Long-Range District Realignment Study

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Cabarrus County Schools has contracted Cooperative Strategies, LLC, to perform a long-range comprehensive realignment planning study. This study will include the assessment of student enrollment and projections, facility capacity and use, and the assessment of future growth and development.

The purpose of this study is to examine the distribution of student enrollments, demographics, facility use, and planned capital expenditures across the district by modeling long range enrollments through a complete assessment of growth and/or decline to create a sustainable realignment plan.

Cabarrus County Schools serves a geographic area of approximately ~360 square miles. This area includes exurban, suburban, and rural land use. The County is approximately 20 minutes northeast of Charlotte and is included in the metropolitan statistical area of the region. The district also serves five municipalities including Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, Midland, and Mt. Pleasant.

Cabarrus County Schools student population grew 21% from 2010 to 2020 and has almost doubled over the last two decades. In addition to growth, there has been a legislative mandate for the reduction of K-3 class size which has resulted in a loss of seat availability across elementary school facilities. The district expects student population growth will continue over the next decade due to local economic growth (new companies locating and creating jobs in the area), a stable birth rate over the last five years, continued new home construction, and the expectation that net migration in North Carolina will be concentrated in major metropolitan statistical areas over the next ten years.

The historical growth has resulted in the construction of ten new schools over the last decade and the district has been in a cycle of realignment of school boundaries every few years. This study will help us understand how geographic boundary changes impact school enrollments and analyze such changes using geographic information systems for analysis of historical enrollments and future scenarios of population change.

CCS seeks a long-range, sustainable growth and realignment plan which assesses current school capacity, examines proposed build out of development and current student yields, analyzes proposed capital expenditures in alignment with growth and engages the community through the process for the realignment of school boundaries. Cooperative Strategies, LLC, will help the district determine the best course of action over the next 10 years while evaluating the many external factors contributing to growth.

The result of the district collaborating with the consultant will be the development and presentation of realignment options for the school district which have been vetted by the public, the internal project team, and board of education representatives. The plan will align with the future needs and assets needed for the district.


Updated Project Timeline


Cabarrus County Schools has contracted Cooperative Strategies, LLC, to perform a long-range comprehensive realignment planning study. This study will include the assessment of student enrollment and projections, facility capacity and use, and the assessment of future growth and development.

The purpose of this study is to examine the distribution of student enrollments, demographics, facility use, and planned capital expenditures across the district by modeling long range enrollments through a complete assessment of growth and/or decline to create a sustainable realignment plan.

Cabarrus County Schools serves a geographic area of approximately ~360 square miles. This area includes exurban, suburban, and rural land use. The County is approximately 20 minutes northeast of Charlotte and is included in the metropolitan statistical area of the region. The district also serves five municipalities including Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, Midland, and Mt. Pleasant.

Cabarrus County Schools student population grew 21% from 2010 to 2020 and has almost doubled over the last two decades. In addition to growth, there has been a legislative mandate for the reduction of K-3 class size which has resulted in a loss of seat availability across elementary school facilities. The district expects student population growth will continue over the next decade due to local economic growth (new companies locating and creating jobs in the area), a stable birth rate over the last five years, continued new home construction, and the expectation that net migration in North Carolina will be concentrated in major metropolitan statistical areas over the next ten years.

The historical growth has resulted in the construction of ten new schools over the last decade and the district has been in a cycle of realignment of school boundaries every few years. This study will help us understand how geographic boundary changes impact school enrollments and analyze such changes using geographic information systems for analysis of historical enrollments and future scenarios of population change.

CCS seeks a long-range, sustainable growth and realignment plan which assesses current school capacity, examines proposed build out of development and current student yields, analyzes proposed capital expenditures in alignment with growth and engages the community through the process for the realignment of school boundaries. Cooperative Strategies, LLC, will help the district determine the best course of action over the next 10 years while evaluating the many external factors contributing to growth.

The result of the district collaborating with the consultant will be the development and presentation of realignment options for the school district which have been vetted by the public, the internal project team, and board of education representatives. The plan will align with the future needs and assets needed for the district.


Updated Project Timeline


Questions and Answers

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    How are schools of choice populations impacting realignment allocations? What historical data is being used to account for the families who’ve lived in the same location for generations yet their kids have been switched 3+ times in the last 20 years?

    CABARRUSCOUNTYPARENT asked 21 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  The current project is focused on a long-range approach to realignment to provide expectations to families in high growth areas and/or areas of facility replacements. The historical realignment of a current student within recent years is part of Cooperative Strategies data collection and will assessed in determining any future boundary proposals. At this time, no boundary determinations have been made or any options presented. Work has been completed on the Facilities Master Plan, and the focus of the project is now shifting towards any necessary realignments.  

