Schools
The Triangle offers a wide
variety of educational opportunities to its residents. The
area has some of the highest-ranking schools in the Southeast
and the nation. Year by year student scores have been increasing,
and the new governor of North Carolina, Mike Easley, has made
a public commitment to carry on previous governor Jim Hunt's
mandate to make education a top priority.
To that end,
the area not only has a large number of public schools but also
boasts magnet schools and charter schools as well. Add to that
the fine private schools and the growing
home-school population, you'll have no problem finding the right
educational opportunities for your child.
And when your child is ready for college, we
have no less than 6 Colleges and Universities and
a number of community and technical colleges right here in the
Triangle!
You can also find a lot of information
on North Carolina public schools at the North
Carolina Public School Website.
Public Schools
Wake
County Public Schools The Wake County Public School system
serves Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville
and Wake Forest. The system is comprised of 121 schools (78 elementary,
23 middle, 16 high and 4 special/alternative), and includes both
traditional and magnet programs. The magnet programs, which are
designed to provide advanced studies for promising students, encompass
such areas of study as creative arts, sciences, international studies,
classical studies, foreign languages, statistics, engineering,
dance, and ballet. A number of schools in the area have gone to
a year-round program, offering a more balanced approach to families,
and overcoming the 'summer gap' that leaves so many students behind
at the beginning of a traditional school year.
Some of the statistics for the Wake County schools are as follows:
- Ratios: K-1:23, Grades 1-5- 1:25, Grades
6-8-1:22, Grades 9-12-1:23
- Per pupil expenditure/year: $5,635
- Graduating students going to college: 87%
- SAT scores - higher than the national average,
and rising for the last 5 years
Special Needs: Several
schools offer programs for special needs children, including
the Governor Morehead School for the Blind, Shelley School
Child Development Center, United Cerebral Palsy Development
Center, and several others.
Newcomers can find out everything they need to know about enrolling their children
at the Wake County
Public School System Newcomer Page.
Durham Public
Schools The Durham Public School System serves Durham
County residents with 44 schools and 29,000 students. They
are focused on providing a high quality education to all
the students, and have 8 magnet schools, 4 year-round elementary
schools and a number of other specialized programs to address
student needs
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public System serves
Chapel-Hill and Arbor residents with 15 schools and 10,000 students. They
committed to providing an excellent education that will lead to the success
of each and every student. Chapel
Hill High School - Carrboro
Public Schools
Private Schools
The Triangle area offers a wide variety
of private schools. Many of them are parochial, some are non-denominational,
and a few are secular. The largest of the non-public schools
include:
For a complete list non-public
education schools in North Carolina by county...[click
here]
Colleges & Universities
There are a number of other
schools offering non-public educational opportunities in the
area. You may obtain a full list from the Division
of Non-Public Education web site contact page.
The Triangle area is filled with opportunities for post
secondary education. As a result we have the highest concentration
of Ph.D's in the country. There
are 12 colleges and universities in the area, including NC State, UNC-Chapel
Hill, and Duke University. These schools alone are considered top colleges
for academics and research (and they field really good sports teams too!).
The universities cooperate with one another, allowing students a wide range
of facilities to choose from while pursuing their education. Quite a few RTP
companies also provide internship opportunities, and hire out of the graduating
pool here.
North Carolina State University
919-515-2011
NC State was founded in 1887 as an agricultural and engineering college. Over
the years it has expanded to include many other disciplines, and currently
offers degrees in over 90 disciplines. NCSU has a student population of over
28,000, and no wonder. "State" is one of the top 10 engineering colleges in
the country, has the worlds largest textiles school, and over 95% of its students
go on to immediate employment. The NCSU Veterinary School is ranked fourth
in the U.S., and the creative writing program in the Humanities Department
has four best selling authors on the faculty. You can see why NCSU is a popular
college. Combine that with the prominence of the NCSU Wolfpack in college sports
and you've got a winner!
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
919-962-2211
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the nations' first state
university, established in 1789. It was also the only university in the country
to offer degrees to students in the 1700's. UNC-CH is a top research college,
and consists of 13 colleges and schools offering programs in over 100 disciplines,
and professional degrees in dentistry, medicine, law, and pharmacy. It is a
member of the Association of American Universities, and consistently ranks
high as a public university. UNC-CH has a student population of over 24,000,
and over the years has turned out 24 Rhodes scholars and hundreds of prominent
people, including governors, legislators and judges.
Duke University
919-684-8111
Duke University was formed from Trinity College in 1924 by 'Buck' Duke as a
memorial to his father Washington Duke, who built his empire on the brightleaf
tobacco native to the area, and formed the Duke Power company, providing electricity
to the growing metro area. Today, Duke University consistently scores as one
of the top universities in the nation, ranking with Yale last year in a tie
for 3rd place. The Duke University Medical Center has international recognition
as a first rate facility. Duke has 10 schools and colleges including Engineering,
Trinity College, Nicolas School of the Environment, School of Law, Divinity
School, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and the Fuqua School of Business.
Duke has a small student population, with 6,500 undergraduate students, and
about 5,400 graduate and professional students.
Meredith College
919-760-8600
Meredith is the largest private women's college in the Southeast. Total enrollment
is around 2,600 and degrees are offered in several disciplines.
Peace College
919-508-2000
Peace College is a liberal arts and sciences private school for women that
offers bachelors' and associate degrees in a variety of areas. This college
retains its nearly 150 year old affiliation with the Presbyterian Church, and
has an enrollment of about 550.
North Carolina
Central University
919-560-6100
NCCU is a historically African-American school offering its 5,500 students
degrees in 51 disciplines.
St. Augustine's College
919-516-4000
St. Augustine's is one of the oldest African-American colleges in the country.
It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and offers its 1,600 students education
in a liberal arts environment.
Shaw University
919-546-8200
Shaw University is the oldest African-American University in the South. It
offers a liberal arts curriculum to its 2,500 students, and is associated with
the Baptist Church.
Southeastern Baptist
Theological College and Seminary
919-556-3101
This stately college in Wake Forest offers two distinct programs: A lay program
that prepares men and women for vocational service and ministries with an associate
of divinity degree, or a bachelor of arts in biblical studies. The college
is also one of the largest seminaries in the U.S. with an enrollment of 1,800
and offers masters' degrees in divinity with many specializations.
Wake Technical
Community College
919-662-3500
Wake Tech provides nearly 45,000 students with 93 technical, vocational and
university-transfer programs at several locations all over the Triangle, and
has a comprehensive continuing education program for professionals as well.
Durham Technical
Community College
919-686-3300
Durham Tech has more than 20,000 students in more than 55 programs covering
a variety of technical and vocational areas.
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