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Athens Drive High

Q: Is Athens Drive High a good school?

Athens Drive High ranks 329 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

329^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 50% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Athens Drive High is a large, traditional public high school in Raleigh, NC, serving 2,156 students in grades 9–12 as part of Wake County Schools. The school sits near the middle of the pack statewide at the 50th percentile, but its performance has slowly declined since 2021-22, when it ranked in the 64th percentile, while nearby comprehensive schools like Needham Broughton High have improved.

The clearest academic warning sign is math. Only 21.8% of Athens Drive students are proficient in Math I, roughly half the state rate of 42.1% and well behind Needham Broughton High (26.3%) and Cary High (33.5%). Yet 73.5% are proficient in Math III, meaning advanced math students do well while the introductory math pipeline struggles. English II proficiency (66.5%) also trails the Wake County district average of 75.7% by more than nine points. Chronic absenteeism is another major concern: 31.4% of students miss substantial school time, far above the district rate of 20.5% and higher than both Needham Broughton (23.4%) and Cary High (21.7%).

There are bright spots. The graduation rate has improved for three straight years to 89.2%, above the state average of 88.8%, and Biology proficiency (65.2%) is close to the district average. The school also serves several student groups well — gifted, special education, White, and multiracial students all rank around the 66th–69th percentile statewide. However, Hispanic and low-income students rank near the bottom quarter of North Carolina high schools, and those outcomes have declined sharply recently — pointing to equity challenges rather than uniformly low performance. While nearby specialty schools like Wake STEM Early College High School and Raleigh Charter High School post stronger results, they draw from selective admissions pools; a fairer comparison is Vernon Malone College and Career Academy, which has similar poverty levels but much lower chronic absenteeism. In short, Athens Drive offers solid graduation outcomes and strong advanced math, but must address foundational math readiness, attendance, and achievement gaps.

2,156

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,473

Per pupil spending ?

44%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1420 Athens Drive
Raleigh, NC 27606

(919) 233-4050

District: Wake County Schools

Feeder schools for Athens Drive High:

Elementary:	Combs Elementary
	Dillard Drive Elementary
	Reedy Creek Elementary
	Swift Creek Elementary
Middle:	Centennial Campus Middle
	Dillard Drive Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.3%

African American:

25.2%

Hispanic:

22.0%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Athens Drive High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 50th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (50th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg60%

329^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 50%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to top 50% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 20High Schools in the Wake County Schools

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	50.0	329 of 662	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.7	303 of 641	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	264 of 640	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.4	239 of 626	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.9	226 of 621	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.4	220 of 594	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.7	217 of 514	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.4	177 of 469	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.5	177 of 476	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	45.4	193 of 507	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.9	152 of 531	71.4%	★★★★☆
2014	66.4	85 of 451	81.2%	★★★★☆
2013	52.0	135 of 505	73.3%	★★★★☆
2012	56.1	178 of 502	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.8	172 of 506	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.5	232 of 499	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.5	75 of 490	84.7%	★★★★☆
2008	71.1	61 of 477	87.2%	★★★★☆
2007	69.0	80 of 453	82.3%	★★★★☆
2006	73.0	50 of 431	88.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.4	284 of 450	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.8	289 of 440	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	212 of 437	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.2	161 of 434	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.2	162 of 430	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.1	145 of 364	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.7	209 of 369	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.4	238 of 359	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.5	57 of 103	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	59.3	51 of 106	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.8	67 of 101	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.7	37 of 98	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.0	41 of 91	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.4	51 of 83	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.0	68 of 89	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	62.8	35 of 77	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	51.8	114 of 330	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.5	54 of 334	83.8%	★★★★☆
2019	54.6	113 of 364	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.5	132 of 349	62.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.0	124 of 289	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.6	82 of 273	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	38.8	143 of 262	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	85 of 226	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.0	45 of 156	71.2%	★★★★☆
2021	49.4	46 of 124	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.0	54 of 173	68.8%	★★★★☆
2018	44.8	65 of 147	55.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	351 of 629	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.6	326 of 610	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.8	244 of 602	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.3	242 of 588	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.0	212 of 594	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.3	142 of 475	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	46.0	230 of 475	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	197 of 449	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.7	126 of 407	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.7	146 of 403	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.2	91 of 337	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	42.6	220 of 325	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.6	364 of 474	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.0	337 of 462	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.0	284 of 454	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	290 of 449	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.9	245 of 436	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.5	158 of 370	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.6	286 of 354	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.4	238 of 340	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.9	17 of 47	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.7	17 of 39	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.3	15 of 47	68.1%	★★★★☆
2022	23.7	32 of 34	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	54.8	15 of 44	65.9%	★★★★☆
2018	53.5	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	446 of 620	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.3	426 of 606	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	330 of 613	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.7	330 of 597	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.4	245 of 544	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.7	162 of 432	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.2	317 of 446	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.5	292 of 424	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.2	298 of 624	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.3	280 of 601	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.8	276 of 607	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.0	240 of 602	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.5	211 of 585	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.6	138 of 481	71.3%	★★★★☆
2019	47.5	206 of 488	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.7	189 of 463	59.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.1	83 of 265	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	76.8	44 of 253	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	55.5	108 of 261	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	90 of 249	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.8	35 of 226	84.5%	★★★★☆
2021	86.1	14 of 199	93.0%	★★★★★
2019	64.5	55 of 195	71.8%	★★★★☆
2018	60.6	66 of 185	64.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.9	120 of 372	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.5	149 of 352	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.3	138 of 349	60.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.4	188 of 551	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.1	188 of 542	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.5	153 of 553	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	120 of 537	77.7%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	130 of 534	75.7%	★★★★☆
2021	72.2	74 of 439	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	64.4	113 of 444	74.5%	★★★★☆
2018	77.0	71 of 427	83.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)69th percentile+19 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)69th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2026)68th percentile+17 vs school

