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Wake Forest High School

Q: Is Wake Forest High School a good school?

Wake Forest High School ranks 262 nd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

262^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 60% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Wake Forest High School is a large public high school in Wake Forest, North Carolina, serving 2,043 students in grades 9–12 as part of Wake County Schools. It ranks 262nd out of 662 North Carolina high schools (60th percentile, 3 stars), placing it in the upper-middle tier — solid, but down from the 4-star rating it held a decade ago. Among nearby schools, Heritage High is the closest comparison, ranking slightly higher overall; Wake Forest edges out Heritage in Biology proficiency (70% vs. 64.6%) and graduation rate (92.6% vs. 90.8%), though Heritage has better attendance.

Academically, most results are strong. Biology (70% proficient), English II (72.5%), and Math III (77.1%) all exceed state averages, and Biology is the best among nearby comprehensive schools like Wakefield High and Millbrook High. The clear exception is Math I, at 33.8% proficiency — below the Wake County average (36.6%) and the state average (42.1%). This pattern is common across the district, but it matters because Math I is usually taken by 9th graders and serves as the foundation for later math success. Chronic absenteeism is a bigger concern: 30% of students were chronically absent in 2024-2025, well above the district rate of 20.5% and far higher than Heritage's 18.6%.

Despite these challenges, the graduation rate is a strong 92.6%, above both the district (91.3%) and state (88.8%) averages. The school also serves several high-need groups well: special education students perform at the 85th percentile statewide, and English learners jumped from the 26th to the 83rd percentile in two years. Low-income students, however, sit at the 43rd percentile, and military-connected students have been volatile. With a free/reduced lunch rate of 30.4% — lower than most neighboring schools — Wake Forest has demographic advantages it could leverage further. For parents, the bottom line is that Wake Forest is a competitive option in northern Wake County, clearly outperforming schools like Rolesville High and Knightdale High on several key measures, but improving attendance and the Math I pipeline would likely restore its former top-tier standing.

2,043

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,011

Per pupil spending ?

30.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

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 — 79th percentile in 2016 → 60th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (67% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (89%)

✓Above the North Carolina median (60th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg60%

262^nd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 40%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From top 21% (2016) to top 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	59.0	262 of 662	60.4%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	50.0	197 of 450	56.2%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	67.2	41 of 103	60.2%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	72.4	49 of 289	83.0%	★★★★☆
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
2026	56.4	268 of 629	57.4%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	65.3	159 of 407	60.9%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	49.5	200 of 474	57.8%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	40.3	353 of 620	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	58.8	243 of 624	61.1%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	26.7	56 of 70	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	72.0	54 of 265	79.6%	★★★★☆
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
2026	68.1	55 of 372	85.2%	★★★★☆
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
2026	64.6	205 of 551	62.8%	★★★☆☆
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)

Special Education (2026)85th percentile+25 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)83rd percentile+23 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)80th percentile+19 vs school

Disabled (2022)78th percentile+12 vs school

White (2026)63rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)61st percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)61st percentile~ school

Asian (2026)60th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)58th percentile-3 vs school

Homeless (2024)57th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)57th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2026)56th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile-17 vs school

Military Connected (2026)20th percentile-40 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III77%+8 vs state

English II72%+8 vs state

Biology70%+12 vs state

Math I34%-8 vs state

★

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (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	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%)	59	262^nd of 662 public high schools	60.4%		63.8	207^th of 641 public high schools	67.7%	55	70.0	72.5	33.8	77.1	$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%)	84.5	110^th of 662 public high schools	83.4%		86.6	100^th of 641 public high schools	84.4%	10	84.1	82.4	76.7	94.1	$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%)	59.8	256^th of 662 public high schools	61.3%		66	198^th of 641 public high schools	69.1%	58	64.6	75.7	35.8	78.7	$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%)	55.1	286^th of 662 public high schools	56.8%		59.4	231^st of 641 public high schools	64.0%	55	65.1	74.0	30.7	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%)	23.8	529^th of 662 public high schools	20.1%		30.1	447^th of 641 public high schools	30.3%	82	39.3	58.7	19.6	50.9	$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	—	416 (36.9%)	383 (34.0%)	250 (22.2%)	10 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (5.9%)	43.3	381^st of 662 public high schools	42.4%		47.6	322^nd of 641 public high schools	49.8%	59	48.7	66.4	56.5	57.0	$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%)	53.2	301^st of 662 public high schools	54.5%		59.3	232^nd of 641 public high schools	63.8%	69	67.3	75.2	33.2	66.1	$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%)	43.1	383^rd of 662 public high schools	42.1%		35.3	411^th of 641 public high schools	35.9%	28	54.5	68.2	29.8	64.3	$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%)	23.8	531^st of 662 public high schools	19.8%		18.1	536^th of 641 public high schools	16.4%	5	40.9	54.7	27.9	50.4	$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	—	72 (40.2%)	48 (26.8%)	33 (18.4%)	5 (2.8%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (10.6%)	89.9	79^th of 662 public high schools	88.1%		90.3	74^th of 641 public high schools	88.5%	5	83.3	97.9	87.5	96.4	$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 262^nd of 662 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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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.