Salem Middle

Salem Middle is a large public middle school in Apex, NC, serving about 1,057 students in grades 6-8 through Wake County Schools, and it holds a 5-star SchoolDigger rating with a #61 ranking out of 778 North Carolina middle schools — placing it in the 92nd percentile statewide, a position it has held consistently over the past five years.

Academically, Salem performs well above Wake County and North Carolina averages in nearly every grade and subject. Math is the school's clearest strength, with proficiency rates between 78.7% and 83.2% across grades 6-8 — roughly 15-19 points above the district average. Eighth-grade science proficiency is also strong at 83.9%. Attendance is another differentiator: only 11.6% of students are chronically absent, compared to 20.5% for the district and 24.2% statewide. Salem also stands out for its exceptional support of English Learner and special education students, ranking in the 93rd and 97th percentiles respectively for those subgroups — a notable achievement not every top school can claim. The one relative soft spot is 6th-grade reading, where proficiency is 69.0%.

Within its immediate cluster, Salem Middle is the fourth-highest-ranked school. Mills Park Middle, Apex Friendship Middle, and Davis Drive Middle — all within a few miles — rank in the top 25 statewide, so Salem is best described as an excellent school in an elite local market. However, Salem clearly outperforms other nearby options like Apex Middle and Dillard Drive Middle in most subjects, with especially large gaps in math and reading. It will be worth watching subgroup trends: while overall performance remains excellent, the relative statewide rankings of low-income, Hispanic, African American, and gifted students have declined over the last three years. Closing those gaps would give Salem a real shot at reaching the very top tier.