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West Lake Middle

Q: Is West Lake Middle a good school?

West Lake Middle ranks 232 nd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

232^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 70% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

West Lake Middle is a grades 6–8 middle school in Apex, NC, serving 687 students as part of Wake County Schools, a district that earns 4 stars and ranks in the 76th percentile of North Carolina districts. West Lake currently ranks 232nd out of 778 North Carolina middle schools — the 70th percentile with 4 stars. The school shows an upward-then-downward history: it ranked as high as 96th statewide in 2016-2017, dipped after the pandemic, and has recently stabilized between the 68th and 70th percentiles.

West Lake sits below most nearby schools in a very competitive Wake County field. Holly Grove Middle (94th percentile), Holly Ridge Middle (85th), East Cary Middle (84th), Apex Middle (81st), Fuquay-Varina Middle (79th), Herbert Akins Road Middle (79th), and Lufkin Road Middle (76th) all outrank it. West Lake’s reading and math scores beat state averages but trail district averages. Its strongest subject is 8th-grade science, which matches the Wake County average and exceeds the state rate.

The school’s most significant concerns are chronic absenteeism and achievement gaps across student groups. About 25.5% of students are chronically absent — above the district’s 20.5% and well above Holly Grove Middle (15.9%) and Fuquay-Varina Middle (15.0%). Additionally, while White, gifted, and special education students perform well relative to their statewide peers, economically disadvantaged students and English learners trail meaningfully. For families comparing options, West Lake is a dependable, mid-to-upper-tier school in a region where several nearby schools rank among the very best in the state.

687

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

42.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4600 West Lake Rd
Apex, NC 27539-7657

(919) 662-2900

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend West Lake Middle usually attend:

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

Feeder schools for West Lake Middle:

Elementary:

West Lake Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.6%

Hispanic:

26.8%

African American:

19.5%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare West Lake Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 59th percentile in 2022 → 70th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (64% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 70th (2026) from a 59th-percentile low (2022)

✓Above the North Carolina median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg58%

232^nd of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 30%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From top 16% (2016) to top 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle 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	66.7	232 of 778	70.2%	★★★★☆
2025	65.1	250 of 773	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.1	238 of 793	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	61.1	281 of 784	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.5	319 of 786	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.2	198 of 741	73.3%	★★★★☆
2019	76.0	150 of 737	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	104 of 691	84.9%	★★★★☆
2017	82.5	96 of 694	86.2%	★★★★☆
2016	80.0	112 of 692	83.8%	★★★★☆
2015	82.6	102 of 705	85.5%	★★★★☆
2014	82.8	86 of 627	86.3%	★★★★☆
2013	82.3	93 of 673	86.2%	★★★★☆
2012	77.4	118 of 662	82.2%	★★★★☆
2011	79.8	91 of 648	86.0%	★★★★☆
2010	75.7	132 of 640	79.4%	★★★★☆
2009	80.8	90 of 630	85.7%	★★★★☆
2008	88.2	37 of 620	94.0%	★★★★★
2007	86.9	28 of 606	95.4%	★★★★★
2006	88.9	18 of 598	97.0%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.8	236 of 553	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.7	324 of 546	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.6	200 of 560	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.2	291 of 559	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.7	300 of 550	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.3	207 of 533	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.6	199 of 519	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.4	204 of 494	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	39.1	73 of 110	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.1	37 of 102	63.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	32.3	296 of 449	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.4	107 of 478	77.6%	★★★★☆
2019	68.3	91 of 504	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	74.9	46 of 475	90.3%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	241 of 363	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.1	200 of 371	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.5	275 of 356	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.0	239 of 318	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.1	275 of 312	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.6	100 of 236	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.8	168 of 211	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.1	61 of 151	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.8	221 of 731	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.6	180 of 733	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	65.9	224 of 738	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.0	290 of 731	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.5	355 of 733	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.5	207 of 706	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	73.9	162 of 684	76.3%	★★★★☆
2018	78.2	118 of 656	82.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	105 of 465	77.4%	★★★★☆
2025	53.4	283 of 458	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	68.0	112 of 461	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	47.7	305 of 452	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.2	250 of 450	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	69.1	126 of 448	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	64.2	145 of 416	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	452 of 566	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.7	324 of 562	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	451 of 564	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.5	458 of 553	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.9	449 of 541	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.8	401 of 522	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.9	253 of 493	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.8	187 of 472	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	37.7	37 of 50	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	489 of 725	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.8	556 of 729	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.4	527 of 743	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.7	586 of 735	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	506 of 689	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.9	370 of 633	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.2	379 of 639	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.3	252 of 604	58.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	242 of 736	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.2	305 of 733	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.2	247 of 751	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.4	259 of 747	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.9	259 of 748	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.8	180 of 711	74.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.0	139 of 697	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	82.5	80 of 665	88.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.0	181 of 333	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.0	50 of 237	78.9%	★★★★☆
2018	75.8	41 of 221	81.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	136 of 500	72.8%	★★★★☆
2025	52.2	141 of 478	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	53.6	146 of 473	69.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.5	67 of 644	89.6%	★★★★☆
2025	81.7	102 of 649	84.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.3	117 of 652	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	74.8	152 of 656	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	73.1	164 of 658	75.1%	★★★★☆
2021	81.3	93 of 632	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	81.3	94 of 624	84.9%	★★★★☆
2018	85.9	59 of 596	90.1%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)90th percentile+19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)77th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)73rd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)70th percentile~ school

