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West Lake Elementary

Q: Is West Lake Elementary a good school?

West Lake Elementary ranks 364 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

364^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

West Lake Elementary is a PK–5 elementary school in Apex, NC, serving 581 students as part of the Wake County Schools district. It holds a 4-star state rating and ranked in the 76th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools in 2025–26. That places it in a solid upper-middle spot within a competitive local field — below elite nearby schools like Holly Ridge Elementary and Holly Springs Elementary, but clearly above Banks Road Elementary and Penny Road Elementary. About 32% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch, a moderate level compared with surrounding schools, which range from roughly 18% to 46%.

The most striking academic pattern at West Lake is the contrast between grade levels. In 2025–26, 3rd grade math proficiency reached 91.4%, the highest among all nearby schools. Yet that strength fades quickly: 4th grade math proficiency drops to 64.4%, the lowest among 11 nearby schools, and 5th grade results land mid-to-low locally. The contrast with Middle Creek Elementary, just 0.61 miles away, is remarkable — its 3rd grade math is 67.3% but reaches 82.1% by 5th grade, while West Lake sits at 70.2%. Families choosing between these two close neighbors could easily form different impressions depending on which grade-level results they examine.

The school also posts clear non-academic strengths. Chronic absenteeism was 15.0% in 2024–25, well below the district average of 20.5% and the state rate of 24.2%. Special education students were served exceptionally well in recent years — ranking in the 96th percentile statewide in 2023–24 — though that figure slipped to the 52nd percentile by 2025–26. West Lake's overall rating also masks meaningful variation across student groups: English language learners and low-income students have ranked in the bottom third statewide in recent years. After peaking in the 89th–90th percentile in 2015–16, West Lake now sits in a solid but less elite 76th–83rd percentile range. Its path forward lies in extending its remarkable 3rd grade success into grades 4 and 5 and lifting outcomes for all student groups.

581

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

32%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4500 West Lake Rd
Apex, NC 27539-7655

(919) 662-2300

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend West Lake Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	West Lake Middle
High:	Middle Creek High
	Wake Early College of Health and Science
	Wake STEM Early College High School
	Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
	More...
	Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.5%

Hispanic:

20.1%

African American:

6.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare West Lake Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2016 → 76th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (71% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

364^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 11% (2016) to top 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

60^th of 246Wake 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.8	364 of 1492	75.6%	★★★★☆
2025	74.7	319 of 1490	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	72.9	358 of 1505	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	75.4	316 of 1502	79.0%	★★★★☆
2022	78.5	262 of 1514	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	82.5	212 of 1489	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	73.3	338 of 1473	77.1%	★★★★☆
2018	78.2	253 of 1434	82.4%	★★★★☆
2017	85.5	143 of 1429	90.0%	★★★★★
2016	84.8	161 of 1425	88.7%	★★★★☆
2015	80.4	232 of 1440	83.9%	★★★★☆
2014	83.0	193 of 1390	86.1%	★★★★☆
2013	82.2	200 of 1403	85.7%	★★★★☆
2012	65.6	491 of 1388	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.3	486 of 1381	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	71.2	372 of 1363	72.7%	★★★★☆
2009	70.9	379 of 1354	72.0%	★★★★☆
2008	80.3	178 of 1324	86.6%	★★★★☆
2007	79.1	188 of 1293	85.5%	★★★★☆
2006	78.7	191 of 1276	85.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	84.2	77 of 924	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	47.9	463 of 933	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.0	351 of 927	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.6	248 of 927	73.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	79.1	57 of 634	91.0%	★★★★★
2021	71.8	92 of 646	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	68.2	171 of 878	80.5%	★★★★☆
2018	53.5	340 of 897	62.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.9	362 of 519	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.8	371 of 563	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.4	513 of 533	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	510 of 514	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	452 of 485	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	317 of 385	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	476 of 497	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.6	394 of 421	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.0	417 of 1447	71.2%	★★★★☆
2025	75.7	275 of 1451	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	70.2	365 of 1455	74.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	359 of 1459	75.4%	★★★★☆
2022	76.3	279 of 1458	80.9%	★★★★☆
2021	77.6	260 of 1440	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	63.2	500 of 1424	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.4	316 of 1405	77.5%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.2	314 of 743	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.0	491 of 710	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.3	283 of 669	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.0	159 of 500	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.7	263 of 494	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.9	416 of 612	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.1	837 of 981	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.1	802 of 961	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	912 of 951	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.1	732 of 915	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.7	720 of 893	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.0	581 of 843	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.4	741 of 865	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.1	699 of 851	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.7	1116 of 1434	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.8	786 of 1437	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.1	1266 of 1450	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	1190 of 1437	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	1130 of 1366	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.1	1142 of 1329	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	1192 of 1361	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	1067 of 1332	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.6	295 of 1451	79.7%	★★★★☆
2025	70.1	382 of 1450	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	72.7	343 of 1464	76.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.4	291 of 1461	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	263 of 1464	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	82.5	201 of 1444	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	79.3	228 of 1430	84.1%	★★★★☆
2018	80.1	212 of 1413	85.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.5	390 of 815	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.1	192 of 821	76.6%	★★★★☆
2024	90.1	33 of 801	95.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.5	232 of 1146	79.8%	★★★★☆
2025	71.4	300 of 1172	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	276 of 1166	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.4	229 of 1183	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	81.5	172 of 1194	85.6%	★★★★☆
2021	85.5	117 of 1172	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	69.9	321 of 1183	72.9%	★★★★☆
2018	79.7	194 of 1178	83.5%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2024)92nd percentile+15 vs school

