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Wake Forest Elementary

Q: Is Wake Forest Elementary a good school?

Wake Forest Elementary ranks 415 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

415^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 72% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Wake Forest Elementary is a traditional public school in downtown Wake Forest, NC, serving 444 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Wake County Schools district.

This school is currently on a strong upward trend. After a period of middling results, its state ranking jumped to the 72nd percentile with a 4-star rating for 2025-2026, a significant rebound from just a year prior. This improvement was broad-based, with test scores rising across nearly every grade and subject. The school's most distinctive strength, however, lies in its results for student subgroups. Compared to other schools statewide, Wake Forest Elementary ranks in the 92nd percentile for special education students and in the mid-to-high 70th percentile for low-income, Hispanic, and African American students. These equity-focused results suggest that academic supports are effectively reaching a wide range of learners, not just the most advantaged. Parents may also appreciate the school’s relatively low student-teacher ratio of 11.7, which is the lowest among nearby schools and indicates smaller class sizes. A steady decline in chronic absenteeism, now below the state and district averages, is another positive indicator that may be fueling the recent academic gains.

In the local landscape, Wake Forest Elementary sits in the middle-to-upper tier. It clearly outperforms several nearby schools, including Wakefield Elementary and Forest Pines Drive Elementary, often by double digits in reading and science. It even compares favorably to some local charters, while doing so with a much more economically diverse student body. The school’s absolute proficiency levels, however, remain below top-performing neighbors like Jones Dairy Elementary, which has significantly lower poverty rates. While this year’s results are impressive, the school’s history shows some ranking volatility, making sustainability the key thing to watch. The clearest area for future focus is mathematics in the third and fourth grades, which currently trails the district average and represents the best opportunity for continued growth.

444

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

45.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

406 S Main Street
Wake Forest, NC 27587-2524

(919) 554-8655

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Wake Forest Elementary usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.2%

African American:

24.8%

Hispanic:

14.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Wake Forest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 71st percentile in 2016 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (68% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (72nd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

415^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 28%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

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	70.1	415 of 1492	72.2%	★★★★☆
2025	55.3	649 of 1490	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	564 of 1505	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.3	827 of 1502	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.2	769 of 1514	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.7	648 of 1489	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.4	648 of 1473	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.8	648 of 1434	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.0	652 of 1429	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	69.0	413 of 1425	71.0%	★★★★☆
2015	73.4	356 of 1440	75.3%	★★★★☆
2014	81.5	218 of 1390	84.3%	★★★★☆
2013	84.9	159 of 1403	88.7%	★★★★☆
2012	64.5	521 of 1388	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	74.4	309 of 1381	77.6%	★★★★☆
2010	70.1	392 of 1363	71.2%	★★★★☆
2009	59.0	632 of 1354	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.8	374 of 1324	71.8%	★★★★☆
2007	77.4	212 of 1293	83.6%	★★★★☆
2006	76.0	235 of 1276	81.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.2	276 of 903	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	29.1	708 of 918	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.6	504 of 924	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	720 of 933	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.4	598 of 927	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.4	320 of 896	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.2	532 of 949	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.2	691 of 927	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	54.6	214 of 646	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.3	444 of 1447	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.4	559 of 1451	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	699 of 1455	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.2	864 of 1459	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	876 of 1458	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.7	674 of 1440	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.5	749 of 1424	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.4	600 of 1405	57.3%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.7	365 of 743	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.6	603 of 710	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.1	490 of 612	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.3	213 of 981	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	66.4	250 of 961	74.0%	★★★★☆
2024	58.3	340 of 951	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.9	291 of 893	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.0	361 of 1434	74.8%	★★★★☆
2025	42.0	866 of 1437	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.2	888 of 1450	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	1102 of 1437	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.5	889 of 1366	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.4	664 of 1329	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.3	805 of 1361	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.4	1032 of 1332	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.4	386 of 1451	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	49.8	728 of 1450	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.8	458 of 1464	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.8	729 of 1461	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	689 of 1464	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.4	624 of 1444	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.5	509 of 1430	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.8	742 of 1413	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.8	66 of 815	91.9%	★★★★★
2025	41.6	448 of 821	45.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	368 of 1146	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.6	406 of 1172	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.0	332 of 1166	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	65.5	377 of 1183	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	519 of 1194	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.5	715 of 1172	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.9	465 of 1183	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.1	352 of 1178	70.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2026)92nd percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)78th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)75th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)73rd percentile~ school

African American (2026)69th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)69th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)68th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2021)67th percentile+10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)51st percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science80%+12 vs state

Mathematics66%+3 vs state

Reading66%+10 vs state

4.0

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Saturday, September 21, 2019

A school where everyone knows each other and takes care of one another! Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, May 26, 2016

