What Wake's school bond would build in eastern Wake, and how to vote on it

Wake County voters will decide a $680 million school bond on Nov. 3. If you're looking at land or planning to build in eastern Wake, the plan behind it shows which new elementary schools are scheduled out east and roughly when. If you want a say, the first date to watch is this Friday, Oct. 9, the voter registration deadline.

What the bond would build out east

If voters approve, Wake County would issue $680 million in general obligation bonds (money the county borrows and repays over time) for school construction, according to the school district's bond page. County commissioners also agreed to spend $152.3 million in pay-as-you-go cash, for a total of $832,330,990.

In its July 6 presentation to county commissioners, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) listed three new elementary schools:

• Marshburn Road Elementary: $70.3 million toward construction (the project's total budget is $75.8 million), scheduled for completion in 2029
• Poole Road Elementary: $65.9 million toward construction (the plan lists $87.4 million for the whole project), scheduled for 2030
• Little Creek Elementary: $7.0 million for design only, not construction, scheduled for 2032

WCPSS says Marshburn Road Elementary will serve the Wendell community. INDY Week reported that the plan would design a future elementary school in Zebulon.

The bond would also pay for design work on Wendell Elementary ($6.5 million) and East Wake High ($14.4 million). The district's plan table lists completion years of 2031 for Wendell Elementary and 2032 for East Wake High, with Zebulon Middle listed for 2034.

Most of the money goes to schools that already exist: $329.7 million for renovating or replacing them and $359.4 million for needs such as HVAC, security and mobile classrooms. WCPSS says student growth has slowed compared with earlier decades, so the bond puts more weight on renovating aging schools while still adding new ones where needed. The district had 943 mobile classrooms in 2025-26, about 10% of its classroom capacity.

What it means if you're buying land or building

The completion years come from the district's rolling seven-year building plan, so treat them as a schedule rather than a promise. Still, they give you a sense of where new school seats are planned in eastern Wake over the next few years. WCPSS also says new schools would ease crowding at existing schools, so the effect reaches beyond the ones named.

For which school a particular address is assigned to, ask WCPSS directly; that's the office that can answer for your lot.

On cost, INDY Week puts the school bond at $4.10 per $100,000 of assessed value per year, and a separate $149.1 million Wake Tech bond at $0.90 per $100,000. A bond passes with a simple majority, the outlet notes. Every registered Wake voter votes on it, INDY Week says, and the outlet points to the State Board of Elections voter lookup, where you can see your sample ballot with the exact wording.

How and when to vote

1. Register by Friday, Oct. 9. Wake County's registration notice lists the ways: mail a form postmarked by Oct. 9, drop it at the elections office at 1200 N. New Hope Road in Raleigh by 5 p.m., email voter@wake.gov, turn it in at any Wake public library, or use myNCDMV online with an NC driver license or DMV ID. If you moved here from another county, you must re-register.
2. Request an absentee ballot by Oct. 20 at 5 p.m., if you want one, according to the Board of Elections.
3. Vote early Oct. 15–31. Wake has 18 early voting sites, including the Wendell Community Center and the Knightdale Recreation Center, and any Wake voter can use any site. Missed the deadline? You can register and vote the same day there. Lines tend to be longest in the final three days.
4. Or vote Nov. 3, when polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.