Male (2026)67th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2026)57th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)46th percentile-25 vs school

Disabled (2022)34th percentile-25 vs school

Asian (2024)34th percentile-36 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)34th percentile-37 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile-38 vs school

Homeless (2023)26th percentile-38 vs school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science77%+8 vs state

Reading62%+6 vs state

Mathematics62%+6 vs state

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Schools Near West Lake Middle

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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 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
West Lake Middle	Public	6-8	4600 West Lake Rd	Apex	27539	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 662-2900	687	42	16.2	42.9%	327 (47.6%)	134 (19.5%)	184 (26.8%)	13 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.2%)	66.7	232^nd of 778 public middle schools	70.2%		65.1	250^th of 773 public middle schools	67.7%	18	66.2	56.0	62.8	64.3	61.1	60.0	76.8	$8,884	$574	$8,310
Holly Ridge Middle	Public	6-8	950 Holly Springs Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 577-1335	955	54	17.5	26.0%	589 (61.7%)	143 (15.0%)	125 (13.1%)	46 (4.8%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	48 (5.0%)	81.3	118^th of 778 public middle schools	84.8%		84.8	97^th of 773 public middle schools	87.5%	21	69.7	71.6	78.6	65.3	70.2	70.7	81.8	$8,619	$411	$8,207
Herbert Akins Road Middle	Public	6-8	2275 Herbert Akins Road	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(919) 694-8300	1,253	77	16.2	33.5%	730 (58.3%)	136 (10.9%)	279 (22.3%)	56 (4.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (4.1%)	76.1	167^th of 778 public middle schools	78.5%		73.6	177^th of 773 public middle schools	77.1%	10	75.2	66.2	68.8	68.9	61.4	64.6	79.0
Holly Grove Middle	Public	6-8	1401 Avent Ferry Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 567-4177	979	58	16.9	17.7%	594 (60.7%)	101 (10.3%)	109 (11.1%)	116 (11.8%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (5.6%)	91.5	46^th of 778 public middle schools	94.1%		88.4	66^th of 773 public middle schools	91.5%	20	90.3	89.0	77.7	84.0	80.2	72.8	83.1	$8,219	$420	$7,799
Lufkin Road Middle	Public	6-8	1002 Lufkin Road	Apex	27539	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 387-4465	1,035	62	16.8	33.5%	499 (48.2%)	117 (11.3%)	228 (22.0%)	159 (15.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	29 (2.8%)	73.6	187^th of 778 public middle schools	76.0%		70.2	200^th of 773 public middle schools	74.1%	13	65.8	66.1	62.4	66.8	70.4	65.5	75.1	$9,106	$406	$8,700
Apex Middle	Public	6-8	400 East Moore Street	Apex	27502	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 387-2181	867	54	15.9	24.8%	551 (63.6%)	72 (8.3%)	125 (14.4%)	76 (8.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (4.7%)	78.1	147^th of 778 public middle schools	81.1%		85.7	85^th of 773 public middle schools	89.0%	62	75.2	64.7	77.9	64.8	63.7	67.2	81.6	$8,531	$520	$8,012
Dillard Drive Middle	Public	6-8	5200 Dillard Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 233-4228	977	66	14.7	50.5%	381 (39.0%)	241 (24.7%)	278 (28.5%)	45 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (3.2%)	46	429^th of 778 public middle schools	44.9%		46.6	423^rd of 773 public middle schools	45.3%	6	59.3	45.0	46.2	53.6	51.2	52.7	70.6	$8,594	$467	$8,126
Fuquay-Varina Middle	Public	6-8	1201 Bowling Road	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-2727	1,004	57	17.6	28.3%	524 (52.2%)	164 (16.3%)	165 (16.4%)	95 (9.5%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	51 (5.1%)	76.2	166^th of 778 public middle schools	78.7%		74.3	170^th of 773 public middle schools	78.0%	4	72.3	65.4	66.0	67.4	61.9	67.0	82.6	$8,708	$369	$8,339
Connections Academy	Public	6-8	1280 Buck Jones Rd	Cary	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-8910	8	12	.6		3 (37.5%)	2 (25.0%)	3 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$38,998	$1,698	$37,300
Centennial Campus Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1900 Main Campus Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 233-4217	477	37	12.9	99.4%	69 (14.5%)	231 (48.4%)	150 (31.4%)	14 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.7%)	22.4	631^st of 778 public middle schools	18.9%		17.5	667^th of 773 public middle schools	13.7%	36	41.7	44.4	33.3	40.6	46.4	37.8	48.9	$11,386	$725	$10,660

Frequently Asked Questions about West Lake Middle

How many students attend West Lake Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 687 students attended West Lake Middle.

What high school do graduates of West Lake Middle attend?

Students who attend West Lake Middle usually go on to attend Middle Creek High

What district is West Lake Middle in?

Wake County Schools

What is the racial makeup of West Lake Middle?

Students at West Lake Middle are 48% White, 27% Hispanic, 20% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is West Lake Middle a good school?

West Lake Middle ranks 232^nd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate West Lake Middle!

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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.