Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools releases final draft maps for south Charlotte redistricting

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has dropped the final draft maps reassigning some students in the southern part of the district to new campuses.

What’s happening: CMS is redrawing attendance boundaries to fill a new high school on North Community House Road opening in 2024, as well as a new middle school set to open in 2025. The new schools will help relieve overcrowding at several other south Charlotte schools.

• View the full plan here.

Why it matters: Families want their children to live close to school, but the district also needs to balance socioeconomic diversity in student populations.

The latest: The third and final draft impacts 27 schools total. Seniors will finish out high school at their current schools. Rising juniors will have the option to stay at their current campus, but they must provide their own transportation or travel to a bus stop serving the school.

• CMS has been collecting community feedback on draft boundaries since early March.

By the numbers: The enrollment at the three big south Charlotte high schools — Ardrey Kell, Myers Park and South Mecklenburg — would fall below 3,000 students with the new maps. That means CMS won’t have to rely as much on trailers as classrooms, and it expects the overall school experience for students to improve.

• The new 100-classroom high school will have an estimated population of just over 2,180 students.

• Providence High, which will also be impacted, will gain about 130 students and retain a slim population of students of low socioeconomic status.

What’s next: The CMS community can provide feedback on the plan here through May 21. The school board will hear from the public during a hearing May 23. It’s expected to finalize the new boundaries on June 6.