Question about schools/age requirement... (Durham, Chapel Hill: 2011, chapel, school districts)

[kcmom]

We may be relocating, and I have some questions about the different school districts in the area. I believe my husband's job would be around the Durham Chapel Hill Pkwy/Tower Blvd area. He hopes to have a commute no longer than 30 minutes, but would go longer if need be.

With these parameters does this leave us with only the options of Durham and Chapel Hill for schools? Are there any areas of Wake County that would be that short of a commute?

I know the schools in CH are very good, but I wonder if they would be too much pressure for my kids. I have a 14yo DD who will be in 9th grade next year. She is a straight A student, but she has ADD inattentive type and she receives extra support from her teachers. Would it potentially be hard for a student that needs extra support to thrive in a CH high school? My son will be in the 6th grade next year and has ADHD, but is on a 504 which the school is required to follow so help for him is more guaranteed if the 504 is followed.

I noticed that before this upcoming school year the age cut off for Wake County schools was Oct. 16. Does anyone know if there is a trend in any of the districts to hold kids back an extra year before they start kindergarten? My son's birthday is in mid-July, but in GA the cut off was Oct. 1 when he started, most of the kids were not help back a year before starting school so were fairly young. Where we are now the cut off is August 31st, and the trend is to hold back a year, so he is one of the youngest and smallest in his grade. I would love for him to be somewhere where more of the kids were around his age.

Thanks for any info!

[sls76]

The new cutoff for NC is August 31 (although as you said, the cutoff had been 10/16 and the children your son will be in school with were under the 10/16 cutoff). I would say it's half and half whether summer birthdays start kindergarten when they are 5 or 6 (or almost five or six for the year round schools in Wake County). My daughter's preschool class had a bunch of little boys with summer birthdays and I think most of them started kindergarten right after they turned five, but it certainly isn't uncommon to wait an extra year in the Triangle. I also wonder if it will be more common now that the cutoff has moved up a month and a half. My guess is if your son has a late summer or September birthday he will very likely be the youngest or almost youngest boy in the class.

[J_Lurk]

My nephew is a rising 6th grader with a July birthday, and he's fairly ordinary with his class. I don't think for his class of students it was as common to hold kids back as it is now.

I would not personally want to commute to that area of Durham from anywhere in Wake County, but I'm a very commute-averse person. If you were going to go a little further in your search range, I would look at Orange County Schools as well as Durham County and Chapel Hill/Carrboro (Orange County is a different system than Chapel Hill / Carrboro). However, if I were in your situation I would probably research specific Durham County schools too. While you may hear generalizations about Durham County schools, I've heard that specific ones can be quite good. Durham School of the Arts and Jordan High are both nationally ranked.

Good luck with your decision.

[Babytarheelz]

I don't know the answers to your first questions, but I have a 4 year old boy with an August 25th birthday and we're sending him to Kindy this year. Since it's year round and they start in July, he'll actually be 4 when he starts. He's been in preschool and we made the decision jointly with his teacher who felt that not only is he ready, but he'll likely be ahead of many of the children. So it's certianly not uncommon to go ahead and send them. I'm sure your son won't be the only young one in his class.

[sls76]

If I were you, once you move and have a school assignment, when you go to register your son I would specifically ask for him to be in a class with other boys his age. I don't know whether or not they will accomodate you, but it can't hurt to ask. I'm no longer in the Triangle but the elementary school we're at now does value parent input and my kindergartner is also on the young side and has a great group of friends in her class this year--mostly August and September birthdays--so I have requested that next year they again put her in a class with some younger girls because in my opinion the proper social environmnet is very important to children.

[SINY2NC]

I am hoping to relocate to Wake Forest in 2011. Here in NYC, the cut off for school is Dec 31. My 5 year old is born Oct6, 2003 and will be in first grade Sept 2009, my 4 year olds birthday is Sept 19, 2004 and she will be in Kg in Sept 2009 (full day in NYC). I'm worried now if we move to NC when they are in first and second grade that there will be a problem! Does anyone know the answer to this?

[J_Lurk]

Originally Posted by SINY2NC

I am hoping to relocate to Wake Forest in 2011. Here in NYC, the cut off for school is Dec 31. My 5 year old is born Oct6, 2003 and will be in first grade Sept 2009, my 4 year olds birthday is Sept 19, 2004 and she will be in Kg in Sept 2009 (full day in NYC). I'm worried now if we move to NC when they are in first and second grade that there will be a problem! Does anyone know the answer to this?

It's my understanding that essentially your child is admitted to the school (as long as of kindergarten age or older), and that individual grade placement beyond that is up to the principal of the school. So if you walked in with a transcript from a previous school, my guess is that the principal would just place you based on that, but it is not guaranteed.

[NCBoyMommy]

In my experience "red-shirting" is pretty common in the triangle especially with boys that have birthdays in the June-September range...hence the popularity of transitional kindergarten programs.

[senalj]

Originally Posted by SINY2NC

I am hoping to relocate to Wake Forest in 2011. Here in NYC, the cut off for school is Dec 31. My 5 year old is born Oct6, 2003 and will be in first grade Sept 2009, my 4 year olds birthday is Sept 19, 2004 and she will be in Kg in Sept 2009 (full day in NYC). I'm worried now if we move to NC when they are in first and second grade that there will be a problem! Does anyone know the answer to this?

My daughter was born in September, but the state we lived in at the time had an August 15 cutoff. I had to put her in private school for Kindergarten and 1st grade, but had no problems putting her in a public school for 2nd grade. If your kids have already started school and you can provide a transcript, the school will probably let them go ahead and start school in the grade they should be in. It wouldn't make sense to hold your kids back if they know the work. Definitely check into it to make sure, though.

[qqq2395]

enroll him in NYC and start the year there. They must enroll him here if he spend enough time in NYC K system (not sure how many days are needed)