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Demographics Resource Center

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

SCHOOL PROFILES

The Wake County Public School System Continues to Grow!

Enrollment in the Wake County Public School System increased to 137,706 on the 20th day of the 2008-09 school year; 3,704 students more than last year (view 20th-day school-by-school numbers, the map of the 2008 new school openings, and the 2008 school map). Wake remains the largest school district in the state, and will most likely move past the San Diego Unified School District to become the nation's 18th largest school district. The total number of newcomers is actually in the order of 16,000 students. This includes the new kindergarten cohort, and the 1st-12th grade newcomers who are replacing last year's graduating students, dropouts, those leaving the area, etc.

WCPSS Yearly Enrollment Changes
Historical evidence indicates that the net annual student enrollment changes are cyclical in nature and not linear. For example, fluctuations of enrollment in Wake County can be affected by economy, housing and mortgage markets, migration, other schooling options, students leaving, staying or entering the system for the first time, natural growth trends, etc. In the current cycle the changes appear to be more pronounced than they were before.

The animation below shows annual school openings from 1988 to 2008 (actual) and 2009-2010 (planned). \|maps\|\|table\|	Data Profile for Wake County The 2007 social, demographic, economic and housing data from the American Community Survey (ACS) have been released. \|Tables\|
	Building Permits by Wake County Municipalities Comparison of 2007 and 2008: Total Permits January-July, Historic 1997-2007
	Blueprint for Excellence 2006 \|Maps\| Updated: August, 2008
	Back to School, New School Openings \|2008, Map\| \|1988-2010, Table\| \|1988-2010, Maps\|
	Distance Analysis of High Schools, 2006 Maps and Tables Available
	Quick Facts School Facts and Maps (with downloads) on enrollment, school capacity, free or reduced-price lunch program (F&R), LEP, etc.

Level	Membership (MLD 20th-day)			Annual Increase
	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Elementary	62,395	65,680	67,508	4,146	3,285	1,828
Middle	29,031	29,975	30,921	1,272	944	946
High	36,646	38,347	39,277	2,150	1,701	930
WCPSS Total	128,072	134,002	137,706	7,568	5,930	3,704

WCPSS School Statistics and Maps Report, 2007-08 |pdf (150 pages, 10,255 KB)||printable sections|
This Report was created to offer a snapshot of the current demographics in the System through a data-driven and visually-pleasing manner. Information includes an overview, quick facts, individual school reports, student demographics, and enrollment projections. The majority of the data and maps included in the book represent summaries for the 2007-2008 school year. However, also included are enrollment projections and Capital Improvement Plan 2006 data and maps used to support one billion building program approved by Wake County voters in 2006.
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This site provides demographic and geographic data on students and schools,socioeconomic diversity, growth issues, and enrollment projections.

The animation on the left shows annual student density (students per node) for 1,301 WCPSS areas (nodes) of residence, 1998-2007. |pdf|

Demographics (dem·o·graph·ics [dem-uh-graf-iks,dee-muh-]) n. [G. demos: people; graphy: knowledge relating to a particular science 1965-1970] Statistical study of human populations, especially with reference to size and density, distribution, and vital statistics. The demographics of WCPSS indicate a growing population of new students.