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GREENSBORO — Magnet school applications were due Friday, and again this year Guilford County Schools expected a record number.

But the district is looking closely at some of those programs, including plans to completely rework ineffective programs at four schools

“They have life spans to them,” said Michelle Ungurait, the school district’s director of magnet and choice schools. “Some of the themes just aren’t as relevant anymore.”

Guilford opened its first magnet schools more than 20 years ago. Magnet schools became a national trend as a way to increase racial diversity in schools, specifically inner city schools that had become predominately African American as white families moved into suburban communities.

School districts attract families to these schools by offering specialized programs such as foreign language immersion, high-tech skills or advanced learners programs such as the International Baccalaureate program.

Guilford County has 44 magnet schools. Of those, several aren’t having a large impact on racial diversity, several are struggling to meet federal testing standards and others have had a hard time implementing their magnet themes.

Hampton Leadership Academy is one of four magnet schools the school board will review later this month for a new theme. Hampton became a magnet school in 2001.

David Jarmon, the school’s principal, said one of the biggest hurdles his school has faced is funding.

“We were a leadership school in name only,” he said. “There wasn’t enough funding to promote leadership in a way that it could benefit everybody.”

The leadership academy centers around principles popularized in Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Teachers are trained on the principles and incorporate them in their lessons.

However, the magnet program has failed to improve diversity at the school, which remains about 98 percent African American. And although test scores improved enough last year to meet federal goals, they did not meet state growth goals, putting the school on the state’s low-performing list along with nine other Guilford County schools.

Of the other three magnet schools under review, both Parkview and Montlieu elementary schools failed to meet federal testing goals and received low-performing status. Montlieu has a technology theme and Parkview has an arts theme.

Bluford Communications Magnet School, an elementary school, did not meet federal testing goals but avoided low-performing status.

A recent district survey found that the magnet themes were not fully implemented at these four schools and one other. The survey also found that about a third of all 44 magnet schools had no waiting lists for admission into the programs. Slightly more than half the schools saw a change in student diversity.

Still, more change may not be what parents are looking for. When Hampton parents were polled, they supported the leadership theme. District administrators are recommending that the school board build on the leadership theme by partnering the school with N.C. A&T, a plan that Jarmon said has plenty of support.

“We’ve talked to A&T and they’re gung-ho,” he said.

Magnet programs can be expensive. Costs include staffing, instructional materials and specialized equipment. There are also additional transportation costs that cannot be paid for with federal grants.

Costs vary depending on the type of program at the school, but last year Hairston Middle received nearly $349,000 for its International Baccalaureate program; Welborn Middle received more than $900,000 for its technology theme.

Those costs were paid by a federal grant. Six schools receive shares of an $8.3 million grant, but that money is expected to run out by next year. The district intends to apply for grant funding to help support the four magnet schools where overhauls are proposed.

Although some programs are struggling academically, many of the magnet schools are meeting their goals.

Ferndale Middle in High Point became an International Baccalaureate preparatory magnet school three years ago. Since then, the number of white students has nearly doubled, while the number of black students also has grown.

But the Ferndale magnet program isn’t just drawing students from outside its attendance zone. It’s also drawing them back from private schools.

“We’ve had dozens of kids re-enroll from private schools because they’ve heard about what’s going on here,” said Mark Harris, Ferndale principal.

There are 58 magnet students at the school this year out of a total student body of 767. Of the magnet students, 31 percent are white and 46 percent are black.

Last year, the school saw 20 percent gains in reading scores and nearly that much in math scores. The scores are below the state and district average, but Harris believes they’ll get there this year. “I believe we’ll make another 10 percent growth, minimum,” he said.

Dawn Beane’s son Luke left Welborn Academy, the middle school in his attendance zone, to go to Ferndale. Beane said her son was looking for more academic rigor.

“We had heard that everything had improved here so much,” Beane said. “The teachers are outstanding.”

Ferndale has not filled all of the seats allocated to magnet students, but officials expect to fill them next year.

The school board is scheduled to review proposals for Hampton, Bluford, Montlieu and Parkview on March 23.

As budget concerns continue and the district continues to look at these programs, more changes could be on the way.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing @news-record.com

This article has been corrected from its original version.