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Wake Forest High School

Q: Is Wake Forest High School a good school?

Wake Forest High School ranks 207 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

207^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 68% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Wake Forest High School is a public high school serving 2,075 students in grades 9-12 in Wake Forest, North Carolina, which is part of the Wake County Schools district. The school consistently performs above state and district averages on end-of-course exams, with proficiency rates as high as 76.7% in Math III, compared to 66.4% statewide and 75.8% in the district. Wake Forest High School also maintains a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 86.9% to 91.3% over the past few years, on par with or slightly higher than the district and state averages.

While Wake Forest High School outperforms many nearby high schools in the Wake County Schools district, such as East Wake High, Knightdale High, and Sanderson High, it lags behind some of the higher-performing schools in the region, like Millbrook High, Wakefield High, and Heritage High. The school has also seen an increase in the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, from 14.97% in 2021-2022 to 30.31% in 2023-2024, which may present new challenges and opportunities for the school.

Overall, Wake Forest High School is a strong-performing high school within the Wake County Schools district, with a track record of academic excellence, high graduation rates, and effective resource allocation. However, the school faces some challenges in maintaining its performance across all student subgroups and keeping pace with the highest-performing schools in the region. Addressing these areas of concern will be crucial for the school to continue its trajectory of success.

2,043

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,011

Per pupil spending ?

30.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

420 West Stadium Drive
Wake Forest, NC 27587-2599

(919) 554-8611

District: Wake County Schools

Feeder schools for Wake Forest High School:

Elementary:	Jones Dairy Elementary
	North Forest Pines Elementary
	Richland Creek Elementary
	Wake Forest Elementary
Middle:	Wake Forest Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.5%

African American:

23.2%

Hispanic:

17.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Wake Forest High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2015 → 68th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (64% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg63%

North Carolina avg53%

207^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to top 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 32High Schools in the Wake County Schools

60^th of 242Wake 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
2025	63.8	207 of 641	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.5	232 of 640	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.3	208 of 626	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.6	208 of 621	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.5	192 of 594	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.4	166 of 514	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.4	94 of 469	80.0%	★★★★☆
2017	65.1	105 of 476	77.9%	★★★★☆
2016	60.2	104 of 507	79.5%	★★★★☆
2015	63.2	104 of 531	80.4%	★★★★☆
2014	66.0	87 of 451	80.7%	★★★★☆
2013	58.2	87 of 505	82.8%	★★★★☆
2012	66.0	95 of 502	81.1%	★★★★☆
2011	55.6	230 of 506	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.1	103 of 499	79.4%	★★★★☆
2009	68.3	86 of 490	82.4%	★★★★☆
2008	67.9	85 of 477	82.2%	★★★★☆
2007	65.6	100 of 453	77.9%	★★★★☆
2006	69.8	75 of 431	82.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	49.9	179 of 440	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.8	206 of 437	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.2	132 of 434	69.6%	★★★★☆
2022	54.8	145 of 430	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.0	98 of 364	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	37.0	197 of 369	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	166 of 359	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.2	45 of 106	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.6	42 of 101	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.2	50 of 98	49.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.2	49 of 91	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	55 of 83	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.4	56 of 89	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.4	43 of 77	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	62.1	72 of 330	78.2%	★★★★☆
2021	63.3	66 of 334	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	62.1	81 of 364	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	80.0	41 of 349	88.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.7	57 of 273	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	30.5	195 of 262	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.7	71 of 226	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.8	35 of 156	77.6%	★★★★☆
2021	67.3	19 of 124	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	41.6	87 of 173	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	58 of 147	60.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	62.3	215 of 610	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.2	250 of 602	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.2	200 of 588	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	201 of 594	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.6	120 of 475	74.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.7	157 of 475	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.1	75 of 449	83.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.6	126 of 412	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.4	155 of 403	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.4	141 of 398	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.1	158 of 337	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	217 of 462	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.3	255 of 454	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.5	228 of 449	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.5	204 of 436	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.5	139 of 370	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.2	243 of 354	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.3	106 of 340	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	51.2	20 of 47	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.2	27 of 44	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	41.7	304 of 606	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.1	378 of 613	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	363 of 597	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.8	267 of 544	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.2	174 of 432	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.0	319 of 446	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.4	219 of 424	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.5	195 of 601	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.7	205 of 607	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.2	215 of 602	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.4	196 of 585	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.2	124 of 481	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	54.7	174 of 488	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.1	125 of 463	73.0%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	7.8	48 of 49	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	71.2	6 of 41	85.4%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	82.5	34 of 253	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	76.1	45 of 261	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	63.7	72 of 249	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	35.7	146 of 226	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.5	76 of 199	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.8	60 of 195	69.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.8	32 of 185	82.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	60.6	77 of 352	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	31 of 349	91.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	74.8	147 of 542	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	73.5	154 of 553	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	163 of 537	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.5	156 of 534	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	67.1	95 of 439	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	65.7	106 of 444	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	78.9	64 of 427	85.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Multi-racial (2025)87th percentile+19 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)79th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2022)78th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2025)78th percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)73rd percentile+5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)69th percentile~ school

Male (2025)68th percentile~ school

Female (2025)65th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)59th percentile-8 vs school

