Great Schools in Wake, a special project of WakeUP Wake County,​ is a community coalition of organizations, business leaders, parents and citizen advocates who are working to ensure educational excellence in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). The mission of Great Schools in Wake, is to provide accurate information to educate the public about policy initiatives that would impact the quality of education, to foster well-informed discussions about critical education issues, and to advocate for policies that improve public education in Wake County.​

“We conclude that Article I, Section 15 and Article IX, Section 2 of the North Carolina Constitution combine to guarantee every child of this state an opportunity to receive a sound basic education in our public schools.”

-- Leandro v. State, 1997

A “sound basic education” is mandated by the North Carolina state constitution, but the exponential growth of Wake County strains the resources of the Wake County Public School System.  With 146,687 students, WCPSS is the 16^th largest school district in the nation.  According to the school district, “student population has doubled since 1993 and another 45,000 students are projected by year 2020.” Wake County is often compared to two other regional school district in terms of the quality of education provided to students. Montgomery County Maryland's FY 2011 per pupil expenditure was $11,249.  Fairfax County, Virginia Schools spent $12,869 per pupil in FY 2011. WCPSS’ per pupil expenditure for the same year was $8,500.

Although 2011-12 enrollment grew by 3,398 students, Wake County school funding remained static.  There is a projected seat deficit (too little capacity compared to students enrolled) for elementary schools starting in four years, middle schools in approximately six years, and high schools in just two years. Given this growth scenario, concerns are rampant regarding the best way to provide a high quality education for all students, funding for new school construction, and funding to hire additional teachers and staff.

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