Read up.
Short, plain-language guides to the parts of Wake County school choice that take the most explaining — magnet priority, calendar types, transportation, charter vs WCPSS, and more.
- Start here
How WCPSS actually works
Base assignment, the Choice application, magnet priorities, and what to do if you want something other than your community school.
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Magnet priority, explained
How WCPSS ranks magnet applications — siblings, pathway, and SES — and what Priority 1 vs Priority 2 means when the lottery runs.
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Charters in Wake County
Tuition-free public schools outside WCPSS. How the lottery works, what transport looks like, and the Wake charters families ask about most.
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The private school landscape
Independent, religious, Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio, classical — what each category actually means, and how Raleigh maps to it.
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Going public after private
Coming back to WCPSS from private or charter school — base assignment, documents, magnet re-entry, and realistic timing.
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AIG and gifted pathways
WCPSS AIG identification, GT magnets like Ligon and Martin, and private gifted options — how they differ and where they overlap.
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Special education, honestly
IEPs and 504s across WCPSS, magnets, charters, and private schools — what transfers, what doesn't, what to ask before you choose.
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Transportation realities
Who drives your kid to school — you or WCPSS? Walk zones, magnet express, no-transport zones, charter reality. For working parents.
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Calendar types, demystified
Traditional, year-round single and multi-track, modified. How each WCPSS calendar reshapes a family's year.
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How to read school data
School Performance Grades, growth scores, achievement — what they mean, what they hide, and how to read them as a parent.
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