Best High Schools in Wake Forest, NC

Summary:

The city of Wake Forest, North Carolina is home to three high schools: Wake Forest High School, Heritage High, and North Wake College and Career Academy. These schools serve students in grades 9-12 and are part of the Wake County Schools district.

Among the three high schools, North Wake College and Career Academy stands out as the top performer. The school has consistently ranked among the top 100-115 high schools in North Carolina over the past 3 school years, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. North Wake significantly outperforms the Wake County and North Carolina averages on end-of-course (EOC) exams, with proficiency rates 10-30 percentage points higher across subjects like Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. Additionally, North Wake has a higher spending per student ($13,377) and a lower student-teacher ratio (18.3) compared to the other two schools.

In contrast, Wake Forest High School and Heritage High have more mixed performance, with some subject areas above the district and state averages, and others below. Both schools had a 87.7% four-year graduation rate in 2024-2025. While North Wake College and Career Academy serves a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students, it is still able to achieve strong academic results, highlighting the importance of factors like school funding, resources, and targeted educational approaches in supporting student success.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Wake Forest High School	Public	9-12	420 West Stadium Drive	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 554-8611	2,043	109	18.8	30.4%	1,052 (51.5%)	473 (23.2%)	360 (17.6%)	71 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.2%)	82 (4.0%)	63.8	207^th of 641 public high schools	67.7%		60.5	232^nd of 640 public high schools	63.8%	25	64.5	68.2	35.8	76.7	$8,011	$375	$7,637
Heritage High	Public	9-12	1150 Forestville Road	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 570-5600	1,778	97	18.2	27.7%	950 (53.4%)	257 (14.5%)	418 (23.5%)	86 (4.8%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	62 (3.5%)	66	198^th of 641 public high schools	69.1%		58.9	241^st of 640 public high schools	62.3%	43	59.0	74.9	39.0	77.2	$8,792	$487	$8,305
North Wake College and Career Academy	Public	9-12	931 Durham Rd	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8650	346	19	17.9	36.1%	122 (35.3%)	117 (33.8%)	75 (21.7%)	15 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.6%)	86.6	100^th of 641 public high schools	84.4%		84.4	115^th of 640 public high schools	82.0%	15	76.8	91.0	60.0	89.5	$13,377	$439	$12,939

Cities Near Wake Forest

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Raleigh	1.84 mi	107	176^th
Rolesville	3.96 mi	5	210^th
Youngsville	4.51 mi	4	183^rd
Franklinton	8.67 mi	5	316^th
Louisburg	9.35 mi	8	224^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.