Crossroads FLEX (9-12)

Crossroads FLEX High School, part of Wake County Public Schools, offers students a Flexible Learning EXperience that allows them to prioritize both academics and personal pursuits (or passions), such as competitive arts and sports. Students attend in-person classes Monday through Thursday based on their Pursuit Schedule.  In addition, students must meet weekly seat time requirements based on their grade level. A Crossroads FLEX student is responsible, self-driven, engaged, and upholds the highest standards of integrity. To engage in this unique learning environment, students must already be committed to their pursuit and participate 20+ hours per week.  

Creative Arts and Science (K-5)

Explore, Discover, Imagine, Create!   Specialist teachers in Art, Dance/Movement, Drama, PE, Media, and Science not only teach their specialties to students but also collaborate with classroom teachers to bring the curriculum to life through the integration of the arts and hands-on science.  Students can show “how they are smart” in multiple ways as they learn core subjects in a dynamic environment at our A+ School: a school that views the arts as fundamental to teaching and learning.

School: Douglas Magnet Elementary

Arts and Design (K-5)

The Arts and Design theme is the beginning of your child’s journey on a pathway of creative excellence.  Students will experience working within the design cycle process to imagine and make their own ideas real. They will have opportunities to immerse themselves in a variety of art mediums to demonstrate their learning and visualize their creations.
In Arts and Design, students may work with their peers to create an amusement park that is accessible to everyone by building models of the rides. Or, students could make a new way to communicate and then write and perform a play that will explain this new system to people in the future. Pairing the design cycle with the arts is a powerful way for students to take control of their learning and develop the creative skills and flexible thinking necessary for success in our changing world.

School: Wildwood Forest

Museums (K-5)
Through extensive partnerships with local museums, arts centers, and government organizations, students interact with these community resources for an enhanced learning experience that transcends the classroom walls.  The Paideia Principles are applied throughout the day, which provides students the opportunities to create products that demonstrate their understanding of the Standards. Through these dynamic student interactions, the school is transformed into a museum of student work.

School: Brooks Magnet Elementary

Academy of Arts and Design (6-8)

At East Millbrook Magnet Middle School Academy of Arts and Design, we believe that students of Arts and Design are not just learners – they are designers, creators, makers, and performers of the future. Our program is designed to actively connect the creative opportunities we provide to the critical skills needed to solve the challenges of tomorrow.

Students engage with their peers through design thinking and arts integration. This approach expands their understanding of core concepts, nurtures their creative curiosity, and allows students to explore a wide array of elective choices. With nearly 100 electives in our course catalog, students have the chance to explore novice creative interests or dive deep into established arts passions through leveled visual and performing arts electives.

These hands-on learning opportunities allow students to not only hone their skills but also understand the real-world impact of arts and design in action. Our students benefit from interactions with guest artists, exciting field experiences, and the thrill of participating in student-created performances.

We offer the option to enroll in a double period of an Arts Guild class. These daily 80-minute electives are available in eight different arts disciplines, and they provide a unique opportunity to deepen your child's passion for developing their craft and gaining a deeper understanding of the art world.

At East Millbrook Magnet Middle School Academy of Arts and Design, we are dedicated to fostering creativity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love for the arts in your child.

School: East Millbrook Magnet Middle

International Baccalaureate 
In the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), for grades 9 and 10, students learn through global contexts, key interdisciplinary concepts, and the application of social, thinking, research, communication, and self-management skills. A critical piece of student learning happens through action and service to the community.  Students benefit from a wide range of course offerings in the arts, world languages, technology, social studies, science, and physical education. During the fifth year of MYP (10th grade), students complete a personal project that demonstrates initiative, organization, and creativity. The IB Diploma Years Programme (DP), for grades 11 and 12, not only offers intellectual rigor, but emphasizes ideals of international understanding, responsible citizenship, and service.  The IB DP student becomes a critical and compassionate thinker, lifelong learner, and informed participant in local and world affairs, respecting the variety of cultures and attitudes that make up the world. Students who choose to participate in the Diploma Programme can potentially earn an International Baccalaureate Diploma that is recognized by major universities worldwide.

The Gifted and Talented (GT) Pathway is one of the district’s most cherished and dynamic programs, steeped in a tradition that celebrates every student's unique potential. Designed to inspire and nurture individual gifts, this pathway offers a rich and diverse curriculum that goes beyond the basics. From core subjects to an extensive array of elective courses, students on the GT Pathway are encouraged to dive deep into their interests, explore new areas of learning, and discover their true passions. With the flexibility to tailor their academic journey, students can shape their own educational experience, ensuring that their strengths are not only recognized but fully developed. 

