Here are some startling numbers from the US Census Bureau: the population of Fuquay-Varina in the year 2000 was about 8,000 souls; in 2010 it was almost 18,000; and in 2020 it was over 34,000. No wonder it’s hard to keep up with the changes around here. If it feels like there is a new or totally renovated school popping up every year, you’re right!
Fuquay-Varina currently has seven elementary schools: Ballentine, Banks Road, Fuquay-Varina, Herbert Akins Road, Lincoln Heights (renovated in 2018), South Lakes (new in 2020, already at capacity), and Willow Springs. Additionally, there are two middle schools: Fuquay-Varina and Herbert Akins Road (new in 2022). Fuquay-Varina Middle School students will relocate to a new middle school on Bowling Road in 2024, and the district will repurpose the historic building on Ennis Street. There are two high schools: Fuquay-Varina (rebuilt in 2021) and Willow Springs. Just on the edge of town is Southern Wake Academy, a free public charter middle/high school.
Two more elementary schools are already in the pipeline. Construction is estimated to begin on Hilltop Needmore Elementary in early 2023 and it will open in 2024 (Little Diversified Architectural Consulting). Bowling Road Elementary is currently in design and is projected to open in the summer of 2025 (Skinner, Farlow Kirwan Architecture). Both schools will have a capacity of 716 students. Families will be zoned into these two schools as neither of them will be magnet schools.
According to the Town of Fuquay-Varina website, the school at 4575 Hilltop Needmore Road will include a 51,000-square-foot building and 129 parking spaces on 29 acres of land. The Wake County Facilities Design and Construction website estimates the price tag at just over $50 million.
Douglas Congdon is Program Executive for Facilities Design and Construction for the Cumming Group, a consultant firm hired to manage construction and renovation of Wake County schools. He relocated here for this position and has two children in Fuquay schools. Mr. Congdon noted that WCPSS makes it a priority for the design approach of its schools to include an emphasis on outdoor learning. All schools include playgrounds, big open spaces for running, basketball courts, outdoor tables and teaching spaces for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) lessons. Some schools have added greenhouses; butterfly, pollinator and/or vegetable gardens to their grounds. Certainly, the pandemic has underscored the value of these spaces for instruction, as well the social and emotional health of children and adults at school.
Another modern feature of the new and renovated schools is collaboration areas. Looking down the long hallway of classrooms, you’ll see small openings every 3-4 classrooms. These spaces are used for small group lessons. Today’s classroom teachers and specialists pull small groups for targeted instruction, such as re-teaching or acceleration groups, leveled reading groups, English as a Second Language, Special Education, fill-in-the-gaps math lessons, even social skills groups with the counselor or social worker. These flex spaces are key to meeting the wide range of needs and levels in every classroom.
The planning process for Bowling Road Elementary School is in the early stages and there are no renderings or aerial photos available as of this writing. Be on the lookout for community vision and input sessions.
