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Carpenter Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

144^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 90% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Carpenter Elementary is a PK–5 public school in Cary, NC, serving 604 students in the Wake County Schools district, and it ranks #144 out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (90th percentile), earning a 5-star rating. Academically, Carpenter consistently exceeds district and state averages—84.4% of 4th graders are proficient in math compared to 70.4% districtwide, and 82.7% of 5th graders are proficient in science versus 73.5% across Wake County.

Parents exploring Cary schools should know that Carpenter sits in a remarkably competitive neighborhood. Nearby Davis Drive Elementary (#16), Mills Park Elementary (#27), Highcroft Elementary (#33), and Hortons Creek Elementary (#44) all rank in the state’s top 50, making Carpenter essentially tied with Turner Creek Elementary as the lowest-ranked school in an elite local cluster. Context matters: Carpenter serves the highest share of economically disadvantaged students among its peers at 28.8%—more than triple the rate at Davis Drive and Highcroft—so its strong performance is especially meaningful.

Carpenter’s clearest outlier is chronic absenteeism at 14.5%, the highest among neighboring schools but still well below the district average of 20.5%. The rate has fallen steadily, and test scores improved from the 86th to 90th percentile in the latest year. The school is notably effective for English Language Learners (82nd percentile statewide), while results for Hispanic, low-income, and special education students fluctuate more from year to year. With a student-teacher ratio of 13.7 and per-student spending near $9,401, Carpenter has solid resources and a positive trajectory—a strong school that only looks average because of its exceptional neighbors.

604

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

28.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2100 Morrisville Parkway
Cary, NC 27519

(919) 462-6780

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Carpenter Elementary usually attend:

High:	Wake Early College of Health and Science
	Wake STEM Early College High School
	Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
	Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

43.4%

White:

23.8%

Hispanic:

22.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Carpenter Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

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

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (79% vs 61% meeting standards)

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

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school79%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

144^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 10%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary 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	88.2	144 of 1492	90.3%	★★★★★
2025	82.4	208 of 1490	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	83.2	203 of 1505	86.5%	★★★★☆
2023	83.2	192 of 1502	87.2%	★★★★☆
2022	88.1	129 of 1514	91.5%	★★★★★
2021	75.7	305 of 1489	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	243 of 1473	83.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.8	189 of 1434	86.8%	★★★★☆
2017	83.1	176 of 1429	87.7%	★★★★☆
2016	86.1	138 of 1425	90.3%	★★★★★
2015	82.9	189 of 1440	86.9%	★★★★☆
2014	88.0	126 of 1390	90.9%	★★★★★
2013	91.0	95 of 1403	93.2%	★★★★★
2012	77.4	255 of 1388	81.6%	★★★★☆
2011	76.7	255 of 1381	81.5%	★★★★☆
2010	78.1	235 of 1363	82.8%	★★★★☆
2009	84.7	133 of 1354	90.2%	★★★★★
2008	88.4	82 of 1324	93.8%	★★★★★
2007	76.6	233 of 1293	82.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.8	411 of 918	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	79.2	116 of 924	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	53.7	385 of 933	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.6	237 of 927	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	41.3	484 of 896	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.1	422 of 949	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	83.2	77 of 927	91.7%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.2	55 of 134	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.6	87 of 131	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	68.9	44 of 130	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.5	46 of 114	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.7	12 of 107	88.8%	★★★★☆
2021	49.9	63 of 95	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.1	54 of 106	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.4	49 of 99	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	62.9	143 of 634	77.4%	★★★★☆
2019	70.1	150 of 878	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	53.0	345 of 897	61.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.9	93 of 519	82.1%	★★★★☆
2025	57.8	164 of 563	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	70.4	88 of 533	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	80.2	53 of 514	89.7%	★★★★☆
2022	87.2	29 of 485	94.0%	★★★★★
2021	69.6	54 of 385	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	79.6	51 of 497	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	73.2	59 of 421	86.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	87.6	132 of 1447	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	77.8	245 of 1451	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	81.7	194 of 1455	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	75.8	277 of 1459	81.0%	★★★★☆
2022	84.1	169 of 1458	88.4%	★★★★☆
2021	71.2	351 of 1440	75.6%	★★★★☆
2019	68.5	414 of 1424	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	83.8	154 of 1405	89.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.6	240 of 743	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.5	12 of 669	98.2%	★★★★★
2023	62.5	224 of 582	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.6	152 of 500	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.2	220 of 494	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.2	363 of 612	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	473 of 981	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	27.3	780 of 961	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.9	641 of 951	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.3	477 of 915	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.7	467 of 893	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.4	740 of 843	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.0	729 of 865	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	731 of 851	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.2	507 of 1434	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.8	898 of 1437	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	748 of 1450	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.6	897 of 1437	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.7	588 of 1366	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.8	1080 of 1329	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.5	998 of 1361	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.6	928 of 1332	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.5	155 of 1451	89.3%	★★★★☆
2025	82.0	205 of 1450	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	80.8	217 of 1464	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	143 of 1461	90.2%	★★★★★
2022	88.9	110 of 1464	92.5%	★★★★★
2021	75.5	309 of 1444	78.6%	★★★★☆
2019	84.7	165 of 1430	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.3	222 of 1413	84.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	457 of 821	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.5	200 of 801	75.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.0	99 of 1146	91.4%	★★★★★
2025	88.9	71 of 1172	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	78.1	223 of 1166	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	80.5	174 of 1183	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	134 of 1194	88.8%	★★★★☆
2021	84.2	134 of 1172	88.6%	★★★★☆
2019	73.8	265 of 1183	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	75.2	265 of 1178	77.5%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)91st percentile~ school

