Wake County magnet schools win dozens of national awards; two schools take top national honors

The Wake County Board of Education on April 22 recognized magnet and early college schools that received national awards from Magnet Schools of America (MSA) at the organization's 2025 conference in Nashville.

Dr. Kimberly Lane introduced the recognitions and said 51 of Wake County’s 61 magnet schools eligible for consideration received awards. She and district staff described the honors — including recertifications, newly certified schools, schools of excellence and schools of distinction — as the result of a multi-step application and site-visit process managed by Magnet Schools of America.

Why it matters: National recognition can raise a school’s profile and provide models for replication across the district. Board members and district staff framed the awards as evidence of strong program development and integration of curriculum themes.

District staff reported that, among Wake County’s 61 magnet schools eligible to apply, 21 were named schools of excellence, 18 were identified as top schools of excellence, and 12 as schools of distinction for 2025. The district said eight schools were recertified this year and nine were newly certified; 13 of those certified received “certified demonstration” status, meaning MSA recommends them as sites other districts could visit to learn best practices.

Paul Domenico, the district’s director for talent and leadership development in the Office of Magnet and Curriculum Enhancement, and other magnet staff led presentation of awards by region. Speakers named dozens of principals and magnet coordinators who accepted recognitions on behalf of their schools. Examples singled out by district staff included Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School and Millbrook Magnet Elementary School — both highlighted for their environmental connections theme — and Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies, noted as a new-and-emerging magnet that received a School of Excellence designation.

The district also announced individual honors connected to MSA Region 4 (which includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio): Dr. Jackie Jordan, principal of Enloe High School’s IB diploma program, was named Region 4 Principal of the Year. The district said student winners in the MSA poster contest and national scholarship recipients from Wake County were also recognized.

Board members and district leaders used the presentation to thank magnet coordinators and to call attention to the district’s internal magnet support staff: the presentation identified staff members who coordinate the MSA application, certification and scholarship processes.

The recognitions were presented as an information item; no board action was required. District staff encouraged the public to view the full list of awardees on district materials and to visit demonstration schools to observe magnet strategies in practice.

District materials presented during the meeting included counts and lists of awardees by region and examples of site-visit outcomes. District officials noted that some magnet grant schools are ineligible for certain MSA awards until they have operated for a minimum period.