The Chatham County Public School System is a school district

School district

School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...

 located in Chatham County, North Carolina

Chatham County, North Carolina

Chatham County is a county located in the Piedmont area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 49,329. Its county seat is Pittsboro.-History:...

 and is operated by an elected school board. The school district currently operates 17 schools throughout the county.

Schools

There are three public high schools: Northwood

Northwood High School (North Carolina)

Northwood High School is located in Pittsboro, North Carolina, In Chatham County. The school is the largest of three high schools in Chatham County and is operated by Chatham County Schools. The school's mascot is the Charger and the school colors are gold and green. It is a member of the Mid State...

 in Pittsboro

Pittsboro, North Carolina

Pittsboro, North Carolina is a town located in Chatham County, 34 miles southwest of Raleigh, 47 miles southeast of Greensboro, and 17 miles south of Chapel Hill. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chatham County....

, Jordan-Matthews

Jordan-Matthews High School

Jordan-Matthews High School is found in Siler City, North Carolina. This high school is a 2-A classification with about 800 students and 60 staff members. It is often referred to as J-M...

 in Siler City

Siler City, North Carolina

Siler City is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population is right at 8,747 within corporate limits and 14,005 within corporate limits and ETJ...

, and Chatham Central

Chatham Central High School

Chatham Central High School is a public high school located in Bear Creek, North Carolina with a student population of around 500 students. It is part of Chatham County Schools....

 in Bear Creek

Bear Creek, North Carolina

Bear Creek is an unincorporated community in southwestern Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. It is named for a nearby creek that eventually flows into the Rocky River. The community lies along Old US Highway 421 and is situated between Siler City and Goldston.Bear Creek is home to...

. One alternative school is SAGE Academy. Long range plans include a middle school in northeastern Chatham County opening in 2009, a high school in the northeastern opening in 2011, and an elementary school in the Pittsboro area opening in the future. There are only two middle schools - Chatham Middle located in Siler City and Horton Middle located in Pittsboro. The district operates 7 elementary schools (serving grades K-8): Bennett

Bennett, North Carolina

Bennett is an unincorporated community in Chatham and Randolph counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Incorporated in 1915 and since disincorporated, the community is located just off NC 22/42.-History:...

, Bonlee

Bonlee, North Carolina

Bonlee is an unincorporated community in western Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. It is located south of Siler City and north of Bear Creek along Old U.S. Route 421. The community is home to several poultry feed mills and a K-8 school....

, J.S. Waters (near Goldston

Goldston, North Carolina

Goldston is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 319 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Goldston is located at ....

), Moncure

Moncure, North Carolina

Moncure is a small unincorporated rural community in southeastern Chatham County, North Carolina. The community is located near the confluence of the Deep and Haw Rivers, which forms the Cape Fear River. Moncure once served as the western-most inland port in the state, linked all the way to the...

, North Chatham, Perry W. Harrison, and Silk Hope

Silk Hope, North Carolina

Silk Hope, in Chatham County, North Carolina, USA, is a farm community centered on a community school, a volunteer fire department, several country churches, and many historical farmsteads. It is evolving into the country home of many who work in Cary, Chapel Hill, and Research Triangle Park...

; as well as three 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

Pre-Kindergarten

Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...

center at Paul Braxton Children's Center in Siler City as well as several of schools in the county.

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.

Construction updates

In January 2009, a Chatham County Schools press release confirmed the groundbreaking of a new middle school. This school would be located near Briar Chapel, in northeastern Chatham County. The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students of Perry Harrison would be moved here.

External links

• Chatham County Schools Official Site
• Chatham County Schools Official Wiki