Almost 19,000 students have been placed in Charlotte-Mecklenburg magnet programs for 2011-12, with another 3,800 on waiting lists for specialized programs they hope to get into.

The number of students who got seats through the magnet lottery - 18,778 - is about 700 under last year's total, CMS officials said Friday. As always, some programs had excess demand while others had room to spare.

Morehead, a former elementary that's expanding into a K-8 math/science magnet, had the longest waiting list, with 646 students waiting and 853 getting seats. Elementaries offering Montessori and traditional magnet programs, as well as middle-school International Baccalaureate magnets, also drew overflow demand, as usual.

In a year already marked by budget-driven school closings, mergers and magnet changes, here are some highlights:

Berry/Harding

Berry Academy of Technology, a magnet school picking up the math-science program that's now at Harding, is poised to grow from 1,260 students this year to about 1,700.

Harding will become a combined neighborhood/magnet school, picking up students from the closing of Waddell High. Harding's International Baccalaureate magnet drew 714 students for 2011, with none on the waiting list. In 2010 it drew 744 students, with 33 wait-listed.

Blythe IB

Blythe Elementary's new pre-IB magnet drew 289 students, with 43 wait-listed.

Davidson/Alexander IB

The new Alexander Middle IB program, which is taking the place of Davidson IB, has 284 students, with an additional 174 on the waiting list.

When proposing to close the popular Davidson IB, a 257-student magnet in an aging building, officials said moving the program to a larger school would let more students participate. But Principal Jo Karney, who's moving from Davidson to Alexander, later noted that dramatic expansion wouldn't be possible without adding more IB-trained faculty.

Sixth-grade enrollment rose from 88 in 2010 to 110 this year. Applications were down slightly, from 495 for Davidson IB in 2010 to 458 for Alexander IB.

Davis Military

Marie G. Davis Military/Leadership Academy, which will become CMS's first K-12 school, drew 986 students, including 577 for the new elementary grades. It currently houses grades 6-12, with about 350 students.

East Meck IB

East Mecklenburg's IB magnet grew from 776 to 820 for 2011, making it CMS's largest high-school IB magnet. North Meck drew 496; West Charlotte, 199.

The territory for East Meck's IB program was expanded in 2010 in response to fears that changing boundaries would shrink the overall school.

Myers Park High continues to have an IB program that's open only to students who live in that zone. It was not listed in the 2011 magnet lottery results.

Mallard Creek TD

Mallard Creek Elementary's new learning immersion and talent development magnet for gifted students drew 163 students.

Smith/Waddell language

Smith Academy of International Languages, which now has about 1,220 students in grades K-8, will grow by about 100 students when it moves to the Waddell building next year. The relocated school, which will be called Waddell Academy of International Languages, has just over 100 students on its waiting list.