Long-Range District Realignment Study (2024)

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.

CLICK IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON COMMUNITY MEETINGS

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.

CLICK IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON COMMUNITY MEETINGS

Updated Project Timeline