Gifted and Talented (K-12)
This magnet program is rooted in the belief that every student has gifts and talents that are valued and nurtured through this model. Students in GT schools explore an extensive menu of electives, all of which enhance the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, and all of which are designed to develop students’ strengths and interests. Through this structure, students have the opportunity to customize their academic programs by choosing elective courses according to their academic needs and interests. World Language instruction and expanded visual and performing arts opportunities are available K-12. 

Gifted and Talented/AIG Basics (K-8)
This magnet program is rooted in the belief that every student has gifts and talents that are valued and nurtured through this model. Students in GT schools explore an extensive menu of electives, all of which enhance the standard curriculum, and all of which are designed to develop students’ strengths and interests. Through this structure, students have the opportunity to customize their academic programs by choosing elective courses according to their academic needs and interests. World Language instruction and expanded visual and performing arts opportunities are available K-12.

Gifted and Talented/AIG Basics Middle School (6-8 modified calendar)
This magnet program is rooted in the belief that every student has gifts and talents that are valued and nurtured through this model. Students in GT schools explore an extensive menu of electives, all of which enhance the Common Core and Essential Standards, and all of which are designed to develop students’ strengths and interests. Through this structure, students have the opportunity to customize their academic programs by choosing elective courses according to their academic needs and interests. World Language instruction and expanded visual and performing arts opportunities are available K-12. 

Students in the AIG (Academically or Intellectually Gifted) Basics program have cluster time with other AIG-identified students for language arts or math, according to their individual qualifications.  All schools that offer the AIG basics theme offer it in conjunction with the GT magnet theme. Local partnerships with state museums, government organizations, and cultural art centers provide students with enhanced learning experiences that transcend the classroom walls.

Gifted and Talented/IB Diploma Programme (9-12)
This magnet program is rooted in the belief that every student has gifts and talents that are valued and nurtured through this model. Students in GT schools explore an extensive menu of electives designed to develop their strengths and interests. They have the opportunity to customize their academic programs by choosing elective courses according to their academic needs and interests. 

Beyond intellectual rigor, a strong emphasis of the IB Diploma Programme (11th & 12th grades) is placed on the ideals of international understanding, responsible citizenship, and service. Students become critical and compassionate thinkers, lifelong learners, and informed participants on local and world affairs, respecting the variety of cultures and attitudes that make up the world. Students who choose to participate in the Diploma Programme can potentially earn an International Baccalaureate Diploma that is recognized by major universities worldwide.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) pathway is an internationally standardized program of study that is offered in about 160 countries and has garnered worldwide recognition for its rigor and high academic standards. IB students become increasingly knowledgeable and interested in international understandings, and actively work to effect positive change. The IB Organization offers three programs: the Primary Years Programme (grades K-5), the Middle Years Programme (grades 6-10), and the Diploma Programme (grades 11-12). Many colleges and universities give special admissions consideration to students who take IB classes and earn an IB Diploma.

IB Primary Years Programme (K-5)
The International Baccalaureate (IB) has four programmes that span from kindergarten through 12th grade.  In elementary, students participate in the Primary Years Programme (PYP).  The PYP develops the whole child as a responsible and contributing member of society.  Through the K-5 years, the community starts local and spans to a global understanding, all connected to empowering students to take action as they deem appropriate and necessary.   PYP students learn how to take control of and responsibility for their learning, therefore increasing their confidence and self-motivation. 

IB Middle Years Programme (6-8)

The MYP programme encourages your child to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, preparing them for success in further study and in life. Learning communities in IB World Schools engage in cycles of inquiry, action, and reflection that lead to deeper understanding and a lifetime of learning. 

IB MYP offers Years 1-3 of the programme. MYP students take 8 required subject areas. All students take Language and Literature, Mathematics, Sciences, Individuals and Societies, and Physical and Health Education.  Students choose a second language of study in Year 1.  They continue with their language choice for all 3 years, developing fluency in speaking, reading, and writing.  Students also choose one Arts class and one Design class to study for the entire year. We have many offerings of different courses in the Arts and Design programs.The MYP believes in having students explore the “depth and breadth” of the subject. Year 3 students complete their Community Project where they use the Design Cycle to identify a problem and identify resources to help find a solution.  

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.  Students are encouraged to find opportunities to take action for the betterment of family, home and community.

The Creative Arts program has an emphasis on learning and expression through the integration of the arts.  Arts teachers are specialists who work with classroom teachers to help bring the arts into math, science, social studies, and language arts.

