{"id":1062,"date":"2026-05-21T23:03:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1062"},"modified":"2026-05-21T23:03:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:03:58","slug":"high-school-graduation-season-kicks-off-in-wake-county-nearly-12500-expected-to-earn-diplomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1062","title":{"rendered":"High school graduation season kicks off in Wake County; nearly 12,500 expected to earn diplomas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) \u2014 It\u2019s that time of year again, as high school seniors across Wake County prepare to receive their diplomas. <\/p>\n

Read more Major fire near Louisburg Road badly damages house in Raleigh neighborhood<\/a><\/p>\n

Graduation season kicked off Thursday, with eight ceremonies taking place over the next two days.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey man, this is amazing,\u201d said Randolph Johnson, who just graduated from Wake Early College of Health and Science, \u201cVery surreal to get the diploma, get everything I worked so hard for, have people here to celebrate with me. It feels amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gotten so much experience here, it\u2019s been very hard, but I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Johnson and his classmates are some of the first of nearly 12,500 Wake County seniors who will graduate from now through mid-June.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI would say resiliency. We know that this class has been through all sorts of budget cuts and uncertainty at the state level. They were probably the first class that hasn\u2019t had a state budget in some time,\u201d Wake Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor said about the graduating class.<\/p>\n

Read more CEO of NIL enforcement reminds frustrated schools: These are your rules, we just enforce them<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite some of those challenges, Taylor says the Class of 2026 has earned nearly $40 million worth of scholarships.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur kids are doing great, regardless of the things they have to overcome,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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It was a proud moment for the superintendent.<\/p>\n

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MORE FROM CBS 17<\/h2>\n
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\t\tWAKE COUNTY NEWS<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\t\t\tMurder arrest made in Raleigh park stabbing in 2019<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n


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\t\t\t45+ firefighters respond to Raleigh house fire<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n


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\t\t\tWake County kicks off high school graduation season<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n


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\u201cWhat I say is graduation is the culmination of 13 years of work, so to have the opportunity to see our graduates walk across the stage, this is what we all live for.\u201d<\/p>\n

With construction in some areas of downtown Raleigh and traffic concerns, the school district is encouraging families to arrive at least 15 minutes before graduation.<\/p>\n

Most schools will be hosting their graduation ceremonies at the Raleigh Convention Center.<\/p>\n

Read more Alexander Rossi is expected to start the Indianapolis 500 after medical team clears him to drive<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — It’s that time of year again, as high school seniors across Wake County prepare to receive their diplomas. Graduation season kicked off Thursday, with eight ceremonies taking place over the next two days. “Hey man, this is amazing,” said Randolph Johnson, who just graduated from Wake Early College of Health and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHigh school graduation season kicks off in Wake County; nearly 12,500 expected to earn diplomas - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1062\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"High school graduation season kicks off in Wake County; nearly 12,500 expected to earn diplomas - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RALEIGH, N.C. 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