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Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy

Q: Is Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy a good school?

Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy ranks in the bottom 5.6% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 369 students attended Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy?

Students at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy are 50% African American, 46% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% White.

Public, Magnet Grades 6-12

625^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 6% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy (WSPA) is a grade 6–12 school in Winston-Salem, NC, serving 369 students within the Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools district, where nearly all students come from low-income households. Despite its "preparatory" name and real resources — including a low student-teacher ratio of 10.6 and per-pupil spending of roughly $14,000 — the school's academic outcomes are among the weakest in the state. WSPA ranks at the 6th percentile statewide for 2025-2026, and its graduation rate has fallen sharply, from 88.0% in 2023-2024 to just 71.0% in 2025-2026, well below the district rate of 86.3% and state rate of 88.8%.

Proficiency rates across nearly every subject are far below district and state averages. For example, only 16.2% of students scored proficient on the Biology EOC, compared to 58.5% statewide and 48.8% districtwide. Nearby schools tell a striking story: Early College of Forsyth County posted 98.5% proficiency on the same exam, while Atkins Academic & Technical High reached 73.4%. Even J F Kennedy High, which serves a similarly low-income population, outperformed WSPA in several subjects, including 66% proficiency on Math III versus WSPA's 21.9%. Results are low across all student groups, and the middle school grades show similar struggles — 7th grade math proficiency was just 11%.

One of the biggest challenges is attendance: 52.3% of WSPA students were chronically absent in 2024-2025, more than double the state average of 24.2%. By comparison, Atkins Academic & Technical High had a chronic absenteeism rate of 23.9%. WSPA actually spends more per student than many higher-performing schools in the district, including R J Reynolds High, East Forsyth High, and Atkins. That resource advantage, combined with small class sizes, has not yet translated into academic results. While Carver High and Main Street Academy also struggle, WSPA stands out for its combination of high spending, declining graduation rates, and persistently low outcomes — an important set of warning signs for parents considering this school.

369

Students ?

10.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,063

Per pupil spending ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

1215 North Cameron Avenue
Winston Salem, NC 27101

(336) 703-6732

District: Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.1%

Hispanic:

45.5%

Two or more races:

2.7%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 18th percentile in 2016 → 6th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (23% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (71% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg49%

North Carolina avg58%

Middle school

760^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

625^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 18% (2016) to bottom 6% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 12High Schools in the Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

159^th of 246Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.6	760 of 778	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.8	755 of 773	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.3	773 of 793	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.2	761 of 784	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.0	778 of 786	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.0	741 of 741	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.3	727 of 737	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.8	667 of 691	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.1	646 of 694	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	4.3	664 of 692	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.9	648 of 705	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.1	616 of 627	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	17.9	571 of 673	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	20.5	573 of 662	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	16.7	583 of 648	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.2	571 of 640	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	11.5	574 of 630	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	12.6	559 of 620	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	15.1	550 of 606	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	21.1	513 of 598	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	528 of 553	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	510 of 546	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	473 of 560	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	489 of 559	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.4	539 of 550	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.0	533 of 533	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	504 of 519	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	418 of 494	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	361 of 363	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.8	279 of 371	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	174 of 211	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	4.1	721 of 731	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.5	730 of 733	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.4	727 of 738	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	721 of 731	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.9	732 of 733	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	0.7	681 of 684	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	646 of 656	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.5	566 of 566	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.7	550 of 562	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	564 of 564	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.0	553 of 553	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.2	541 of 541	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.7	522 of 522	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	0.9	493 of 493	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.9	470 of 472	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.5	712 of 725	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.0	703 of 729	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	721 of 743	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.0	719 of 735	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.2	678 of 689	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.4	633 of 633	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.2	618 of 639	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	579 of 604	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.4	729 of 736	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.5	708 of 733	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.1	746 of 751	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.2	736 of 747	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.1	743 of 748	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.6	711 of 711	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.5	684 of 697	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.3	651 of 665	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.3	395 of 500	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	4.8	632 of 644	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.7	625 of 662	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.3	568 of 641	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	605 of 640	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.3	597 of 626	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.2	611 of 621	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	554 of 594	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	456 of 514	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	3.0	448 of 469	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.0	442 of 476	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	14.9	418 of 507	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.0	430 of 531	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	2.9	445 of 451	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.2	437 of 505	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	43.0	292 of 502	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	29.4	406 of 506	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.5	405 of 499	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.6	370 of 490	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	16.6	414 of 477	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	17.6	395 of 453	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	50.1	232 of 431	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	357 of 450	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.1	303 of 440	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.1	409 of 437	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	410 of 434	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	425 of 430	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	29.3	238 of 364	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.2	267 of 369	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	348 of 359	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.8	283 of 289	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.1	214 of 273	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.5	597 of 629	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.9	524 of 610	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	572 of 602	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	568 of 588	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.8	584 of 594	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.6	441 of 475	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	449 of 475	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.2	442 of 449	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	7.6	463 of 474	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	408 of 462	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.7	293 of 454	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	347 of 449	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	5.5	436 of 436	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	8.0	591 of 620	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.7	500 of 606	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	572 of 613	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	556 of 597	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.1	526 of 544	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	338 of 432	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.9	372 of 446	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.9	406 of 424	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.8	609 of 624	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.8	554 of 601	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	581 of 607	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.1	575 of 602	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.2	579 of 585	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	394 of 481	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.8	445 of 488	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.1	457 of 463	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Middle school