I understand there is a Math teacher there who thrives on belittling students rather than encouraging learning. This teacher will pick out certain child(ren) and continuously figuratively dangle him/her in front of the class to actually tell everyone how "stupid" they he/she is. This "teacher" it seems it only teaching children how to BULLY. She CERTAINLY is NOT "encouraging the love of learning"...which I feel teachers are on the front line of the future of our country's successes. To not be able to control herself sufficiently in a classroom indicates she should never ever have started teaching and should absolutely never be allowed to teach again!!! When the Administration of a school allows this to happen all year, year after year, they are CONDONING the action and they too are to blame for the actions. It not only affects the individual child it sends a message to the ENTIRE classroom of students how nasty, prejudiced, out of control, selfish and obnoxious ANY teacher can be. It is a REFLECTION on EVERYONE in academia...including the Administration and even the School Board!!! SHAME SHAME ON EVERY ONE IN THAT SCHOOL - ALL THE TEACHERS ARE CONDONING this too...SHAME! Close Quote

Schools Near Wake Forest 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 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
Wake Forest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	406 S Main Street	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 554-8655	444	38	11.7	45.9%	214 (48.2%)	110 (24.8%)	65 (14.6%)	19 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (8.1%)	70.1	415^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.2%		55.3	649^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.4%	234	64.4	62.5	73.4				66.1	66.3	65.6				79.7		$11,352	$1,126	$10,226
Wake Forest Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1851 Friendship Chapel Rd	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake Forest Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 263-8673	650	34	18.9	44.8%	229 (35.2%)	207 (31.8%)	98 (15.1%)	54 (8.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (9.1%)	67.4	463^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	69.0%		56.4	625^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.1%	162	60.0	65.8	60.3	64.3	71.2	64.3	60.0	63.0	74.4	61.9	79.7	66.1	86.5	78.6
Envision Science Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	590 Traditions Grande Blvd	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Envision Science Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 435-4002	759	57	13.3		463 (61.0%)	104 (13.7%)	76 (10.0%)	53 (7.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (8.2%)	93.9	60^th of 1492 public elementary schools	96.0%		94.2	60^th of 1490 public elementary schools	96.0%		94.4	72.9	94.6	86.4	88.5	84.3	83.1	76.5	88.2	84.1	86.2	88.2	95.7	94.1
Heritage Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3500 Rogers Road	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 562-6000	634	41	15.5	30.4%	358 (56.5%)	117 (18.5%)	95 (15.0%)	40 (6.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.6%)	86.8	159^th of 1492 public elementary schools	89.3%		81.6	227^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.8%	68	78.6	76.7	79.2				73.2	76.7	75.6				85.8		$9,799	$404	$9,394
Richland Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	840 Wallridge Drive	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 554-6333	558	36	15.5	42.3%	257 (46.1%)	127 (22.8%)	94 (16.8%)	40 (7.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (6.8%)	82	218^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.4%		80.9	235^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.2%	17	75.5	83.8	70.3				71.7	79.3	68.1				75.8		$10,554	$524	$10,030
Forest Pines Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11455 Forest Pines Drive	Raleigh	27614	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 562-6262	493	35	14.1	99.4%	125 (25.4%)	199 (40.4%)	117 (23.7%)	19 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.5%)	42.5	870^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.7%		35.6	989^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.6%	119	43.3	51.2	67.4				41.7	48.8	57.0				69.8		$9,477	$757	$8,720
North Forest Pines Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11501 Forest Pines Drive	Raleigh	27614	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 570-2220	536	37	14.4	41.6%	266 (49.6%)	88 (16.4%)	143 (26.7%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	26 (4.9%)	59.8	583^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	60.9%		64.6	489^th of 1490 public elementary schools	67.2%	94	65.7	62.2	69.8				54.5	56.7	65.5				71.3		$9,951	$575	$9,376
Jones Dairy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 Jones Dairy Road	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 562-6181	627	38	16.5	15.0%	385 (61.4%)	63 (10.0%)	80 (12.8%)	60 (9.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (5.7%)	91.6	92^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	93.8%		92.3	79^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.7%	13	87.5	82.0	81.4				83.3	87.4	72.9				87.6		$10,583	$464	$10,118
Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	10510 Star Road	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Casa Esperanza Montessori	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 855-9811	752	40	18.8		165 (21.9%)	123 (16.4%)	402 (53.5%)	16 (2.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (5.9%)	56.7	632^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	57.6%		38.5	946^th of 1490 public elementary schools	36.5%	314	57.3	65.4	57.3	62.3	62.1	59.3	54.7	63.0	69.3	58.0	70.7	92.6	64.0	85.2
Youngsville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	125 Highway 1A South	Youngsville	27596	Franklin County	Franklin County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 556-5250	425	31	13.5	99.3%	169 (39.8%)	119 (28.0%)	85 (20.0%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.6%)	69.6	425^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.5%		79.6	251^st of 1490 public elementary schools	83.2%	174	68.8	78.3	64.6				61.0	78.3	52.3				73.8		$9,628	$887	$8,741

Frequently Asked Questions about Wake Forest Elementary

Is Wake Forest Elementary a good school?

Wake Forest Elementary ranks 415^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Wake Forest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 444 students attended Wake Forest Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Wake Forest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Wake Forest Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wake Forest Middle School
High : Wake Early College of Health and Science
High : Wake Forest High School
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 Wake Forest Elementary?

Students at Wake Forest Elementary are 48% White, 25% African American, 15% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What district is Wake Forest Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

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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.