Every time a new school is built or the population in a particular area changes significantly, school boundaries must be adjusted. To verify school assignments, please contact Forsyth County Schools;Student Assignment Office at 336/748-3302, or the Guilford County Schools Student Assignment Office at 336/370-8303.

Forsyth County

Thirty-nine elementary schools serve students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Fourteen middle schools teach sixth- through eighth-grade students, and those in ninth through twelfth grade attend one of eight high schools. Six special schools bring the system total to 67. District-wide, 52.9 percent of the students are white, 35.1 percent are black, 8.3 percent are Hispanic, 1.2 percent are Asian, 2.2 percent are multiracial, and 0.3 percent are American Indian.

"Schools of Choice" Plan. The district has recently adopted the "Schools of Choice" plan which allows parents to choose between the school near their residence and several other schools within the same zone. Zones vary for elementary, middle and high schools and also include magnet school options. "Schools of Choice" was created to eliminate the worst effects of cross-county busing, to improve student performance through parental participation, and to motivate students through different learning themes, which enhance the basic North Carolina Standard Course of Study at each school.

Magnet Programs. Countywide magnet programs are available at six schools. Four magnet schools are paired: Ashley Elementary and Paisley Magnet offer the International Baccalaureate curriculum, while Diggs Elementary and Hill Middle have extensive programs in visual and performing arts. Transportation is be provided to Ashley, Diggs, Hill and Paisley. The county´s two other magnet schools are Moore Magnet, with a focus on multiple intelligences, and the Downtown School, which serves children whose parents live or work in downtown Winston-Salem.

High school students are assigned to a school based on where they live. Four high schools operate on a four-period "block" schedule, and four offer seven periods a day. To accommodate the growing community, two new high schools will be opened in 2005. Beginning with the Class of 2004, students must follow one of the following courses of study in order to graduate: Career Prep, College Tech Prep, College/University Prep and Occupational Prep. The Career Center offers 30 Advanced Placement courses as well as 25 vocational programs for students from any of the eight other high schools.

Any elementary or middle school student can apply to attend another school and will be admitted if there is space and if parents provide transportation. Transfers within a zone are allowed only through the zone registration process each February. Under the high school transfer plan, students may apply to attend any other school and will be admitted if there is space. Students may not be recruited to transfer for athletics. Applications for transfer are available at each high school in January.

Guilford County

Stretching from the urban neighborhoods of Greensboro to the rural sections of the Piedmont, the Guilford County School System offers parents a variety of options. As the third largest school district in North Carolina, the school district boasts of a computer-to-student ratio that is one to five. Additionally, the average SAT score for the top ten percent of students is 1224, significantly higher than the state average of 1182.

The district serves the communities of Greensboro, High Point, Stokesdale, Colfax, Summerfield, Gibsonville and Brown Summit and has an enrollment of more than 64,000 students in 102 schools. Despite its size, the district has the lowest crime rate of all the urban school districts in North Carolina.

Magnet Schools. Twelve magnet schools offer specialized curriculum in addition to the standard course of study in areas including math and science, foreign languages, International Baccalaureate, communications and the arts. The district also includes two Montessori schools, three year-round schools, two middle college high schools and an early college high school.

Public School Entrance Requirements
In both Guilford and Forsyth counties, students must be five years old or older on October 16 to be eligible for kindergarten. The student must reside with the parent or legal guardian who is a legal resident of the particular school district.

In Guilford County, parents can register their children during the first two weeks of May. Because of the choice plan used in Forsyth County, parents can take part in the choice period during two weeks in February. On a card, parents can list three schools in order of preference from their school zone.

Bring the following items when registering your child: Certified birth certificate (not a copy); immunization records; proof of residence.

For more information on entrance requirements, contact Guilford County Schools Student Assignment Office at 336/370-8303 or Forsyth County Schools Student Assignment Office at 336/748-3302.