Disabled (2022)91st percentile+8 vs school

White (2026)80th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)80th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)71st percentile-4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)58th percentile-18 vs school

Special Education (2026)52nd percentile-23 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)30th percentile-45 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile-53 vs school

Hispanic (2026)15th percentile-61 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics75%+12 vs state

Science68%~ state avg

Reading68%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Lake Elementary

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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)				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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4500 West Lake Rd	Apex	27539	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 662-2300	581	39	15.0	32.0%	369 (63.5%)	38 (6.5%)	117 (20.1%)	26 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.3%)	72.8	364^th of 1492 public elementary schools	75.6%		74.7	319^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.6%	45	91.4	64.4	70.2	78.5	61.1	64.0	68.4	$9,343	$437	$8,905
Middle Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Middle Creek Park Avenue	Apex	27539	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 773-9555	636	48	13.2	34.3%	390 (61.3%)	72 (11.3%)	126 (19.8%)	24 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	75.6	311^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.2%		77.6	284^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.9%	27	67.3	69.2	82.1	67.9	66.7	70.2	75.2	$9,925	$510	$9,416
Holly Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Holly Springs Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 577-1300	735	50	14.5	18.1%	515 (70.1%)	84 (11.4%)	58 (7.9%)	43 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.8%)	92.8	74^th of 1492 public elementary schools	95.0%		91.6	87^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.2%	13	84.1	83.2	86.8	84.1	78.2	80.6	91.5	$9,223	$783	$8,440
Ballentine Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1651 North McLaurin Lane	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-1120	742	53	14.0	28.6%	463 (62.4%)	52 (7.0%)	155 (20.9%)	44 (5.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.6%)	85.2	178^th of 1492 public elementary schools	88.1%		86.8	148^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.1%	30	78.0	76.1	80.2	75.4	77.1	68.7	82.4	$10,151	$476	$9,675
Banks Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10225 Chambers Rd	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 890-7333	651	47	13.8	45.8%	299 (45.9%)	97 (14.9%)	186 (28.6%)	35 (5.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (4.9%)	60.9	566^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.1%		54.9	656^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.0%	90	72.8	66.1	59.6	58.3	66.1	56.4	64.9	$9,294	$381	$8,914
Herbert Akins Rd Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2255 Herbert Akins Rd	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 567-4100	988	69	14.3	32.0%	598 (60.5%)	144 (14.6%)	117 (11.8%)	63 (6.4%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (6.0%)	80.7	235^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.2%		77.8	282^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	81.1%	47	82.0	72.4	76.3	73.4	70.1	69.1	74.1	$9,017	$332	$8,685
Holly Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Holly Springs Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-2660	751	51	14.5	20.4%	457 (60.9%)	70 (9.3%)	105 (14.0%)	60 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (7.9%)	91.5	95^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.6%		93.2	70^th of 1490 public elementary schools	95.3%	25	88.9	79.6	84.1	84.6	75.2	84.1	84.1	$9,402	$603	$8,799
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10401 Penny Road	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 387-4490	553	42	13.1	33.1%	293 (53.0%)	91 (16.5%)	114 (20.6%)	39 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	71.9	380^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.5%		67.8	430^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.1%	50	71.7	67.8	72.8	65.2	65.5	66.3	72.8	$10,384	$768	$9,616
Fuquay-Varina Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6600 Johnson Pond Rd	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-2566	772	51	15.2	35.9%	379 (49.1%)	123 (15.9%)	111 (14.4%)	100 (13.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.1%)	74	338^th of 1492 public elementary schools	77.3%		68.5	415^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.1%	77	82.2	67.0	69.4	70.1	63.7	63.1	74.8	$9,010	$382	$8,627
Penny Road Elementary	Public	K-5	10900 Penny Rd	Cary	27518	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 387-2136	509	38	13.4	36.9%	286 (56.2%)	73 (14.3%)	107 (21.0%)	21 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.1%)	69.8	422^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	71.7%		66.5	461^st of 1490 public elementary schools	69.1%	39	69.3	69.1	71.3	68.2	60.5	66.0	71.3	$9,556	$424	$9,132

Frequently Asked Questions about West Lake Elementary

How many students attend West Lake Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 581 students attended West Lake Elementary.

What district is West Lake Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

What is the racial makeup of West Lake Elementary?

Students at West Lake Elementary are 64% White, 20% Hispanic, 7% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Is West Lake Elementary a good school?

West Lake Elementary ranks 364^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of West Lake Elementary attend?

Students who attend West Lake Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : West Lake Middle
High : Middle Creek High
High : Wake Early College of Health and Science
High : Wake STEM Early College High School
High : Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
High : Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy

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Schools in Apex, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.