Chatham County Public Schools
The Chatham County Public School System is a school district located in Chatham County, North Carolina and is operated by an elected school board.[1] The school district currently operates 17 schools throughout the county.[2]
Schools
There are three public high schools: Northwood in Pittsboro, Jordan-Matthews in Siler City, and Chatham Central in Bear Creek. There is also one alternative school: SAGE Academy in Siler City. There are three middle schools: Chatham Middle located in Siler City, Margaret B. Pollard located in Chapel Hill, and Horton Middle located in Pittsboro. The district operates 5 elementary schools (serving grades K-8): Bennett, Bonlee, J.S. Waters (near Goldston), North Chatham, Perry W. Harrison, Moncure, and Silk Hope; as well as 5 primary schools (serving up to grade 5): Pittsboro Elementary School (K-4), Siler City Elementary School (PreK-5), and Virginia Cross Elementary School (K-5) also in Siler City. There is also a More at Four Pre-kindergarten center at Paul Braxton Children's Center in Siler City as well as several of schools in the county.[3]
Bennett School controversy
In 2006, the Chatham County Board of Education announced that they were repealing a decision that allowed students that lived in the Randolph County portion of Bennett to attend Bennett School, the local K-8 school, free of charge. For years students from both counties that lived in "Bennett" were allowed to attend the school free under a memorandum of understanding between the two counties made many years ago. The announcement that the memorandum was being repealed stirred a firestorm of controversy, since the Randolph County students would be considered out-of-district students and could therefore be charged hundreds of dollars each year to attend school in Chatham County. The commute to the nearest Randolph County school was also a problem since it is located many miles from Bennett. To date, the Chatham County board has stood by its decision despite numerous complaints from residents.[4]
Construction updates
In January 2009, a Chatham County Schools press release confirmed the groundbreaking of a new middle school. Margaret B. Pollard Middle School is located near Briar Chapel, in northeastern Chatham County. The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students of Perry Harrison and North Chatham were moved here in January 2011.[5]