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West Cary Middle

Q: Is West Cary Middle a good school?

West Cary Middle ranks 78 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

78^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 90% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

West Cary Middle is a public middle school in Cary, NC, serving roughly 824 students in grades 6–8 as part of Wake County Schools. The school currently ranks 78th of 778 North Carolina middle schools — the 90th percentile with a 5-star rating — and has stayed between the 83rd and 93rd percentiles statewide for the past decade, making strong performance a stable pattern rather than a lucky year. About 30% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a mixed-income population.

West Cary beats both its district and state averages in every tested subject and grade. The biggest advantages come in 8th grade math (78.6% proficient vs. 64.4% for Wake County) and 8th grade science (88.3% proficient vs. 76.3% districtwide). Even more distinctive is the school's success with groups that often struggle elsewhere: English Learner students rank at the 98th percentile statewide, and special education students have ranked at the 91st percentile or higher for three straight years. Among nearby schools, West Cary outperforms Apex Middle, East Cary Middle, and Reedy Creek Middle, while trailing very low-poverty standouts Davis Drive Middle and Mills Park Middle.

West Cary achieves these results while spending about $7,509 per student — less than nearly every traditional middle school in its local comparison group. Chronic absenteeism stands at 19.7%, slightly better than the Wake County average of 20.5% but nearly double the rate at Mills Park and Davis Drive, and it has trended upward since 2021–2022. Improving attendance may be the school's best opportunity to move from very good to truly elite.

824

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

30%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1000 Evans Road
Cary, NC 27513

(919) 460-3528

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend West Cary Middle usually attend:

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

Feeder schools for West Cary Middle:

Elementary:	Cedar Fork Elementary
	Northwoods Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

32.2%

White:

31.3%

Hispanic:

17.2%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare West Cary Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 89th percentile in 2016 → 90th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (77% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school77%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg58%

78^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle 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	87.0	78 of 778	90.0%	★★★★★
2025	86.4	82 of 773	89.4%	★★★★☆
2024	89.2	69 of 793	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	90.5	61 of 784	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	88.0	79 of 786	89.9%	★★★★★
2021	90.4	55 of 741	92.6%	★★★★★
2019	79.5	126 of 737	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	83.1	83 of 691	88.0%	★★★★☆
2017	80.3	115 of 694	83.4%	★★★★☆
2016	85.0	75 of 692	89.2%	★★★★☆
2015	85.8	77 of 705	89.1%	★★★★☆
2014	86.4	64 of 627	89.8%	★★★★☆
2013	88.1	61 of 673	90.9%	★★★★★
2012	75.0	148 of 662	77.6%	★★★★☆
2011	78.9	100 of 648	84.6%	★★★★☆
2010	72.9	160 of 640	75.0%	★★★★☆
2009	76.2	129 of 630	79.5%	★★★★☆
2008	84.9	57 of 620	90.8%	★★★★★
2007	78.5	85 of 606	86.0%	★★★★☆
2006	82.4	58 of 598	90.3%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	89 of 553	83.9%	★★★★☆
2025	73.8	96 of 546	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	83.3	62 of 560	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	52 of 559	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	81.4	67 of 550	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	71.2	80 of 533	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	72.6	86 of 519	83.4%	★★★★☆
2018	64.2	121 of 494	75.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.6	49 of 121	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.9	50 of 111	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.9	43 of 110	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.2	39 of 110	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.9	40 of 109	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.1	37 of 99	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.5	34 of 102	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.1	27 of 95	71.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	68.2	66 of 449	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	69.3	62 of 478	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	73.7	66 of 504	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	63.9	87 of 475	81.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.6	7 of 363	98.1%	★★★★★
2025	94.3	10 of 371	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	96.4	7 of 356	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	93.5	12 of 318	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	93.8	10 of 312	96.8%	★★★★★
2021	85.3	9 of 236	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	92.7	7 of 211	96.7%	★★★★★
2018	99.6	1 of 151	99.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.7	96 of 731	86.9%	★★★★☆
2025	81.1	114 of 733	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	70 of 738	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	90.1	56 of 731	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	87.9	71 of 733	90.3%	★★★★★
2021	92.4	44 of 706	93.8%	★★★★★
2019	78.2	131 of 684	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	85.9	62 of 656	90.5%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.8	98 of 465	78.9%	★★★★☆
2025	63.9	170 of 458	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.7	51 of 452	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	73.2	45 of 450	90.0%	★★★★★
2021	78.5	23 of 448	94.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.4	155 of 566	72.6%	★★★★☆
2025	70.1	112 of 562	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	61.6	160 of 564	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	56.0	206 of 553	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.9	166 of 541	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.8	234 of 522	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.9	254 of 493	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	67.0	107 of 472	77.3%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	59.6	10 of 37	73.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.2	142 of 725	80.4%	★★★★☆
2025	64.4	192 of 729	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	71.3	141 of 743	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	77.8	107 of 735	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	83 of 689	88.0%	★★★★☆
2021	74.9	93 of 633	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	56.8	241 of 639	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.4	139 of 604	77.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.4	58 of 736	92.1%	★★★★★
2025	88.6	60 of 733	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	87.7	69 of 751	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	89.1	67 of 747	91.0%	★★★★★
2022	86.3	80 of 748	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	86.6	70 of 711	90.2%	★★★★★
2019	79.2	118 of 697	83.1%	★★★★☆
2018	80.0	104 of 665	84.4%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.9	2 of 67	97.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.8	83 of 333	75.1%	★★★★☆
2025	76.4	57 of 328	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	82 of 306	73.2%	★★★★☆
2023	74.3	61 of 302	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	68.6	65 of 283	77.0%	★★★★☆
2021	77.9	35 of 248	85.9%	★★★★☆
2019	72.6	43 of 237	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	70.8	50 of 221	77.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.1	47 of 500	90.6%	★★★★★
2025	85.3	19 of 478	96.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.0	13 of 473	97.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.1	77 of 644	88.0%	★★★★☆
2025	84.1	89 of 649	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.7	85 of 652	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	76 of 656	88.4%	★★★★☆
2022	79.2	121 of 658	81.6%	★★★★☆
2021	90.2	42 of 632	93.4%	★★★★★
2019	75.0	138 of 624	77.9%	★★★★☆
2018	78.5	98 of 596	83.6%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)98th percentile+8 vs school