White (2026)66th percentile+16 vs school

Disabled (2022)65th percentile~ school

Homeless (2026)64th percentile+14 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)57th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)52nd percentile~ school

Asian (2026)45th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)44th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2026)37th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile-22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)23rd percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III74%+5 vs state

English II66%~ state avg

Biology65%+7 vs state

Math I22%-20 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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by a parent
Thursday, February 17, 2022

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Schools Near Athens Drive High

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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/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	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
Athens Drive High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1420 Athens Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 233-4050	2,156	125	17.1	44.0%	913 (42.3%)	543 (25.2%)	474 (22.0%)	152 (7.1%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (3.3%)	50	329^th of 662 public high schools	50.3%		49.7	303^rd of 641 public high schools	52.7%	26	65.2	66.5	21.8	73.5								$9,473	$614	$8,859
Crossroads FLEX	Public, Virtual	9-12	5651 Dillard Dr	Cary	27518	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(919) 694-8515	139	6	23.4	5.8%	95 (68.3%)	9 (6.5%)	13 (9.4%)	13 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.5%)	76.3	156^th of 662 public high schools	76.4%		92.5	56^th of 641 public high schools	91.3%	100	70.0	94.1	66.7	80.0								$9,819	$232	$9,587
SCORE Academy	Public	9-12	5651 Dillard Dr	Cary	27518	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8560	584	32	18.3	99.5%	164 (28.1%)	210 (36.0%)	174 (29.8%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.9%)	2	650^th of 662 public high schools	1.8%		2.7	633^rd of 641 public high schools	1.2%	17	10.0	19.6	537.5	540.3								$16,937	$337	$16,599
Wake STEM Early College High School	Public	9-12	2205 Walnut Street	Cary	27518	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8130	294	15	20.2	35.7%	98 (33.3%)	40 (13.6%)	84 (28.6%)	60 (20.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.1%)	93.1	31^st of 662 public high schools	95.3%		96.4	6^th of 641 public high schools	99.1%	25	362.2	564.9	95.0	100.0								$10,774	$232	$10,542
Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy	Public	6-12	301 Ashe Avenue	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 508-9088	337	21	15.9	34.4%	118 (35.0%)	111 (32.9%)	59 (17.5%)	25 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.1%)	90.2	74^th of 662 public high schools	88.8%		86.7	99^th of 641 public high schools	84.6%	25	87.8	92.7		100.0	92.5	87.5	98.0	94.3	89.3	100.0	98.0	$11,659	$232	$11,427
Cary High	Public	9-12	638 Walnut St	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3549	2,044	117	17.4	38.6%	879 (43.0%)	352 (17.2%)	597 (29.2%)	114 (5.6%)	6 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	94 (4.6%)	56.2	279^th of 662 public high schools	57.9%		62.1	218^th of 641 public high schools	66.0%	61	63.3	71.0	33.5	81.0								$8,602	$403	$8,198
Needham Broughton High	Public, Magnet	9-12	723 Saint Marys St	Raleigh	27605	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7810	2,153	118	18.2	28.1%	1,259 (58.5%)	423 (19.6%)	342 (15.9%)	52 (2.4%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	74 (3.4%)	69	193^rd of 662 public high schools	70.8%		68	185^th of 641 public high schools	71.1%	8	74.6	83.6	26.3	84.8								$9,028	$494	$8,535
Vernon Malone College and Career Academy	Public	9-12	2200 S Wilmington St	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 856-8119	348	22	15.8	45.1%	90 (25.9%)	136 (39.1%)	90 (25.9%)	11 (3.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.2%)	78.1	149^th of 662 public high schools	77.5%		78.1	141^st of 641 public high schools	78.0%	8	83.3	91.8	55.6	79.7								$12,204	$705	$11,499
Raleigh Charter High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1307 Glenwood Avenue	Raleigh	27605	Wake County	Raleigh Charter High School	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 715-1155	552	43	12.8		214 (38.8%)	42 (7.6%)	36 (6.5%)	224 (40.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (6.2%)	90.5	70^th of 662 public high schools	89.4%		93.3	46^th of 641 public high schools	92.8%	24	92.6	95.6	65.4	97.2
Longleaf School of the Arts	Public, Charter	9-12	322 Chapanoke Road	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Longleaf School of the Arts	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 896-8164	405	32	12.6		254 (62.7%)	74 (18.3%)	48 (11.9%)	8 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.9%)	65.6	215^th of 662 public high schools	67.5%		73	164^th of 641 public high schools	74.4%	51	78.0	93.3	35.4	68.8

Frequently Asked Questions about Athens Drive High

What district is Athens Drive High in?

Wake County Schools

Is Athens Drive High a good school?

Athens Drive High ranks 329^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Athens Drive High?

Students at Athens Drive High are 42% White, 25% African American, 22% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Athens Drive High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,156 students attended Athens Drive High.

What schools feed into Athens Drive High?

Athens Drive High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Combs Elementary
Elementary : Dillard Drive Elementary
Elementary : Reedy Creek Elementary
Elementary : Swift Creek Elementary
Middle : Centennial Campus Middle
Middle : Dillard Drive 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.