Schools: East Garner Magnet Middle and West Millbrook Magnet Middle

International Baccalaureate 
In the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), for grades 9 and 10, students learn through global contexts, key interdisciplinary concepts, and the application of social, thinking, research, communication, and self-management skills. A critical piece of student learning happens through action and service to the community.  Students benefit from a wide range of course offerings in the arts, world languages, technology, social studies, science, and physical education. During the fifth year of the MYP (10th grade), students complete a personal project that demonstrates initiative, organization, and creativity. The IB Diploma Years Programme (DP), for grades 11 and 12, not only offers intellectual rigor, but emphasizes ideals of international understanding, responsible citizenship, and service.  The IB DP students become critical and compassionate thinkers, lifelong learners, and informed participants on local and world affairs, respecting the variety of cultures and attitudes that make up the world. Students who choose to participate in the Diploma Programme can potentially earn an International Baccalaureate Diploma that is recognized by major universities worldwide.

This language immersion program offers students an opportunity to develop English acquisition as well as Mandarin Chinese language development. The NC Standard Curriculum is utilized throughout all of the language immersion programs. Students in grade Kindergarten through 2nd take their literacy, math, social studies, and science classes in Mandarin Chinese. Grades 3-5 take their math and Mandarin literacy classes in Mandarin. While students are together for their immersion experience, they have the opportunity to participate in globally-focused specials, taught in English, during other parts of the day. The immersion program begins in kindergarten and continues through 5th grade. Students seeking to join the program after kindergarten will be assessed to ensure their ability to speak, read and write in the target language appropriate for the grade level they are seeking to join. The program continues at middle and high school.

Elementary school: Stough

In the global studies program, students learn to investigate their world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas, and take action so that they are prepared to be effective Global Citizens. The purpose of a global studies program is to encourage curiosity and awareness of the world's geography, cultures, and current events.

Language Immersion students begin their Mandarin or Spanish language journey at a pathway elementary school. In grades 6-8, students continue their immersion studies in their target language through core and elective courses. 

Global Studies/Language Immersion/IB Diploma Programme (9-12)
In the Global Studies program, students participate in a world language class and participate in a Global Studies course. This course will explore world religions, cultures, and global issues. The purpose is to give students an understanding, respect, and appreciation of multiple geographic regions and cultural areas in an effort to develop an understanding of various challenges that unite and divide the world. The Language Immersion program (Spanish and/or Mandarin Chinese) is designed for a cohort of students who arrive from a participating pathway middle school. Beyond intellectual rigor, a strong emphasis of the IB Diploma Programme (11th & 12th grades) is placed on the ideals of international understanding, responsible citizenship, and service. Students become critical and compassionate thinkers, lifelong learners, and informed participants on local and world affairs, respecting the variety of cultures and attitudes that make up the world. Students who choose to participate in the Diploma Programme can potentially earn an International Baccalaureate Diploma that is recognized by major universities worldwide.

The STEM magnet pathway affords all learners an enhanced, STEM-focused curriculum that aligns with the rapidly evolving individual, societal, and economic STEM landscape. The student-centered curriculum of this pathway equips students with the STEM mindset by nurturing inquiry (learning that aligns to natural student curiosities) and fostering the essential problem-solving skills necessary to participate in a dynamic world. Instructional and learning experiences will focus on employing interdisciplinary skills to solve authentic and complex problems. Unique business and community partnerships will enable learners to experience the seamless connection between curriculum and careers.

Entrepreneurial Design is the application of a mindset allowing students to be forward-thinking problem finders and solvers. As we prepare students for careers that do not exist, we need them to persevere, be creative, innovative, great communicators, and multi-talented. A CONNtreprenuer uses the content they learn to identify a problem in their school, community, or around the world, and creates a solution involving a good or service while learning from business and organizational partnerships. Students will hear from speakers, video conference with those experts further away, and participate in content-based excursions to see how the content they learn is applied in the real world.

School: Conn Magnet Elementary

Leadership (K-5)

School: A.B. Combs Magnet Elementary

Montessori/STEM (K-5)
The Montessori program offers a nurturing and supportive learning environment developing the whole child, including social, emotional, academic, and physical needs. Curriculum is delivered using Montessori philosophy, methods, and materials. Student-led Project-Based Learning allows students to gain knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to a complex question or challenge.