Military Connected (2026)97th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)91st percentile~ school

White (2026)88th percentile~ school

Female (2026)87th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)85th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2026)84th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile-10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)79th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)75th percentile-15 vs school

Homeless (2022)73rd percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)73rd percentile-17 vs school

Asian (2026)60th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science88%+20 vs state

Mathematics76%+20 vs state

Reading73%+18 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Thursday, June 13, 2019

Best school I have ever taught in! Very supportive admin! Close Quote

Schools Near West Cary Middle

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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 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
West Cary Middle	Public	6-8	1000 Evans Road	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3528	824	48	17.1	30.0%	258 (31.3%)	130 (15.8%)	142 (17.2%)	265 (32.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	26 (3.2%)	87	78^th of 778 public middle schools	90.0%		86.4	82^nd of 773 public middle schools	89.4%	4	74.6	73.9	78.6	71.9	71.1	76.5	88.3	$7,509	$324	$7,185
Reedy Creek Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	930 Reedy Creek Road	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 460-3504	805	54	14.9	37.1%	326 (40.5%)	159 (19.8%)	166 (20.6%)	126 (15.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.4%)	66.8	230^th of 778 public middle schools	70.4%		69.5	211^th of 773 public middle schools	72.7%	19	70.4	64.1	56.6	62.5	66.5	60.7	65.6	$9,572	$485	$9,087
East Cary Middle	Public	6-8	1111 SE Maynard Road	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 466-4377	597	45	13.2	36.2%	318 (53.3%)	76 (12.7%)	144 (24.1%)	32 (5.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.0%)	80.7	123^rd of 778 public middle schools	84.2%		82.2	115^th of 773 public middle schools	85.1%	8	73.6	65.7	67.3	71.6	71.9	71.1	80.6	$10,391	$516	$9,875
Davis Drive Middle	Public	6-8	2101 Davis Drive	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 387-3033	992	57	17.4	13.3%	372 (37.5%)	44 (4.4%)	113 (11.4%)	419 (42.2%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.7%)	36 (3.6%)	96	23^rd of 778 public middle schools	97.0%		97	19^th of 773 public middle schools	97.5%	4	92.9	91.4	88.7	84.1	84.7	83.8	92.8	$7,994	$391	$7,602
Connections Academy	Public	6-8	1280 Buck Jones Rd	Cary	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-8910	8	12	.6		3 (37.5%)	2 (25.0%)	3 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$38,998	$1,698	$37,300
Salem Middle	Public	6-8	6150 Old Jenks Road	Apex	27523	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 363-1870	1,057	60	17.7	19.2%	545 (51.6%)	78 (7.4%)	159 (15.0%)	217 (20.5%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (5.0%)	89.2	61^st of 778 public middle schools	92.2%		91.2	50^th of 773 public middle schools	93.5%	11	82.4	78.7	83.2	69.0	78.3	77.9	83.9	$9,372	$511	$8,861
Dillard Drive Middle	Public	6-8	5200 Dillard Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 233-4228	977	66	14.7	50.5%	381 (39.0%)	241 (24.7%)	278 (28.5%)	45 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (3.2%)	46	429^th of 778 public middle schools	44.9%		46.6	423^rd of 773 public middle schools	45.3%	6	59.3	45.0	46.2	53.6	51.2	52.7	70.6	$8,594	$467	$8,126
Mills Park Middle	Public	6-8	441 Mills Park Drive	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 466-1500	1,632	87	18.7	7.6%	479 (29.4%)	87 (5.3%)	112 (6.9%)	892 (54.7%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	56 (3.4%)	97.9	8^th of 778 public middle schools	99.0%		98.7	5^th of 773 public middle schools	99.4%	3	562.3	562.2	93.4	94.6	93.5	92.6	95.2	$7,648	$376	$7,272
Lufkin Road Middle	Public	6-8	1002 Lufkin Road	Apex	27539	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 387-4465	1,035	62	16.8	33.5%	499 (48.2%)	117 (11.3%)	228 (22.0%)	159 (15.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	29 (2.8%)	73.6	187^th of 778 public middle schools	76.0%		70.2	200^th of 773 public middle schools	74.1%	13	65.8	66.1	62.4	66.8	70.4	65.5	75.1	$9,106	$406	$8,700
Martin Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1701 Ridge Rd	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 881-4970	1,011	61	16.6	29.6%	454 (44.9%)	174 (17.2%)	150 (14.8%)	205 (20.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (2.5%)	85	92^nd of 778 public middle schools	88.2%		84.8	96^th of 773 public middle schools	87.6%	4	76.6	77.8	65.8	73.4	78.7	73.6	79.3	$9,504	$524	$8,981

Frequently Asked Questions about West Cary Middle

How many students attend West Cary Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 824 students attended West Cary Middle.

What high school do graduates of West Cary Middle attend?

Students who attend West Cary Middle usually go on to attend Cary High

What district is West Cary Middle in?

Wake County Schools

Is West Cary Middle a good school?

West Cary Middle ranks 78^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of West Cary Middle?

Students at West Cary Middle are 32% Asian, 31% White, 17% Hispanic, 16% African American, 3% Two or more races.

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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.