Best Public Schools in Apex, NC

Apex, North Carolina is served by 21 public schools—13 elementary, 5 middle, and 3 high—enrolling about 22,000 students across Wake County Schools plus two charter schools, The Math and Science Academy of Apex and Peak Charter Academy. Apex's elementary schools are the standout performers: seven rank in the top 40 of North Carolina's 1,492 elementary schools, led by White Oak Elementary at #2 and The Math and Science Academy of Apex at #4. Scotts Ridge Elementary, Apex Friendship Elementary, Olive Chapel Elementary, Peak Charter Academy, and Oakview Elementary round out this extraordinary group.

Performance strength diminishes somewhat by grade band. The median Apex middle school sits at the 81st percentile statewide, with Apex Friendship Middle the clear leader at #18 of 778, boasting 6th-grade math proficiency of 94.5%. Salem Middle and Apex Middle are solid options, while West Lake Middle, with the city's highest free/reduced lunch rate at 42.94%, is the lowest-ranked traditional middle school. Among high schools, Apex Friendship High leads at #105 of 662, followed by Apex High and Middle Creek High, Apex's only 3-star high school. Math I is the clearest pressure point: Apex High and Middle Creek High both fall below the state's 42.1% Math I average, while Apex Friendship High reaches 59.5%.

Free/reduced lunch rates range widely—from 3.56% at White Oak Elementary to 42.94% at West Lake Middle—and schools serving more advantaged populations generally rank higher. Chronic absenteeism across Apex averages about 14%, well below the state's 24.2%, with 19 of 20 reporting schools beating the state average. Several schools are improving quickly: Oakview Elementary jumped from #121 to #38 in two years, and Peak Charter Academy moved up to #36. Middle Creek High is an interesting contradiction: despite its lower test rankings, it posts the strongest graduation rate at 94.9%. Apex Friendship High, the largest school with 2,748 students, proves size does not hurt results—91.1% of its students are proficient in English II and 90.3% in Biology.