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Cary Elementary

Q: Is Cary Elementary a good school?

Cary Elementary ranks 236 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

236^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Cary Elementary is a PK–5 public school in Cary, NC, serving 477 students as part of Wake County Schools. The school holds a 4-star rating and ranks 236th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, putting it in the 84th percentile statewide — a position it has maintained consistently over the past five years. Cary serves an economically diverse student body, with 42.6% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it in the middle of its local peer group.

Reading is Cary Elementary’s clear academic engine. Proficiency rates are about 10 percentage points above the Wake County Schools district average and close to 20 points above the state average across grades 3–5. In 4th grade reading, Cary posted the highest proficiency rate among nearby elementary schools with available data, including Laurel Park Elementary. Attendance is another major asset: just 9.7% of students are chronically absent, less than half the district rate of 20.5% and far lower than the state rate of 24.2%. Cary also shows notable strengths with male students, ranking in the 91st percentile statewide, and with low-income students, ranking in the 80th percentile — evidence that the school’s strong results extend beyond any single segment of its student population.

Cary Elementary looks especially strong when compared with nearby schools serving similar demographics. Kingswood Elementary and Briarcliff Elementary, both within a mile and with nearly identical free or reduced-price lunch rates, rank hundreds of spots lower at 571st and 644th. The school also outperforms Cardinal Charter Academy, a charter school just 1.3 miles away with a similar economic profile. Math scores are solid but less dominant than reading, and 5th grade science dipped modestly in the most recent year. Still, with low absenteeism, stable 4-star ratings, and a strong reading program, Cary Elementary offers a compelling public school option for central Cary families.

477

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

42.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

94.9%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 3.4% (any vaccine)

400 Kildaire Farm Road
Cary, NC 27511

(919) 460-3455

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Cary Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Reedy Creek Middle
High:	Cary 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:

56.4%

Hispanic:

23.5%

African American:

10.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Cary Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 88th percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (75% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school75%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

236^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From top 12% (2016) to top 16% (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	80.7	236 of 1492	84.2%	★★★★☆
2025	79.9	246 of 1490	83.5%	★★★★☆
2024	79.2	254 of 1505	83.1%	★★★★☆
2023	83.1	197 of 1502	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	78.0	273 of 1514	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	73.8	337 of 1489	77.4%	★★★★☆
2019	67.3	455 of 1473	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.3	357 of 1434	75.1%	★★★★☆
2017	79.6	233 of 1429	83.7%	★★★★☆
2016	83.5	172 of 1425	87.9%	★★★★☆
2015	80.2	238 of 1440	83.5%	★★★★☆
2014	82.2	201 of 1390	85.5%	★★★★☆
2013	86.6	142 of 1403	89.9%	★★★★☆
2012	81.4	178 of 1388	87.2%	★★★★☆
2011	82.8	153 of 1381	88.9%	★★★★☆
2010	73.7	319 of 1363	76.6%	★★★★☆
2009	73.4	330 of 1354	75.6%	★★★★☆
2008	68.6	378 of 1324	71.5%	★★★★☆
2007	66.0	423 of 1293	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	73.2	289 of 1276	77.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	74.7	157 of 933	83.2%	★★★★☆
2022	53.1	365 of 927	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.0	350 of 949	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.2	123 of 927	86.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	76.6	102 of 878	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	60.2	266 of 897	70.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	189 of 563	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.6	290 of 485	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.4	191 of 385	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	19.6	472 of 497	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	39.0	266 of 421	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.2	359 of 1447	75.2%	★★★★☆
2025	69.3	375 of 1451	74.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	339 of 1455	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	84.0	166 of 1459	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	79.0	237 of 1458	83.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.0	286 of 1440	80.1%	★★★★☆
2019	70.1	386 of 1424	72.9%	★★★★☆
2018	68.9	407 of 1405	71.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.8	237 of 743	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.9	137 of 710	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	57.9	344 of 669	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.6	177 of 582	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.0	194 of 500	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.1	120 of 494	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	54.6	393 of 612	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.5	410 of 981	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.7	425 of 961	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.7	684 of 951	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	62.3	269 of 915	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	38.1	575 of 893	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.4	622 of 843	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	757 of 865	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.0	582 of 851	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.4	293 of 1434	79.6%	★★★★☆
2025	61.0	460 of 1437	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.5	359 of 1450	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	67.3	370 of 1437	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	47.9	693 of 1366	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.3	690 of 1329	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.1	847 of 1361	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.8	557 of 1332	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.9	131 of 1451	91.0%	★★★★★
2025	85.2	161 of 1450	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	215 of 1464	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	240 of 1461	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	74.7	312 of 1464	78.7%	★★★★☆
2021	67.0	435 of 1444	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	62.0	502 of 1430	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.2	337 of 1413	76.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.1	229 of 815	71.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.3	247 of 1146	78.4%	★★★★☆
2025	73.9	271 of 1172	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	183 of 1166	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	86.8	98 of 1183	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	83.8	137 of 1194	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	84.5	130 of 1172	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	79.8	185 of 1183	84.4%	★★★★☆
2018	82.6	147 of 1178	87.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2026)91st percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2019)88th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2023)83rd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)78th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)75th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)72nd percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)68th percentile-16 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)66th percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)58th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Reading76%+20 vs state

Mathematics74%+11 vs state

Science72%+5 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Cary 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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		94.9%	3.4%	$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		90.9%	3%	$11,660	$901	$10,759
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		98.7%	1.3%	$10,299	$630	$9,670
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		97.2%	2.8%	$10,215	$549	$9,666
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		94.6%	1.8%	$10,267	$952	$9,315
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	95.5%	2.3%
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		96.4%	0.9%	$9,948	$469	$9,479
Weatherstone Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Olde Weatherstone Way	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 380-6988	730	48	15.1	31.1%	294 (40.3%)	47 (6.4%)	184 (25.2%)	170 (23.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.7%)	83.5	199^th of 1492 public elementary schools	86.7%		79	263^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	82.3%	64	70.0	88.8	91.3				59.1	76.0	72.8				86.4				$8,983	$480	$8,503
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
Laurel Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2450 Laura Duncan Rd	Apex	27523	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 290-2333	694	47	14.7	12.7%	444 (64.0%)	35 (5.0%)	67 (9.7%)	96 (13.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (7.2%)	90.8	102^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	93.2%		87.5	143^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	90.4%	41	82.4	79.1	84.7				78.4	79.1	80.3				87.0		98.8%	1.2%	$9,351	$452	$8,899

Frequently Asked Questions about Cary Elementary

Is Cary Elementary a good school?

Cary Elementary ranks 236^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Cary Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cary Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Reedy Creek Middle
High : Cary 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

What is the racial makeup of Cary Elementary?

Students at Cary Elementary are 56% White, 23% Hispanic, 11% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Cary Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 477 students attended Cary Elementary.

What district is Cary Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 attendance dataSep 2, 2026

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.