Leadership Academies

Wake Leadership Academies offer middle school and high school students the opportunity to participate in a learning environment that is uniquely designed to challenge each girl and boy as individuals. Students are inspired to lead and to learn as they travel a path to academic and personal excellence.

At Wake Leadership Academies, students

• complete their middle and high school academic program in single gender - all boys or all girls - learning environments.
• experience a personalized education based on the academies' small size and the work of faculty and staff who are dedicated to student success.
• enroll in college classes that allow them to earn free transferrable college credit.
• learn effective communication skills for a variety of settings.
• develop their individual leadership skills in areas of personal and career interests.

A Wake Leadership Academy student

• is motivated to learn, as demonstrated by performance in class and on North Carolina End-of-Grade tests.
• attends school regularly with good character and work habits.
• wants to be a part of a team atmosphere where students and teachers collaborate in the learning process.

Wake Leadership Academies

• enroll middle school and high school students in cohorts of 50.
• Students in the 6th, 7th and 9th grades will be admitted for the 2012-2013 school year.
• operate on a college campus. This allows students to access college classes during their high school career. Students are considered college students as early as their sophomore year.
• follow the early college calendar. The 2012-2013 calendar will be approved in February, 2012.
• are Wake County Public School System schools. Students are offered transportation and child nutrition services equivalent to magnet school students in the district.
• are choice schools that require students to complete an application to be considered for enrollment. Complete applications must be submitted no later than Friday, January 13, 2012, for students to be considered for the 2012-2013 school year. Students will also be contacted for an interview following the initial review of their application.

Academic Programs

• Middle school students focus on developing literacy skills for all content in the sixth grade. During the seventh and eighth grades students have the opportunity to accelerate their program through curriculum compacting. Students may have the opportunity to begin high school courses in the spring of their eighth grade year.
• High school students enroll in honors courses whenever the honors level is available. They complete the majority of their high school courses by the end of their sophomore year, thus allowing them to enroll in college courses during their junior year.
• Beginning in their junior year students may enroll in up to four college courses per semester that fulfill the core requirements for college transfer programs.

Leadership Development

• Students begin to develop their leadership skills in the middle school with an advisory program designed to explore and expand their leadership potential.
• Freshmen complete a leadership seminar that is an introduction to college expectations and the many forms of leadership.
• College leadership development courses are a core component for students beginning in their sophomore year.
• Career development activities, including job shadowing, volunteering, and internships, provide students the opportunity to practice their leadership skills while developing a career transcript.