South Charlotte families could see school attendance zones shift as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools redraws boundaries for two campuses opening in 2028-29.
The district plans to create new attendance areas for a middle school under construction on Stumptown Road and for Elbert Edwin Waddell High School, which will convert from a virtual and immigrant-services campus into a traditional high school, WFAE reported Wednesday, Sept. 9. WFAE reported in January that the Waddell conversion would likely bring boundary changes "particularly in south Charlotte," where Ballantyne Ridge High School and other area schools could be affected.
No specific boundary maps have been released. CMS plans to gather community feedback first, then present a draft plan to the school board in October. The board is expected to vote in December.
What's changing
Waddell High School, in south Charlotte, currently serves students in CMS' Virtual School and the PACE program for recently arrived immigrants. Under the new plan, it becomes a full comprehensive high school with its own attendance boundary.
The Stumptown Road middle school is funded through the district's $2.5 billion bond package that Mecklenburg County voters approved in November 2023. That bond is also funding five other campuses opening in 2028-29, including Beverly Woods Elementary, Huntersville Elementary, and Second Ward, North Mecklenburg and Berryhill high schools. District officials said those five projects replace existing schools and should not require new attendance zones.
South Charlotte impact
CMS Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight told reporters in February that the district did not expect widespread disruption. "We don't anticipate a large number of boundary impacts," Balknight said at the time, according to the Charlotte Observer.
But at the board's January retreat in Winston-Salem, Balknight acknowledged the difficulty of drawing new lines. She told board members that boundary decisions affect "people on so many different levels."
Under a separate magnet overhaul the board approved in August, Ballantyne Ridge was designated as one of five high schools to house International Baccalaureate and Learning Immersion/Talent Development programs. Waddell is also on that list. Both the boundary redraw and the magnet overhaul stem from the district's 2024 comprehensive review of enrollment, facilities and demographics.
How to weigh in
CMS said it will notify affected families by phone, email and letter and will host community engagement sessions at school sites. Specific dates and locations have not been announced. The district said it will post updates at cmsk12.org.
The board's December vote on boundaries will follow its expected December decision on whether to combine the district's IB and Learning Immersion/Talent Development magnet tracks.
