International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is a framework guided by six interdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas, as well as interdisciplinary skills, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry. 

The Primary Years Programme is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculum and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years, and Diploma Programme offered at James E. Shepard Magnet Middle School and Hillside High School. 

The IB Primary Years Programme:

• Encourages international-mindedness in IB students
• Encourages a positive attitude to learning by engaging students in inquiries and developing their awareness of the process of learning so that they can become lifelong learners
• Reflects real life by encouraging learning beyond traditional subjects with meaningful, in-depth inquiries into real issues
• Emphasizes, through the learner profile, the development of the whole student – physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically
• Frames the learning activities of the school community

Please visit this link for more information: www.ibo.org

Global Language Program

Burton Elementary School offers daily instruction in three different languages: French, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. 

Our first through fifth grade students receive thirty minutes of language instruction per day. When students enter Burton in Kindergarten, they are exposed to all three languages for the first three quarters of the school year. During the fourth quarter, with the support of parents, students decide on a language. Such an early start affords our students who spend all six years here an exciting opportunity to achieve an impressive degree of breadth and depth of skill in the language by the end of elementary school. 

Students benefit from an immersion technique where the medium of instruction in all the three language classes is the targeted world language. Their structure and vocabulary base is expanded as units are introduced and reviewed from year to year. Emphasis is on listening and speaking skills in grades kindergarten through second. A gradual introduction to writing and reading begins in grades third through fifth. 

Our Programme of Inquiry is the result of extensive, ongoing collaboration among and between teams of teachers and staff. A Programme of Inquiry is a framework for the development of inquiry-based units. Early learners in grade levels PreK and Kindergarten explore four units of inquiry. Students in first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade explore six units of inquiry. During these units, students inquire into and develop an understanding of universal concepts and issues. Exploring these concepts/issues helps our students acquire both a local and global perspective on learning and its application in their lives.

Each Programme of Inquiry unit is organized around the following elements:

• Transdisciplinary Theme - The transdisciplinary theme contains ideas of global significance shared by people everywhere in the world. This theme also provides a context for students to develop subject-specific knowledge, concepts and skills. 
• The six themes are: How We Organize Ourselves; Sharing the Planet; How the World Works; How We Express Ourselves; Where We Are in Place and Time; Who We Are

• Central Idea - The central idea expresses a timeless, enduring understanding, related to the transdsiciplinary theme, that students develop throughout the course of the unit.

• Lines of Inquiry - The lines of inquiry clarify the central idea, focus student inquiries, and help deepen understanding.

• Key and Related Concepts - These concepts are embedded into the central idea and lines of inquiry. They help deepen student understanding and provide students the opportunity to make connections throughout their learning, from one subject area to another and between school and the outside world.

View our Programme of Inquiry here.

Recognitions:

• 2024 National Merit School of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America
• 2023 National Magnet School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America
• 2022 National Magnet School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America
• 2020 National Magnet School of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America
  • A "Top 20" National Magnet School of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America
• 2019 National Magnet School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America

To receive a national merit award, members of Magnet Schools of America must submit a detailed application that is scored by a panel of educators. These schools are judged and scored on their demonstrated ability to  raise student academic achievement, promote racial and socioeconomic diversity, provide integrated curricula  and instruction, and create strong family and community partnerships that enhance the school’s magnet theme.

To learn more about the national merit awards program, please visit www.magnet.edu.

We offer both in-person and virtual tours. Follow the link to sign up for a tour: http://bit.ly/BurtonMagnetTour 

Please contact Amy Sanchez, IBPYP Magnet Coordinator, for questions related to our tours.

She can be reached via email at amy_sanchez@dpsnc.net or via phone at 919-560-3908.

Starting in 2024, the school district will be arranged into five elementary regions. Use the School Locator tool to view your region and application based programs in your region. Families who wish to apply for the International Baccalaureate program at Burton must live in the Southeast or Southwest regions.

Do you have Burton specific questions regarding school reassignment? Please click the links below to find Frequently Asked Questions: 

English FAQ 

Spanish FAQ