Wake County or enroll in a WCPSS school during the 2011-12 school year, will I automatically be grandfathered in that school/feeder pattern for the 2012-2013 school year?

Any student new to WCPSS who enrolls on or before January 13, 2012 will be able to attend the school assigned for their address (base school) for the remainder of the 2011-2012 school year and grandfather in that school/feeder pattern for the 2012-13 school year.  

Any student new to WCPSS who enrolls after January 13, 2012 will be able to attend the school assigned for their address (base school) for the remainder of the 2011-12 school year but will have to participate in the choice selection process in order to get a school assignment for the 2012-13 school year.

How many schools do I have to apply for? Do I have to apply for all the schools on my list or can I just apply to the ones I like?

1. If you are a new student to WCPSS (rising kindergartner; newcomer; or returning to WCPSS from a private, charter or home school) and do not currently have a school assignment, you will need to rank at least five elementary schools, or all of the middle schools, or all of the high schools on your list so that the district will be able to find a seat for you.  If you are on the waitlist for a magnet school but still do not have a school assignment, you will need to you will need to rank at least five elementary schools, or all of the middle schools, or all of the high schools on your list so that the district will be able to find a seat for you.
2. If you are a current WCPSS student or have recently been selected for a magnet school, and you already have a school assignment for next year, you should rank only the school(s) to which you would like to apply. If a student is selected for a school to which they apply, they are automatically assigned to that school and the former seat is released to be assigned to another student.  If you are not selected, you will continue to be assigned to your current school for next year and will be placed on the waitlist for your first-choice school. The waitlist will dissolve on June 29, 2012. UPDATED 2/10/12.

How are newcomers entering the system after Kindergarten placed?

New students entering WCPSS after Kindergarten will be allowed to choose a school from their choice list based on available seats.

What is the process if I move to Wake County after the choice selection process is over - How do I get to apply for my choices?

For families who move to Wake County after the selection processes have completed, they will have an opportunity to select a school during Walk-in Enrollment, which operates from after the choice process rounds have completed up to and throughout the next school year.