Environmental Connections (K-5)
The Environmental Connections program engages students in daily instruction in core content areas delivered through the lens of environmental and life sciences. Students at each grade level engage in multidisciplinary, project-based learning through the completion of Environmental Challenge Inquiry Units. The Environmental Challenge Inquiry Units focus on four broad themes: 1) living things, 2) earth science/solar system, 3) environmental/community connections, and 4) weather and climate. These units are grade-specific, standards-aligned, project/problem-based learning activities. Students also participate in Expeditions ~ multidisciplinary elective classes rooted in math and literacy content and process skills. All students participate in theme-related Expedition classes that extend what they re learning in core subjects.

Schools: Lincoln Heights Magnet Elementary and Millbrook Magnet Elementary

iStem (K-5)

The iSTEM magnet program at Wake Forest brings together science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in ways that make learning fun and authentic. iSTEM places a strong emphasis on the individual student and their learning styles and interests. 

The school and classroom spaces are designed to be student-centered and allow students to be engaged with hands-on learning experiences that foster inquiry, curiosity, confidence, problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication.

Schools: Wake Forest Elementary

Leadership in Technology (6-8)

Leadership in Technology empowers student leaders to dream, learn, lead and innovate. Our Leadership in Technology theme is built around Dr. Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens. We couple these leadership skills with our 1:1 technology initiative and unique STEM opportunities in core and elective classrooms, ensuring that all students gain the leadership and technology skills in grades 6-8 to be resilient problem solvers, and successful in high school and beyond.

School: Carroll Magnet Middle

Center for Innovation (6-8)
Intellect and creativity meet at Centennial Campus Center for Innovation Middle, where we prepare students for futures that have yet to be imagined. With this in mind, our students and staff integrate Design Thinking throughout our core and exploratory classes by embodying our Centennovator Characteristics. Students take part in cross-curricular activities that address real-world problems and issues, help create their own learning environment, participate in the NC State community through interactive field trips, and engage in hands-on experiences. 

School: Centennial Magnet Middle

IB Middle Years Programme (6-8)
In the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), students learn through global contexts, key interdisciplinary concepts, and the application of social, thinking, research, communication, and self-management skills. Students benefit from a wide range of course offerings in the arts, world languages, technology, social studies, science, and physical education. Teachers ask "Essential Questions" that guide students in finding more than one right answer.  

The Creative Arts program has an emphasis on learning and expression through the integration of the arts.  Arts teachers are specialists who work with classroom teachers to help bring the arts into math, science, social studies, and language arts.

School: West Millbrook Magnet Middle

University Connections: School of Design, Arts & Engineering (9-12)
University Connections: School of Design, Arts & Engineering leverages college-level expertise to inform the development of magnet course offerings and strengthens overall program rigor. Strong and visible partnerships with local colleges and universities as well as businesses provide invaluable resources. The transdisciplinary thematic curriculum allows students to select and focus on one of the following College and Career Pathways:

1. Design
2. Arts
3. Engineering, Math, and Sciences
4. Humanities and Social Sciences

On the year-round instructional calendar, students attend school 177 days but on a calendar that is divided into four 9-week quarters with a 3-week break between each quarter. Students are assigned to one of four tracks and attend school for approximately 45 days when they are "tracked in" and are "tracked out" for approximately 15 days.

Most year-round schools are multi-track, meaning students are divided into four groups known as tracks and attend school on a staggered schedule. For example:

• The school year starts in July with tracks 1, 2 and 3 attending. 
• When Track 3 students “track out” for their three-week break, Track 4 students “track in.” 
• A few weeks after that, Track 2 tracks out, and Track 3 tracks back in. 
• Finally, Track 1 tracks out, and Track 2 tracks back in. 
• This pattern continues throughout the school year, which ends in late June.

This allows schools to accommodate 25% more students to help us and also helps us maximize the use of our school facilities in highly populated areas of our district. 

Track assignments are made by school administrators. They factor in parent preference as well as the size of the student population. Applicants to year-round schools will be able to rank their track preferences in their application. Students based at a year-round school should inquire at their base school to determine procedures for indicating track preference.

Many parents say the more frequent breaks offer a number of benefits, including keeping students rested and refreshed and allowing families to take vacations at different times of the year. All students on the year-round calendar have the same holidays as all other calendars.

