title: Chatham County Public Schools
text: # 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. The school district currently operates 17 schools throughout the county.
  
  ## High schools
  
  There are three traditional public high schools and two alternative high schools:
  
  Northwood High School in Pittsboro
  
  Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City
  
  Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek
  
  SAGE Academy in Siler City
  
  Chatham School of Science & Engineering in Siler City
  
  Seaforth High School near Jordan Lake
  
  ## Middle schools
  
  The district operates three middle schools:
  
  Chatham Middle School (6-8) located in Siler City
  
  Margaret B. Pollard Middle School (6-8) located in Chapel Hill
  
  Horton Middle School (5-8) located in Pittsboro.
  
  ## Elementary Schools & Primary Schools
  
  The district operates 5 elementary schools (serving grades K-8):
  
  Bennett School located in Bennett
  
  Bonlee School located in Bonlee
  
  J.S. Waters School located near Goldston
  
  Moncure School located in Moncure
  
  Silk Hope School located in Silk Hope
  
  The district also operates 6 primary schools (serving up to grade 5):
  
  Chatham Grove Elementary School (K-5) in Chapel Hill
  
  North Chatham Elementary School (K-5) in Chapel Hill
  
  Perry W. Harrison Elementary School (K-5) in Pittsboro
  
  Pittsboro Elementary School (K-4) also in Pittsboro
  
  Siler City Elementary School (PreK-5) in Siler City
  
  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.
  
  ## 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 The announcement that the memorandum was being repealed stirred a firestorm of controversy, since the Randolph County students would be considered out-of-district students and could therefore be charged hundreds of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. 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.
  
  