By Tom Garlock
It is no surprise to anyone that North Carolina’s Triangle is one of the nation’s fastest growing MSAs (metropolitan statistical area) in the nation, and Holly Springs is one of its rapidly expanding communities. Proximity to Raleigh and the Research Triangle Park, access to nature, dining and shopping are just a few of the reasons thousands have located here in recent years. Since the 2010 census, Holly Springs population has almost doubled to more than 41,000 people. And many of those people are elementary, middle and high school students.
During the current school year, the school district prepared to serve 162,000 students, almost 20,000 more students than just ten years ago. All over Wake County, the Board of Education has worked to keep up with the demand for schools, teachers and all the attending resources to make certain that our kids have the best educational experience possible. The component that takes the most planning, design and execution is a school building, and Holly Springs will see the doors open shortly at our newest one—Herbert Akins Road Middle School.
Located at 2275 Herbert Akins Road, the new facility will host 850 students, growing to 1,200. The first year will see sixth graders coming from a number of elementary schools, while the seventh and eighth graders will be moving over from Holly Grove Middle School. The new facility will also benefit Holly Grove by providing relief from what had become tight quarters. That facility will now educate an equal number of our kids. Both schools serve students on a year-round calendar, as opposed to the traditional schedule of August through June. As students and parents in the year-round program are aware, there are four “tracks” that determine when each track is in school, and when they are “tracked out.” This approach is intended to make maximum use of school buildings and other resources throughout the year. Herbert Akins Road Middle School will host students in tracks 1, 3 and 4, while Holly Grove Middle School will continue to have all four tracks during the 2022-2023 school year.
As residential construction continues to occur at a feverish pace in Holly Springs and throughout Wake County, the Wake County Board of Education is working diligently to make certain that our public school system is ready to welcome the students of the families as they move into their new homes. As of this writing the Board has set an aggressive schedule for new and renovated facilities. This includes 15 new schools (nine elementary, two middle, three high, and one combination middle/high) along with six major renovations (five elementary and one TBD school).
The doors to Herbert Akins Road Middle School will open this July.
