Wake County tightens Title I eligibility for high schools, shifts funding toward highest-need schools

Wake County Public School System staff told the Student Achievement Committee on Oct. 21 that the district will raise the high school threshold for Title I eligibility to 75 percent direct certification for the 2025–26 school year and will serve fewer schools overall as a result.

The change comes as district staff reported uncertainty about federal Title I allocations and shrinking carryover funds from prior years. Dr. Burton, a Wake County Public School System staff member who led the presentation, said direct certification "is a metric that comes to us, straight from our child nutrition services department" and that the measure helps determine which schools qualify for Title I support.

The committee heard that the district currently serves 65 Title I-eligible schools and expects to fund 58 schools in 2025–26: 42 elementary schools, 15 middle schools and one high school (Longview High School). Staff reported an operating Title I budget for the current year of a little more than $32.9 million; more than 80 percent of that budget is directed to direct student services, and roughly 29–30 percent is invested in pre-kindergarten supports. District staff also said they maintain an unbudgeted reserve (about 4.5 percent) to manage timing and federal grant uncertainties.

Why it matters: staff said the threshold change is intended to concentrate limited federal dollars where need is…