District begins stakeholder process to redraw boundary for new Coltrane Webb STEM elementary

Cabarrus County Schools staff on Sept. 8 opened a boundary-development process for the replacement Coltrane Webb STEM Elementary and outlined a stakeholder engagement schedule aimed at producing a board recommendation before the December program-choice deadline.
Assistant superintendent Dr. Bowers described the proposed new Coltrane Webb boundary as a planned expansion of a historically small downtown Concord attendance area. He said the new building will seat roughly 756 students (718 K–5 after program-space set-asides) and that planners aim for an eventual utilization target in the 80–90% range so the school can “grow into” its capacity over time.
Bowers said the district will honor a prior commitment to families from the former Beverly Hills Elementary by offering those students in grades 3–5 next year the option to attend Coltrane Webb; the district will send a nonbinding intent form to currently enrolled legacy students to gauge demand. He also said the district will reserve program-choice (STEM magnet) seats for out-of-boundary applicants, and that the project team will factor program choice, historical transfers and enrollment projections into scenario development.
Why it matters: boundary changes affect which neighborhoods feed a school, impact travel and local enrollment balances, and can lead to further reassignment in adjacent schools. The district said it will attempt to minimize multiple reassignments and present multiple scenarios for public review.
Public engagement and timeline: staff will host two community meetings (first on Sept. 17 at R. Brown McAllister STEM Elementary), launch an “Engage with CCS” project page with maps and a QR-code survey for feedback, and convene an internal review team for six meetings through early December. Staff said a boundary recommendation is expected in late November with possible board action in December so families have information ahead of the Dec. 15 program-choice window.
Officials said the internal review will consider capacity/utilization, feeder patterns, proximity and demographics, and will produce options that show how each scenario would change district averages and equity measures. Detailed program and special-education classroom placements — including the two planned EC classrooms and an 18-seat pre-K room — will be part of the internal planning process.