Wake County staff recommend removing caps at five schools, add cap at Zebulon Elementary with July 1 start date

Wake County Public School System staff recommended the removal of enrollment caps at five schools and the imposition of a new cap at Zebulon Elementary, asking the Board of Education to consider final approval at its January meeting.

A district long‑range planning presenter said staff would recommend removing caps at Alston Ridge Elementary, Holly Grove Elementary, Parkside Elementary and Scotts Ridge Elementary, along with Heritage High School, citing recent reassignments and added capacity in those areas. The same staff presentation recommended adding a cap at Zebulon Elementary due to sustained, rapid enrollment growth along the U.S.‑64 corridor that staff projected to continue through at least 2034.

Staff emphasized capping is a last‑resort tool under policy 41‑50 and described the toolkit used to assess crowding: adding capacity through construction or temporary modular units, conversion to multitrack year‑round calendars, boundary adjustments, and utilization of magnet or overflow assignments. The presenter said the district is sequencing remedies so families face minimal mid‑year disruption.

To protect family stability, staff proposed that any cap changes take effect July 1, allowing students who move into the area before that date to remain at the school to which they were assigned. The presenter said the district would continue to allow overflow students to be called back in the summer if seats become available and that families would be offered transfer options with or without transportation depending on the choice.

Staff also proposed a two‑year period of continued double address verification for schools whose caps are removed, to limit a rapid return of enrolled students and provide a gradual, managed resettlement. For Zebulon Elementary, staff said trailers and modular units would be moved to nearby campuses (units identified as coming from Middle Creek High and Leesville Road Middle) and that transportation projects for the Zebulon/Wakelawn area could require two to three additional bus runs handled by extending existing routes rather than adding new drivers.

Board members asked detailed questions about magnet seat allocations, how multitrack conversions affect magnet funding and staffing, and the mechanics of transfers for current magnet and base students. Staff replied that magnet seat ratios would be largely maintained and that transfers and hardship windows would be handled under existing policy 41‑50.

Next steps: staff will return to the board on January 21 with a final approval request and with more granular operational details, including a maximum poster number for trailers and a clear timeline to notify families.

This item remains a recommendation pending a formal vote at the January board meeting.