Wake Forest Charter Academy

Serving approximately 650 students in grades K-8 as a public charter school in Wake Forest, North Carolina, the Wake Forest Charter Academy is the only school in this data set, and it is also its own single-school district, Wake Forest Charter Academy (meaning the district-level rankings are identical to the school-level results). This school has shown one of the strongest recent upward trajectories among North Carolina schools: over a two-year period, it jumped from a rank of 763rd (49th percentile) in 2023–2024 to 463rd (69th percentile) in 2025–2026, improving its state accountability rating from 2 stars to 3 stars in the process.

Academic results in the most recent school year are strong across most grades and subjects. The school outperforms the state average in mathematics by 4.4 points (64.3% vs. 59.9%), in reading by 11.5 points (67.5% vs. 56.0%), and in science by 14.4 points (82.6% vs. 68.2%). Grade-level standouts are particularly noticeable in later grades, including 7th grade reading (79.7% proficient, which is 23.4 points above the state), 5th grade science (86.5%, the highest single-subject score in the entire dataset), 7th grade math (71.2%), and 8th grade science (78.6%). The most remarkable turnaround is in 8th grade math, which soared from 33.9% to 64.3% proficiency in a single year. The school’s weakest relative area is early elementary math; 3rd grade math has now trailed the state average for two consecutive years (60.0% vs. 66.4%), and 5th grade math also remains slightly below the state average despite a strong year-over-year gain.

For parents, the big picture is encouraging: Wake Forest Charter Academy is a school on a clear upward path, particularly excelling in reading, science, and middle-grade performance. It outperforms the state in most subjects while serving a student population where 44.77% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Chronic absenteeism, at 17.6%, is lower than the state rate (24.2%) but still represents about 1 in 6 students missing significant school time. With a student–teacher ratio of 18.9, class sizes are somewhat large. The primary area to watch is early elementary mathematics at 3rd and 5th grades, as those are the only reported grade-subject areas consistently lagging the statewide average.