District staff say enrollment, not academics, driving consideration to change Heritage schools' calendars

Wake County Public School System staff told families at a virtual engagement session that Heritage Elementary and Heritage Middle are being considered for a calendar change largely for operational efficiency, not because of evidence that calendar type affects student achievement.

Susan Pulliam of the district's long-range planning team, who led the presentation, said the two campuses have seen roughly a 10% decline in enrollment over the past five years and are operating below the planning threshold. "It is simply the enrollment numbers," Pulliam said. "Multitrack year round schools that are underenrolled simply cost more to operate than they generate through their student membership." Pulliam added that the district is still gathering input and has made no formal recommendations.

Why it matters: The proposed change would affect how families schedule school breaks and could shift transportation and traffic patterns. Staff said the district uses a 10-year enrollment forecast, municipal development data and a demographer's analysis to decide where capacity is needed and whether calendar adjustments are warranted.

Staff showed capacity maps and explained that Heritage Elementary was at about 74% utilization based on headcount and Heritage Middle roughly 77%, including trailers. Pulliam noted the elementary campus has eight mobile classrooms; she said removing those units would still leave the elementary at about 93% utilization. "Both campuses have experienced continued reduction in student membership," Pulliam said, citing about a 10% drop over five years.

On academic outcomes, Pulliam said the district reviewed recent studies and found "there is not a statistically significant difference in student outcomes if they're on traditional or multitrack" calendars when looking across broad student subgroups, while acknowledging families and individual students can prefer one schedule over another.

Families asked how transfers and boundaries would be handled, whether calendar alignment (K'8 vs 6'12) would be preserved, and what would be done about traffic and safety if more students attended simultaneously. Pulliam said transfers for current students would be honored so those families can finish through fifth or eighth grade, while future transfer policies would be evaluated under the enrollment planning rules. On traffic, she said the district would coordinate with principals and municipal partners on traffic safety plans if a calendar recommendation moves forward.

Public input and timeline: Staff urged residents to contribute to the ThoughtExchange (open through April 5) and said staff will summarize that feedback for the facilities committee on April 14. Pulliam told participants the board is likely to hear recommendations at a May 5 work session and may take up action at a May 19 meeting. "We are in the gathering input stage," she said. "No specific recommendations have been made at this time."

What happens next: The district plans to post the session recording and update the assignment planning website with FAQs and research links. If the facilities committee receives a recommendation, the district will hold additional outreach before the full board considers any formal change.