Elementary

• Adams 
• Alston Ridge 
• Ballentine
• Banks Road (Track 4 only)
• Barwell Road (Track 4 only) 
• Brassfield 
• Brier Creek 
• Carpenter 
• Durant Road (Track 4 only) 
• Harris Creek 
• Herbert Akins Road 
• Heritage 
• Hodge Road Magnet (Track 4 only) 
• Holly Grove 
• Holly Springs 
• Jones Dairy 
• Lake Myra (Track 4 only) 
• Laurel Park 
• Lockhart (Track 4 only) 
• Middle Creek (Track 4 only)
• Morrisville 
• North Forest Pines 
• Oak Grove 
• Olive Chapel 
• Parkside 
• Pleasant Union 
• Rand Road (Track 4 only)
• Salem
• Sanford Creek 
• Sycamore Creek 
• Timber Drive (Track 4 only) 
• Turner Creek 
• Vance (Track 4 only)
• Walnut Creek (Track 4 only) 
• West Lake (Track 4 only)
• Wilburn (Track 4 only) 
• Willow Springs

Middle

• Alston Ridge
• Durant Road (Track 4 only)
• Herbert Akins Road
• Heritage
• Holly Grove 
• Lufkin Road 
• North Garner (Track 4 only) 
• Salem 
• West Lake  (Track 4 only)

High
We do not have any high schools on the multi-track year-round calendar. Southeast Raleigh Magnet HS operates on the modified year-round calendar. 

This school is a collaborative endeavor with Wake Technical Community College and Wake County Public Schools. Students will be able to complete studies in one of five programs as part of their graduation credits. The school offers Culinary Arts, Business Administration, Information Technology Support, Early Childhood Education, and Emergency Medical Technology. Through an academic foundation paired with career-informed courses and work-based learning experiences, graduates of North Wake CCA may continue at a four-year university, or apply their earned credits towards an AAS degree, certificate, or diploma program at Wake Technical Community College.

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Wake Early College of Health and Sciences (WECHS) is an application school focused on health and sciences.  WECHS provides students opportunities to explore careers in the health and sciences through partnerships with Wake Tech and WakeMed Health and Hospitals.  This up-to-five-year public high school program allows students to earn their high school diploma and an associate degree, college transfer credit, the prerequisite courses to prepare for a health sciences degree, and/or a health care certificate.  College credits completed while enrolled at WECHS are tuition-free and are transferable to all sixteen of North Carolina's public universities.  Students follow a rigorous high school program of honors classes for the first two years and attend classes on the Perry Health Sciences Campus of Wake Tech.  For the remaining years, students are dually enrolled in Wake Tech courses and attend classes on the Northern Campus of Wake Tech.

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The school is located on the Wake Technical Community College’s new RTP campus. Students will take a blend of high school courses and Wake Tech courses, with a focus on Information Technology and Biotechnology. Students will graduate with a high school diploma and credits towards their Associate in Applied Sciences degree, with the potential to earn enough credits to graduate with an Applied Sciences degree. The school partners with RTP businesses to provide students with real-world work experience. Graduates will take courses and attain skills that will make them job-ready in two high-demand areas. Program offerings include Network Management, Computer Programming, Cybersecurity, and Bioanalytical Laboratory Technology.  

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The Wake STEM Early College High School is a small public school of choice; a joint project between the Wake County Public School System and North Carolina State University. STEM is the theme of the school’s program in addition to our identity as an early college.  Early college means students take college courses at NCSU as well as the courses required to earn a high school diploma over a five-year period.  STEM at our school does not just relate to four subject areas but instead permeates throughout the entire program as our students explore the "Grand Challenges for Engineering" through Project-Based Learning strategies.

STEM has two components that we explore:

1. The world is bigger than our community, state, country, and nation. It is our responsibility to 'reach beyond our limits to achieve our dreams, even those not yet imagined'.
2. We can only solve the world's problems and truly realize our potential if we think with an engineering mindset.

At Wake STEM, we follow the NCSU Engineering Design Process as our foundation to solve our problems and complete our projects.

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The Wake Young Men's and Women's Leadership Academies were established in 2012 to provide educational opportunities for young men and women in a rigorous single-gender academic program. The Wake Leadership Academy  is a 6-13, single-gender, early college, leadership academy within the Wake County Public School System. Grades 6-10 for the Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy are held in the Thompson School Building in downtown Raleigh. Grades 6-10 for the Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy is held on the Governor Morehead School for the Blind campus. Grades 11-13 are at Saint Augustine’s University located in the historic Oakwood neighborhood of Raleigh, NC. The schools emphasize leadership development, entrepreneurship, and community service. Each school serves approximately 50 students per grade level in grades 6 through 13.

Staffed by a team of educators who are dedicated to the academic and social progress of all children, they support, enrich, and empower each young man and woman to become learners and leaders in local and global environments. They prepare young men and women for life-long learning through rigorous instruction. They collaborate with students, parents, community members, and each other to create successful schools.

Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy website
Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy website

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