Asian (2025)58th percentile-10 vs school

Homeless (2024)57th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)53rd percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile-18 vs school

Military Connected (2024)2nd percentile-62 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III77%+10 vs state

English II68%+9 vs state

Biology64%+16 vs state

Math I36%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Wake Forest High School

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Wake Forest High School	Public	9-12	420 West Stadium Drive	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 554-8611	2,043	109	18.8	30.4%	1,052 (51.5%)	473 (23.2%)	360 (17.6%)	71 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.2%)	82 (4.0%)	63.8	207^th of 641 public high schools	67.7%		60.5	232^nd of 640 public high schools	63.8%	25	64.5	68.2	35.8	76.7	$8,011	$375	$7,637
North Wake College and Career Academy	Public	9-12	931 Durham Rd	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8650	346	19	17.9	36.1%	122 (35.3%)	117 (33.8%)	75 (21.7%)	15 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.6%)	86.6	100^th of 641 public high schools	84.4%		84.4	115^th of 640 public high schools	82.0%	15	76.8	91.0	60.0	89.5	$13,377	$439	$12,939
Heritage High	Public	9-12	1150 Forestville Road	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 570-5600	1,778	97	18.2	27.7%	950 (53.4%)	257 (14.5%)	418 (23.5%)	86 (4.8%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	62 (3.5%)	66	198^th of 641 public high schools	69.1%		58.9	241^st of 640 public high schools	62.3%	43	59.0	74.9	39.0	77.2	$8,792	$487	$8,305
Wakefield High	Public	9-12	2200 Wakefield Pines Drive	Raleigh	27614	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 562-3600	2,065	106	19.5	36.1%	913 (44.2%)	577 (27.9%)	399 (19.3%)	93 (4.5%)	6 (0.3%)	6 (0.3%)	71 (3.4%)	59.4	231^st of 641 public high schools	64.0%		63.9	211^th of 640 public high schools	67.0%	20	60.1	67.2	31.3	73.8	$8,642	$337	$8,306
Rolesville High	Public	9-12	1099 East Young St	Rolesville	27571	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 554-6303	2,321	126	18.4	50.6%	594 (25.6%)	859 (37.0%)	663 (28.6%)	107 (4.6%)	8 (0.3%)	4 (0.2%)	86 (3.7%)	30.1	447^th of 641 public high schools	30.3%		29.5	453^rd of 640 public high schools	29.2%	6	38.9	54.1	17.4	53.4	$8,260	$382	$7,877
Franklinton High	Public	9-12	910 Cedar Creek Road	Franklinton	27525	Franklin County	Franklin County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 494-2332	1,127	63	18.0	99.4%	416 (36.9%)	383 (34.0%)	250 (22.2%)	10 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (5.9%)	47.6	322^nd of 641 public high schools	49.8%		36	399^th of 640 public high schools	37.7%	77	42.9	58.0	44.3	66.7	$8,675	$527	$8,148
Millbrook High	Public, Magnet	9-12	2201 Spring Forest Rd	Raleigh	27615	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 850-8787	2,498	137	18.2	33.3%	1,188 (47.6%)	572 (22.9%)	552 (22.1%)	85 (3.4%)	6 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	91 (3.6%)	59.3	232^nd of 641 public high schools	63.8%		45.3	330^th of 640 public high schools	48.4%	98	62.9	70.8	25.8	71.0	$8,648	$382	$8,265
Sanderson High	Public	9-12	5500 Dixon Drive	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 881-4800	1,648	91	18.0	43.4%	779 (47.3%)	384 (23.3%)	349 (21.2%)	55 (3.3%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	76 (4.6%)	35.3	411^th of 641 public high schools	35.9%		42.1	357^th of 640 public high schools	44.2%	54	40.6	57.1	18.6	58.5	$8,965	$528	$8,437
Knightdale High	Public	9-12	100 Bryan Chalk Lane	Knightdale	27545	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 217-5350	1,695	105	16.1	66.9%	173 (10.2%)	763 (45.0%)	649 (38.3%)	54 (3.2%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (3.1%)	18.1	536^th of 641 public high schools	16.4%		13.3	565^th of 640 public high schools	11.7%	29	29.8	42.1	15.7	43.0	$9,100	$534	$8,566
Franklin County Early College	Public	9-12	8150 NC Highway 56	Louisburg	27549	Franklin County	Franklin County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 738-3649	179	7	25.5	98.3%	72 (40.2%)	48 (26.8%)	33 (18.4%)	5 (2.8%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (10.6%)	90.3	74^th of 641 public high schools	88.5%		93.3	50^th of 640 public high schools	92.2%	24	75.0	93.3	72.0	96.8	$7,465	$201	$7,265

Frequently Asked Questions about Wake Forest High School

Is Wake Forest High School a good school?

Wake Forest High School ranks 207^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Wake Forest High School?

Students at Wake Forest High School are 51% White, 23% African American, 18% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Wake Forest High School in?

Wake County Schools

What schools feed into Wake Forest High School?

Wake Forest High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Jones Dairy Elementary
Elementary : North Forest Pines Elementary
Elementary : Richland Creek Elementary
Elementary : Wake Forest Elementary
Middle : Wake Forest Middle School

How many students attend Wake Forest High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,043 students attended Wake Forest High School.

Rate Wake Forest High School!

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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.