Disclaimer: I am not a Wake County Public Schools System (WCPSS) expert. The following is just a few tips and tricks I picked up along the way and thought I would share with you. Best of luck!! Keep in mind that things are continuously changing so verify that information is still up to date. Let us know in the comments if we have anything wrong!

Wondering what your child might need for school? Check out my kindergarten shopping list here. I also have summer travel tips here.

1. GO AHEAD AND PANIC.

Seriously. Because you are going to panic at some point due to the overwhelming nature of the process. So take a moment to panic so you can get that out of the way.  But then know that everything is going to be OK. You. got. this.

2. Find your base school

Find your base school, calendar options, and magnet application schools. This will save you some time by making sure you are not looking into schools that are not options for you. Type your address in wake county base school locator for your base school, calendar options (year round vs traditional), and magnet options.

Know up front that base schools change. Rezoning happens, some might say rather frequently. So if you have a child going into kindergarten in the next couple of years, its possible your current base school will change. No guarantees. This is why so many people are drawn to magnet schools. Once you get a seat you are set until you age out of the school!

3. Attend a Magnet Fair or info session

If you are interested in magnet schools or if you are not sure, I HIGHLY recommend going to a magnet fair or info session. Here was our process:

• Found out which magnet schools were options for our address (see #2)
• Ruled out some schools based on distance (we had magnet schools 20-25 miles away, which is not really feasible for us or probably most parents) You may be able to rule out other magnet schools based on theme, although we tried to keep an open mind here.
• We took our list to a magnet fair in November and talked with several schools. After the magnet fair we had narrowed our list to 6 schools we wanted to tour.

We only ended up applying to 2 magnet schools (you get up to 5).

4. Remember that YOU know your child(ren) best.

This is the most important. You know what your child needs. You may receive a ton of advice, but only you know your child.

You may also want to consider the strengths of siblings. My children are 2 years apart, so I wanted a school that would be a good fit and benefit for both of them. I am NOT driving them to different schools if I can avoid it.

5. Make a list of priorities

Before you tour, think about what you want to know about a potential school. Homework policy? Discipline techniques? Security? All of us have different priorities. If you have a list you will know exactly what to ask on the tour, instead of remembering after you get home!

6. Know your priority!

You can check your priority status here. Magnet schools are a lottery, but it’s a weighted one based on the socioeconomic status of your neighborhood and of your base school. Some people will have a higher chance of being admitted into a magnet school than others.

7. Tour schools

Tour the schools you are interested in and try not to be swayed by others’ opinions of the school. We were not interested in a language immersion school, but that might be perfect for your family. Everyone has children with different needs and strengths, so keep an open mind and if at all possible go see the school in person.

8. Don’t fall in love

Try not to get your heart set on one school. I failed miserably at this, but perhaps you will do better than I did! Lottery results are announced mid-February, and you may end up with a big pile of disappointment. There are absolutely NO guarantees.

9. Know your dates and deadlines!

Know your dates and deadlines! Magnet fairs and tours start in October and November of the year preceding kindergarten admission. Magnet and year round applications usually have a deadline of January 31st. If you miss that deadline you pretty much have no chance of getting into a Magnet school that year.

10. Apply to schools!

You can apply for UP TO 5 magnet schools. We are only applying for 2. Make sure you want the magnet school more than your base school. Once admitted to a magnet you lose your base school seat.

In addition to magnet schools, you can also apply to 2 year-round options.

12. Don’t forget about charter schools!

Charter schools are a completely separate entity from WCPSS. It is a complete lottery, no one has an advantage, and few seats are available to go around. Apply to as many as you are interested in! Charter school applications are processed separately and do not effect magnet and year round applications. More info on charter schools here, plus a map of all of the charter schools in Wake County. You can apply to any Charter school in any county in NC, but you must be able to provide your own transportation.

The strategy for charter schools is different than that for Magnet Schools. For example, Endeavor charter school in Wake Forest allows for tours AFTER you’ve won the lottery and have been accepted. Then you decide if you want to accept the seat or not.

I saw no point in touring charter schools ahead of time since chances are slim we would even get in. Most Charter schools do tours an applications as late as March, so you’ll get to find out about your magnet choices first, then decide on our charter school applications later.

Check out my other post on kindergarten here.