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Adams Elementary

Q: Is Adams Elementary a good school?

Adams Elementary ranks 824 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

824^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Adams Elementary is a mid-sized Pre-K–5 public school in Cary, NC, serving 655 students as part of the Wake County Schools district. Despite sitting in a district ranked in the top quarter statewide, Adams has declined for three consecutive years, dropping from the 78th percentile in 2022–2023 to the 45th percentile in 2025–2026 (824th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, 2 stars). Within its local area, the school now profiles much more like Reedy Creek Elementary and Dillard Drive Elementary than higher-performing neighbors such as Cary Elementary or Farmington Woods Elementary.

The most urgent academic concern is early literacy. Only 45.6% of third graders at the school read at grade level — about 20 points below the district average and 10 points below the state — making Adams the only campus in the area where fewer than half of third graders are reading proficiently. For comparison, neighboring schools range from Cary Elementary at 74.3% and Farmington Woods Elementary at 69.0% down to Reedy Creek Elementary at 57.0% and Dillard Drive Elementary at 55.7%. Third-grade math proficiency (54.4%) is likewise among the weakest in the area. It is helpful context that roughly 61% of Adams students now qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, up from about half three years ago.

There are meaningful bright spots: fifth graders exceeded state averages in both reading and math, and special education students improved dramatically from the 5th to the 48th percentile in statewide subgroup rankings. Still, English language learners, low-income students, and gifted students all rank in the bottom quarter of North Carolina schools, showing uneven outcomes across the school. Chronic absenteeism, at 22.9%, has risen for three straight years and is much higher than local schools like Cary Elementary (9.7%) or Farmington Woods Elementary (13.2%). With a 12.6 student-teacher ratio and roughly $10,267 in per-pupil spending — both on par with surrounding schools — Adams does not appear under-resourced. Early-literacy support and improved attendance are likely the most important levers for reversing the school's downward trend.

655

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

61.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

805 Cary Towne Blvd
Cary, NC 27511

(919) 460-3431

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Adams Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	East Cary Middle
High:	Wake Early College of Health and Science
	Wake STEM Early College High School
	Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
	Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.5%

Hispanic:

36.2%

African American:

17.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Adams Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 77th percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

824^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 32 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to bottom 45% (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	45.0	824 of 1492	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.7	698 of 1490	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	565 of 1505	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.5	334 of 1502	77.8%	★★★★☆
2022	67.3	446 of 1514	70.5%	★★★★☆
2021	63.6	508 of 1489	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	614 of 1473	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.4	690 of 1434	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.9	538 of 1429	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	73.8	332 of 1425	76.7%	★★★★☆
2015	80.6	228 of 1440	84.2%	★★★★☆
2014	87.4	133 of 1390	90.4%	★★★★★
2013	89.7	111 of 1403	92.1%	★★★★★
2012	82.1	162 of 1388	88.3%	★★★★☆
2011	81.6	176 of 1381	87.3%	★★★★☆
2010	84.2	130 of 1363	90.5%	★★★★★
2009	89.3	60 of 1354	95.6%	★★★★★
2008	89.6	67 of 1324	94.9%	★★★★★
2007	84.4	99 of 1293	92.3%	★★★★★
2006	83.7	124 of 1276	90.3%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.5	536 of 903	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.7	459 of 918	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.4	317 of 924	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.4	313 of 933	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.2	242 of 927	73.9%	★★★★☆
2021	29.3	653 of 896	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.5	605 of 949	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.3	610 of 927	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	25.5	110 of 130	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	54.9	65 of 114	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	43.5	296 of 634	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.7	406 of 646	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	15.9	867 of 897	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	433 of 519	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.8	428 of 563	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	441 of 533	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.2	241 of 514	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.9	305 of 485	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.0	185 of 385	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.2	346 of 497	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.7	333 of 421	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.3	717 of 1447	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.1	673 of 1451	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.6	563 of 1455	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	80.0	215 of 1459	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	76.1	282 of 1458	80.7%	★★★★☆
2021	65.7	420 of 1440	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	47.5	784 of 1424	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.2	827 of 1405	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	593 of 743	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.0	508 of 710	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.1	424 of 669	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.3	253 of 582	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.9	103 of 500	79.4%	★★★★☆
2021	57.2	267 of 494	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.7	409 of 612	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.2	31 of 69	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.1	774 of 981	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.8	805 of 961	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	834 of 951	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	738 of 915	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	697 of 893	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	680 of 843	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.9	580 of 865	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.7	762 of 851	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.2	1101 of 1434	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.0	1167 of 1437	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	50.1	694 of 1450	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.6	632 of 1437	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.9	523 of 1366	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.2	903 of 1329	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.3	1031 of 1361	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	1196 of 1332	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.9	900 of 1451	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.4	693 of 1450	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	534 of 1464	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.4	479 of 1461	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.8	615 of 1464	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.4	561 of 1444	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.4	436 of 1430	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.5	560 of 1413	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	424 of 815	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	19.1	777 of 821	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	655 of 801	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	347 of 1146	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	79.5	185 of 1172	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.3	176 of 1166	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	88.9	69 of 1183	94.2%	★★★★★
2022	87.9	77 of 1194	93.6%	★★★★★
2021	79.3	203 of 1172	82.7%	★★★★☆
2019	71.0	301 of 1183	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	295 of 1178	75.0%	★★★★☆

