Wake County schools consider ending multi-track year-round calendars at six campuses

Wake County school leaders are weighing a shift that could change child-care, work and family routines at six campuses, as the district considers ending multi-track year-round schedules where it says enrollment no longer justifies the cost.

The proposal under review would move Holly Grove Elementary and Holly Grove Middle in 2027-28, with either traditional or single-track year-round calendars on the table. Pleasant Grove Elementary would also change in 2027-28, moving to single-track year-round. A second phase would follow in 2028-29 for Heritage Middle, Heritage Elementary and Sycamore Creek Elementary. For Heritage Elementary, district leaders are also considering expanding the school’s base area to pull students from other crowded schools.

The Wake County Public School System says the decision is part of its annual assignment planning cycle for 2027-28, a process that includes enrollment forecasts, public feedback and final approval by the Wake County Board of Education. The board’s facilities committee is scheduled to hear the proposal at 3 p.m. Tuesday. A second draft is expected May 5, and a vote is expected at the board’s May 19 regular meeting.

The stakes are practical as much as financial. Families who chose these schools because they offered a multi-track year-round calendar could face new schedules, even if some are allowed to stay after a change. For many households in growing parts of Wake County, that can mean rearranging child care, transportation and shift work around a school calendar that no longer matches the one they planned for.

Wake has used multi-track year-round calendars since 2007, when district leaders tied them to crowding relief and capital planning rather than academics. The model splits students into four tracks, with three in school and one off at a time, allowing Wake to serve about 25% more students in fast-growing areas. The district says those calendars also cost more to operate than traditional or single-track year-round schedules, and switching away can save a few hundred thousand dollars per school.

Year-round schools in Wake still follow a balanced calendar with four quarters and frequent breaks. The district says its school year runs from July 1 through June 30, and most year-round campuses still use the multi-track system. If the board approves the changes, the district would be continuing a broader shift already underway: North Forest Pines Elementary and Pleasant Union Elementary were approved last September for a compromise move from multi-track to single-track year-round after similar cost-and-capacity arguments.

That earlier round drew strong pushback from parents and staff, a sign that calendar changes in Wake can quickly turn into fights over family stability, school identity and who absorbs the burden when enrollment pressure eases in one building but not in the neighborhoods around it.