Special Education (2026)21st percentile+19 vs school

African American (2026)5th percentile~ school

White (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)<1st percentile~ school

High school

African American (2026)21st percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)5th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)2nd percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)2nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II38%-26 vs state

Reading27%-29 vs state

Science26%-43 vs state

Math III22%-47 vs state

Biology16%-42 vs state

Mathematics15%-41 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, September 4, 2014

Bugs,bugs,bugs at this school and the student's are awful disrespectful to the teachers and the home of Bullies, guaranteed to stress parents out.... if you want your child to have a successful future please remove him/her from this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy	Public, Magnet	6-12	1215 North Cameron Avenue	Winston Salem	27101	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 703-6732	369	35	10.6	—	5 (1.4%)	185 (50.1%)	168 (45.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.7%)	5.7	625^th of 662 public high schools	5.6%		14.3	568^th of 641 public high schools	11.4%	57	16.2	38.2	538.2	21.9	18.2	11.0	15.5	21.8	33.3	26.3	25.5	$14,063	$2,100	$11,962
Career Center	Public	9-12	910 Highland Court	Winston Salem	27101	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 727-8181	0	49	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
J F Kennedy High	Public, Virtual, Magnet	9-12	890 E 11th Street	Winston Salem	27101	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	(336) 703-4143	332	24	14.1	—	50 (15.1%)	95 (28.6%)	167 (50.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.4%)	29.7	481^st of 662 public high schools	27.3%		26.5	482^nd of 641 public high schools	24.8%	1	40.3	40.0	43.1	66.0								$14,798	$1,646	$13,152
Carter High School	Public	11-12	851 Highland Court	Winston Salem	27101	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 703-4119	123	15	8.1	97.6%	44 (35.8%)	44 (35.8%)	28 (22.8%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.9%)								(n/a)												$31,027	$5,025	$26,002
Atkins Academic & Technical High	Public, Magnet	9-12	3605 Old Greensboro Road	Winston Salem	27101	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(336) 703-6754	1,187	68	17.4	36.1%	525 (44.2%)	284 (23.9%)	244 (20.6%)	80 (6.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (4.3%)	74.8	162^nd of 662 public high schools	75.5%		85.6	105^th of 641 public high schools	83.6%	57	73.4	87.5	41.1	88.5								$9,035	$597	$8,438
Carver High	Public	9-12	3545 Carver School Road	Winston Salem	27105	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 727-2987	728	49	14.8	—	23 (3.2%)	402 (55.2%)	280 (38.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.7%)	2.8	643^rd of 662 public high schools	2.9%		9	603^rd of 641 public high schools	5.9%	40	11.2	16.2	5.2	29.7								$15,235	$2,941	$12,294
R J Reynolds High	Public, Magnet	9-12	301 N Hawthorne Road	Winston Salem	27104	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 703-4145	1,759	99	17.7	—	565 (32.1%)	613 (34.8%)	432 (24.6%)	56 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	92 (5.2%)	28.2	492^nd of 662 public high schools	25.7%		32.2	432^nd of 641 public high schools	32.6%	60	44.5	58.4	27.6	52.4								$8,101	$446	$7,655
Main Street Academy	Public	6-12	2700 S. Main Street	Winston Salem	27127	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4185	63	17	3.6	95.2%	3 (4.8%)	41 (65.1%)	13 (20.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (9.5%)								(n/a)		6.7	537.2			534.5	< 5%		543.2	543.7	335.2	$36,283	$2,804	$33,478
Middle College of Forsyth County	Public	11-12	2100 Silas Creek Parkway	Winston Salem	27103	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 734-7437	121	5	25.9	47.1%	35 (28.9%)	32 (26.4%)	41 (33.9%)	5 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.6%)								(n/a)				54.2								$11,250	$199	$11,051
Early College of Forsyth County	Public	9-12	2100 Silas Creek Prky	Winston Salem	27103	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 757-3290	306	14	21.3	34.0%	90 (29.4%)	64 (20.9%)	108 (35.3%)	21 (6.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (6.9%)	90.3	73^rd of 662 public high schools	89.0%		89.5	80^th of 641 public high schools	87.5%	7	98.5	97.4	66.7	88.9								$6,298	$197	$6,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy

Is Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy a good school?

Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy ranks in the bottom 5.6% of North Carolina high schools.

What district is Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy in?

Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy?

Students at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy are 50% African American, 46% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% White.

How many students attend Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 369 students attended Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy.

Rate Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.