Wake County: WCPSS magnet, year-round and early college applications open Oct. 15

Wake County families can start applying for magnet, year-round and early college seats for the 2027-28 school year next week, and the first information fair is this Saturday.

Key dates

According to the Wake County Public School System:

• Oct. 15, 2026: Applications open for magnet schools, year-round schools, early college high schools and Crossroads FLEX High School. Kindergarten and new-student enrollment for 2027-28 opens the same day.
• Dec. 11, 2026, at midnight: Applications close for early colleges and Crossroads FLEX.
• Jan. 21, 2027, at midnight: Applications close for magnet and year-round schools.
• Feb. 18, 2027: Results for all application windows.
• March 1-12, 2027: Second-round magnet applications, and the transfer application window.

Families can apply at any time during a window, the district says.

Who can apply

A student must be enrolled in WCPSS for the 2027-28 school year, and the student's ID number must be active to start an application. Students who already attend a WCPSS school don't need to re-enroll.

Families new to the district need to enroll first, starting Oct. 15, at wcpss.net/enroll. WCPSS says it takes 24 to 48 hours for a new ID number to show up in the application portal, so new families should plan for that delay.

Fairs and information sessions

• Saturday, Oct. 10, 9 to 11 a.m.: Early College Fair, with booths from every WCPSS early college, at Vernon Malone College and Career Academy, 2200 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh.
• Thursday, Oct. 15, 10 to 11 a.m.: Virtual information session on magnet schools and early colleges. Email MagnetCenter@wcpss.net for the link.
• Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to noon: Magnet and Early College Fair, with booths from every K-12 application school, at Millbrook Magnet High School, 2201 Spring Forest Road, Raleigh.
• Thursday, Nov. 5, 10 to 11 a.m.: In-person parent information session at the district's Crossroads office building, 5625 Dillard Drive, Cary. No RSVP is needed.

More sessions, including elementary magnet mini fairs in November, December and January, are listed on the district's calendar of events.

More information

The district's magnet office can be reached at MagnetCenter@wcpss.net or 919-533-7289.

WCPSS has also posted its proposed school assignment changes for 2027-28. The district says the proposal centers on the opening of the new Morrisville High School.