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    Hi, concerning Moss Creek Subdivision, We are planning in buying in this subdivision, currently it’s zoned to Harris Road Middle and Cox Mill H S. Will it impact and be rezoned to other school?

    Tony Ho asked 8 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  At this time, no boundary determinations have been made or any options presented. Work has been completed on the Facilities Master Plan, and the focus of the project is now shifting towards any necessary realignments.

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    There has been many discussions about the neighborhood I live in being rezoned for elementary school next year. The high school was recently rezoned from Cox Mill to NW. now there is discussions we are hearing that we will 100% be zoned from WR Odell to Boger next year. WR Odell and Cox Mill elementary are both closer to us and we would have to pass WR Odell to get to Boger. We are concerned with the disruption this will cause children especially when WR Odell is trialing a play based curriculum this year. Parental involvement will be less due to the distance of this school from our residence. Is this the plan for all the neighborhoods on the opposite side of Highway 73? And what is you plan for children that you are doing a trial program with and then disrupting their learning by rezoning them? If you were to rezone how early would buses have to pick up children in order to drive such long distances to get to the school? How would you plan to address disruptions in consistency for children with IEP’s? How would you plan on getting parental involvement from families that would have to travel half an hour away to get to the school? Why is the state/ county not restricting development when the county does not have the infrastructure to hold more children in the schools and are forcing people out of school districts due to poor planning?

    Kelise asked 27 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  At this time, no boundary determinations have been made or any options presented. Work has been completed on the Facilities Master Plan, and the focus of the project is now shifting towards any necessary realignments.

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    Can you tell me what the plan is for the Moss Creek Subdivision. For all four schools (Odell Primary, Elementary, Harris road middle and cox Mill

    Robert edwards asked 13 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  At this time, no boundary determinations have been made or any options presented. Work has been completed on the Facilities Master Plan, and the focus of the project is now shifting towards any necessary realignments.

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    If Wolf Meadow goes to a traditional calendar year, what will happen to the kids who chose WM as a program choice school? Will he or she have to return to their designated school or will they have the option to stay at WM?

    Natasha Phinith asked 11 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  If a student opted into the Balance Calendar through Program Choice and that calendar changes to a traditional calendar, they will have the option to remain at Wolf Meadow through 5th grade instead of returning to their home school.

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    How parents can participate in any of the in-person discussions related to this Realignment process.

    Sai asked 3 months ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  The Community Focus Group application link will open at 8 a.m. on Sept. 19th and be available until 5 p.m. on Friday, October 6th.  Please visit this page to access the application.  There will also be public community meetings held across the district during the month of November.  As soon as those dates and sites have been determined, they will be posted to this page.

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    Follow up to my previous question. The program name is Learning Connections & right now there is only one middle school location. The location chosen was Mount Pleasant Middle School which happens to be all the way across the county from our home. Bus rides of over 1 hour would be hard on any student but is especially hard on EC children. I would like to know who is representing the EC kids rights & their contact info?

    EC Parent asked 21 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  Exceptional children are currently represented by members of the student services department on the Internal Redistricting Committee.

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    Will you make sure parents from all districts and schools are represented in the focus groups? There are areas and schools that have been historically, and even as recently as last semester, ignored by county leadership. Please make sure ALL people are represented, especially those from the school districts the Superintendent has yet to have community meetings with.

    Courtney asked 20 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  The Community Focus Groups will be comprised of members representing each of the eight current high school attendance zones.

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    I am very concerned about the current timeline. No focus group has been established, and we're already in mid-September. You are looking to make changes for the next school year without parent input. There is a question from 10 days ago in which you answered that there would be an application link in the next 5-7 days. That timeline has passed. Please post the link as many of us parents/community members are interested in having our input heard.

    Michelle asked 16 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input.  The Community Focus Group application link will open at 8 a.m. on Sept. 19th and be available until 5 p.m. on Friday, October 6th.  Please visit this page to access the application.

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    Who is representing the EC kids rights? I was quoted with a 1 hr & 23 min bus for my child at the beginning of the school year. Compare that to my other middle school child who has a bus ride of 20 mins. The location of the program he is placed in is not equitable to the students who live over on this side of the county. I would either like to see another location established for his program or the current location moved so that it's more equitable. https://disabilityrightsnc.org/resources/school-transportation/

    EC Parent asked 22 days ago

    Thank you for your question. We appreciate your participation and value your input. In conjunction with the district realignment study, a programmatic review is underway which will be assessing all school programming, including Exceptional Children's programs.

Page last updated: 02 Oct 2023, 03:11 PM