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)70th percentile+25 vs school

Disabled (2022)53rd percentile-17 vs school

Female (2026)50th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)41st percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)38th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)23rd percentile-22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)21st percentile-24 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)20th percentile-25 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)17th percentile-28 vs school

Asian (2024)15th percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science66%~ state avg

Mathematics59%-5 vs state

Reading52%-4 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, April 8, 2018

Adams is a wonderful school with dedicated teachers and a great environment where all children can succeed! Close Quote

Schools Near Adams 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/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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Adams Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	805 Cary Towne Blvd	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 460-3431	655	52	12.6	61.2%	252 (38.5%)	116 (17.7%)	237 (36.2%)	21 (3.2%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	24 (3.7%)	45	824^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.8%		52.7	698^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.2%	126	54.4	56.1	66.7				45.6	53.3	57.6				65.7		$10,267	$952	$9,315
Cary Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Kildaire Farm Road	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3455	477	32	14.7	42.6%	269 (56.4%)	52 (10.9%)	112 (23.5%)	19 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.0%)	80.7	236^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.2%		79.9	246^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.5%	10	71.6	80.0	71.3				74.3	81.3	73.8				72.5		$10,015	$629	$9,386
Kingswood Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	200 E. Johnson Street	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 460-3481	427	34	12.6	42.4%	123 (28.8%)	80 (18.7%)	116 (27.2%)	83 (19.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.9%)	60.2	571^st of 1492 public elementary schools	61.7%		66.7	452^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	69.7%	119	60.8	70.1	67.2				55.7	59.7	63.8				70.7		$11,660	$901	$10,759
Farmington Woods Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1413 Hampton Valley Rd	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 460-3469	648	47	13.8	31.0%	305 (47.1%)	63 (9.7%)	140 (21.6%)	102 (15.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.6%)	81	230^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.6%		88.4	133^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	91.1%	97	76.0	78.5	74.7				69.0	71.0	73.7				75.8		$9,948	$469	$9,479
Briarcliff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1220 Pond St	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3443	486	32	15.0	43.0%	275 (56.6%)	39 (8.0%)	117 (24.1%)	40 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	55.8	644^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.8%		55.4	645^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.7%	1	64.4	67.1	59.5				63.2	61.8	57.6				58.8		$10,299	$630	$9,670
Cardinal Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1020 St. Charles Place	Cary	27513	Wake County	Cardinal Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 653-5000	584	13	45.1	47.4%	153 (26.2%)	198 (33.9%)	120 (20.5%)	68 (11.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (7.2%)	60.3	570^th of 1492 public elementary schools	61.8%		70.5	382^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	74.4%	188	82.1	63.6	61.8	66.7	47.4	64.1	64.1	54.5	60.0	60.6	56.4	68.4	58.2	84.6
Northwoods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8850 Chapel Hill Road	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3491	579	43	13.5	35.1%	179 (30.9%)	85 (14.7%)	117 (20.2%)	165 (28.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.5%)	73.7	349^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.6%		77.3	289^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.6%	60	68.8	72.0	70.5				64.5	67.1	71.6				76.1		$10,215	$549	$9,666
Reedy Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	940 Reedy Creek Road	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 380-3660	605	44	13.6	67.4%	159 (26.3%)	218 (36.0%)	186 (30.7%)	23 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.6%)	47.2	780^th of 1492 public elementary schools	47.7%		48	779^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.7%	1	68.8	55.2	57.0				57.0	53.4	55.0				59.0		$10,097	$906	$9,191
Mount Vernon	Public	K-8	5418 Chapel Hill Rd	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 233-4313	70	26	2.6	95.7%	16 (22.9%)	32 (45.7%)	15 (21.4%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.1%)								(n/a)					11.1	27.7					27.8	27.7		51.1	$39,441	$8,764	$30,677
Swift Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	5601 Tryon Rd	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 233-4320	310	25	12.5	44.2%	150 (48.4%)	53 (17.1%)	73 (23.5%)	14 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.5%)	69.6	426^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.4%		73	346^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.8%	80	73.5	70.6	64.6				63.3	74.5	60.4				68.8		$9,861	$588	$9,272

Frequently Asked Questions about Adams Elementary

What district is Adams Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Adams Elementary?

Students at Adams Elementary are 38% White, 36% Hispanic, 18% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Adams Elementary attend?

Students who attend Adams Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Cary Middle
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

Is Adams Elementary a good school?

Adams Elementary ranks 824^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Adams Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 655 students attended Adams Elementary.

Rate Adams Elementary!

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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.