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Best Public Schools in Wake Forest, NC


At a glance
15
Schools
15,492
Students
7
Districts
4
5-star schools
Top rankedEndeavor Charter School12th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools
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Biggest riser
Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School up 314 spots statewide this year
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Smallest classes
Wake Forest Elementary 11.7 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
3★
2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

Wake Forest, North Carolina, is home to 15 schools serving roughly 15,492 students across elementary, middle, and high school levels, offering families access to a broad mix of traditional Wake County Schools campuses and independently operated charter schools. Eight are elementary or K-8 schools, two serve middle school students, three are high schools, and two are K-12 or alternative schools. The city stands out for its remarkable concentration of top-ranked charter and K-8 schools, but outcomes are notably uneven across the traditional public attendance zones.

The strongest academic performers are predominantly charter schools. Endeavor Charter School, ranked #12 of 1,492 elementary schools statewide, averages roughly 91% EOG proficiency with just 6.7% chronic absenteeism. Envision Science Academy ranks #60 statewide at about 87% proficiency, and Franklin Academy posts outstanding results at every level, including 97% English II EOC proficiency and the city's lowest chronic absenteeism at 6.3%. Among traditional public schools, Heritage Middle ranks #49 of 778 middle schools with a 5-star rating, Jones Dairy Elementary ranks #92 of 1,492 elementary schools, and North Wake College and Career Academy is the top public high school at #110 of 662 with EOC results dramatically above state averages.

The flip side is stark. Wake Forest Middle School ranks just #443 of 778 middle schools with 2 stars, and 8th grade math proficiency sits at 35.9% versus 76.3% at Heritage Middle. Chronic absenteeism at Wake Forest Middle is the city's highest at 34.7%, and 57.18% of its students receive free/reduced-price lunch, compared with 16.9% at Heritage Middle. The two comprehensive high schools, Wake Forest High School and Heritage High, both post Math I EOC scores below the state average despite solid graduation rates. Families will find some of North Carolina's very best schools here, but the higher-poverty schools with elevated chronic absenteeism remain the critical focus for improvement.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Cities Near Wake Forest

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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.

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