Highcroft Elementary

Highcroft Elementary is a 5-star public school in Cary, NC, serving 698 students in grades PK-5 as part of Wake County Schools. The school has earned a 5-star rating for more than a decade and currently ranks 33rd out of 1,492 elementary schools in North Carolina, placing it in the 98th percentile. While that is a step back from its #3 statewide ranking in 2022-2023, Highcroft has remained in the state's top 3% for the past ten years.

Academically, Highcroft students outperform district and state averages by wide margins. In 2025-2026, 3rd grade math proficiency reached 96.9% versus 66.4% statewide, and 5th grade science hit 90.1% compared to 67.7% statewide. The school also stands out for attendance: only 8.0% of students are chronically absent, roughly one-third of both the district rate (20.5%) and state rate (24.2%). Highcroft sits in a remarkable cluster of elite schools near Cary, alongside White Oak Elementary, Davis Drive Elementary, Mills Park Elementary, and Hortons Creek Elementary — all of which are also 5-star schools. Even within this competitive group, Highcroft's low absenteeism is among the best.

What makes Highcroft especially notable is how well its students from historically underserved groups perform relative to statewide peers. Hispanic students rank in the 99th percentile statewide, African American students in the 98th percentile, and English Language Learners in the 93rd–98th percentile over the past three years. The school also provides strong support for special education students and has shown dramatic improvement for low-income students, rising from the 36th percentile in 2017-2018 to the 81st percentile recently. Highcroft accomplishes this while spending less per student ($8,277) than most nearby elite schools, making it an efficient, reliable, and broadly supportive choice for families.