Awards


See which Wake County elementary school and teacher were named the best in the nation

A Wake County school and one of the district's teachers have been named the best in the United States by the nation's leading magnet school organization. Farmington Woods Elementary School in Cary received Magnet School of America's Elementary Magnet School of Merit Award, given annually to the nation's top elementary magnet school. The organization also named April Guenzler, a kindergarten teacher at Brooks Elementary School in Raleigh, as its 2018 National Teacher of the Year.

Hillside High's IB Programme was created to attract white students. Is it working?

What if Durham Public Schools had a college preparatory program that routinely sent students to top universities? Wouldn't parents and students beat down the door to enroll?

How NC became a national leader for magnet schools to promote diversity and choice

North Carolina is one of the national leaders in a school movement that since the 1970s has promoted diversity and educational choices for families, according to a new study on magnet schools. The study by UNC-Charlotte’s Urban Institute found there are 4,340 magnet schools in the U.S., and North Carolina has the sixth-most of any state at 263 schools.

Todd Mann, executive director of Magnet Schools of America, the national trade organization that commissioned the study, said North Carolina ranks even higher if you consider the quality of the state’s magnet schools.

Where can you find the nation's best principal for gifted kids? Try uptown Charlotte

Jackie Barone, principal of Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Piedmont Middle School, has been named 2017 administrator of the year by the National Association for Gifted Children. "One of the most remarkable environments I have ever visited is Piedmont IB Middle School," said Sneha Shah-Coltrane, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's top official for education of gifted students.

Four Wake County magnet schools will share $14.9 million federal grant

"Our magnet and curriculum enhancement programs have been pillars of innovation for our district and have set a national standard for excellence," Superintendent Jim Merrill said in a written statement. "We continue to seek and discover ways to offer the best choices possible for our community."


Learn how to become a Nationally Certified Magnet School

Raise the level of performance consistent throughout school districts nationwide and creates a platform from which all magnet schools can flourish. Magnet Schools of America’s national certification process is designed to recognize the hard work of the best magnet schools in the nation and to help them as they grow.

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