- Wake County Public School System
- Application Process
Magnet Schools
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Application Priorities
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Magnet School Application
Priorities MAY be impacted by the 25-26 assignment plan. Please recheck your priority level after the assignment plan is approved in November 2024.
The purpose of magnet schools is to reduce high concentrations of poverty in schools; promote school integration; maximize the use of school facilities and provide innovative educational opportunities. Therefore, we consider two key factors in the selection process for magnet applications:
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Projected overall socioeconomic status of the school to which that student is assigned for next year.
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Socioeconomic status of the area where the applying student resides.
To find your level of priority, complete the following steps:
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Review the projected overall socioeconomic status of the school to which are assigned for next school year. (could be impacted by any new assignment plan)
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Review the socioeconomic status of the area where the student resides
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Write down the characteristics of both criteria. For example: Medium for socioeconomic status of the school and high for socioeconomic status of the area.
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Click on the links below to see your level of priority for the appropriate grade level and/or school you are considering.
Updated priorities
The socioeconomic status of where you live and your assigned school will determine your place on the priority list.
- Magnet Elementary Schools
- Excluding Hodge, Smith, Wendell, and Zebulon Elementary School
- Magnet Middle and High Schools
- Excluding East Garner Middle, Wendell Middle, Zebulon Middle, East Wake High and Garner High
- Group 3 Magnet Schools
- Elementary: Hodge, Smith, Wendell, and Zebulon
- Middle: East Garner, Wendell and Zebulon
- High: East Wake and Garner
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Year-Round Application
Applications are prioritized in this order:
- Entering grade siblings requesting to join siblings who will be assigned to the requested school. (This priority is guaranteed.)
- Matching calendars between elementary and middle school siblings.
- Students who live in an area where the socioeconomic status is considered low.
- Rising 6th students who attended a year-round elementary school and who wish to keep that calendar for middle school.
- Students who are assigned to attend a crowded school. (Crowded is defined as 95% or greater projected utilization.)
Ten percent of seats are filled through a lottery process.
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Early College Application
Selection priorities for Crossroads FLEX, the Wake Young Men's and Wake Young Women's Leadership Academies, North Wake College & Career Academy, Wake STEM Early College, Wake Early College of Health and Sciences, Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies, and Vernon Malone College and Career Academy
- Priority 1: Siblings of existing students, grades 6 and 9 for Wake Leadership Academies, grade 9 for Crossroads FLEX, NWCCA, Wake STEM, WECHS, WECIB, and VMCCA receive guaranteed priority. The sibling must have an Early College application score of 70+ in order to receive this priority.
- Priority 2: Students whose Early College/Crossroads FLEX application score is 90-100, selection based on an applied random number
- Priority 3: Students whose Early College/Crossroads FLEX application score is 80-89, selection based on an applied random number
- Priority 4: Students whose Early College/Crossroads FLEX application score is 70-79, selection based on an applied random number