GreatSchools ranked Raleigh No. 1 for public schools among large U.S. cities with 300,000 or more people

Even amidst the controversy regarding wide voter supported  Wake County Public Schools decision to and the long standing so-called Diversity Policy which calls for bussing students of lower socio-economic means sometimes up to 45 minutes accross the county Raleigh has been called No. 1 for Public schools .

GreatSchools is a non profit  publishing annual School Chooser guides and distributes them at no cost to thousands of parents so they can make more informed choices about where to send their children to school.

From the article;

Education quality score: 65.88

Median home price: $202,480
Population: 375,806

“Choice” has been the theme of Raleigh’s school system for the past few years. Families can choose between a healthy magnet program, a variety of charter schools, and traditional approaches at more than 99 elementary schools, 30 middle schools, and 23 high schools. There are scheduling options as well, with about a third of the schools operating year-round. Part of the Wake County Public School System, with more than 130,000 students in 156 schools (the largest in the state), this racially and economically diverse system is also home to three high schools that offer the demanding, well-respected International Baccalaureate program. In fact, the entire district is focused on college prep; more than 90% of students plan to continue some form of higher education, with well more than half heading off to four-year colleges.

Overall, Raleigh has survived the economic recession and real estate crash and is already growing again. Many families point to the wide cultural diversity — museums, sports, extracurricular offerings and camps, options in education and worship, dining, and more — that make it a great place to live.

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