Female (2026)91st percentile~ school

Male (2026)89th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)82nd percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)77th percentile-14 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)68th percentile-23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)65th percentile-26 vs school

Asian (2026)59th percentile-31 vs school

African American (2025)55th percentile-31 vs school

Hispanic (2026)52nd percentile-39 vs school

Special Education (2025)44th percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science83%+15 vs state

Mathematics81%+18 vs state

Reading76%+20 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, September 22, 2014

Most teachers in this school are very young. They use a lot of online resources and online accounts required parents/students to sign in to do school work and review which is good, but sometimes link and accounts/password have issue problems and parents try to reach out for help and teachers are not always available and can take for days to resolve problem.
Using online to do work and sign up for things are good, but sometimes, we prefer more print-out papers to have on-hand instead online 100% as not all parents are have access or using online systems. Close Quote

Schools Near Carpenter Elementary

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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 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Carpenter Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2100 Morrisville Parkway	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 462-6780	604	44	13.7	28.8%	144 (23.8%)	42 (7.0%)	138 (22.8%)	262 (43.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.8%)	88.2	144^th of 1492 public elementary schools	90.3%		82.4	208^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.0%	64	79.2	84.4	80.9				71.9	79.2	77.3				82.7		$9,401	$613	$8,788
Green Hope Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2700 Louis Stephens Drive	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 388-5270	548	36	15.2	14.4%	171 (31.2%)	40 (7.3%)	51 (9.3%)	270 (49.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.7%)	92.9	71^st of 1492 public elementary schools	95.2%		94.5	55^th of 1490 public elementary schools	96.3%	16	82.8	86.7	90.8				77.4	83.3	81.7				87.2		$8,968	$486	$8,482
Morrisville Elementary	Public	K-5	1519 Morrisville Pkwy	Morrisville	27560	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3400	643	45	14.2	13.2%	172 (26.7%)	43 (6.7%)	45 (7.0%)	353 (54.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.4%)	90.7	105^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.0%		91.1	93^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	93.8%	12	84.0	88.7	88.7				77.0	82.1	76.3				78.4		$9,542	$495	$9,047
Highcroft Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5415 Highcroft Drive	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3527	698	45	15.6	9.2%	210 (30.1%)	41 (5.9%)	42 (6.0%)	355 (50.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.9%)	95.6	33^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	97.8%		96.8	24^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.4%	9	96.9	86.8	91.6				82.0	84.3	83.2				90.1		$8,277	$370	$7,907
Mills Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	509 Mills Park Dr	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 466-1466	594	42	14.2	17.7%	194 (32.7%)	28 (4.7%)	84 (14.1%)	278 (46.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.7%)	95.9	27^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.2%		96.8	23^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	98.5%	4	94.8	89.8	92.1				87.5	86.4	84.2				87.7		$8,738	$372	$8,366
Parkside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	332 Parkside Valley Dr	Morrisville	27560	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-7888	730	51	14.3	21.9%	161 (22.1%)	91 (12.5%)	71 (9.7%)	364 (49.9%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.3%)	90.5	110^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.6%		92	81^st of 1490 public elementary schools	94.6%	29	86.6	80.5	81.1				80.4	82.1	79.5				81.8
Sterling Montessori Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	202 Treybrooke Drive	Morrisville	27560	Wake County	Sterling Montessori Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 462-8889	702	33	21.0		256 (36.5%)	57 (8.1%)	30 (4.3%)	299 (42.6%)	8 (1.1%)	8 (1.1%)	44 (6.3%)	75.6	308^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.4%		78.3	275^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.5%	33	70.5	50.0	68.8	76.9	63.0	75.0	78.2	71.4	76.6	86.5	68.1	84.1	76.6	88.6
Cedar Fork Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1050 Town Hall Drive	Morrisville	27560	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 388-5240	778	55	14.1	17.0%	115 (14.8%)	57 (7.3%)	59 (7.6%)	516 (66.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (3.6%)	91.9	88^th of 1492 public elementary schools	94.1%		88.3	134^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.0%	46	87.5	79.0	89.6				80.5	76.6	83.4				84.7		$8,320	$370	$7,950
Davis Drive Elementary	Public	K-5	2151 Davis Drive	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 387-2130	794	53	14.8	9.2%	324 (40.8%)	24 (3.0%)	54 (6.8%)	376 (47.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	14 (1.8%)	96.9	16^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.9%		97.1	20^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.7%	4	92.7	561.0	94.9				80.8	94.3	88.0				93.7		$9,368	$407	$8,961
Turner Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6801 Turner Creek Road	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 363-1391	638	51	12.6	22.6%	280 (43.9%)	66 (10.3%)	100 (15.7%)	155 (24.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	34 (5.3%)	88.4	143^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	90.4%		79.8	247^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.4%	104	74.2	79.8	90.1				70.1	78.2	79.2				90.1		$9,601	$458	$9,143

Frequently Asked Questions about Carpenter Elementary

What schools do graduates of Carpenter Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carpenter Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Wake Early College of Health and Science
High : Wake STEM Early College High School
High : Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
High : Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy

What is the racial makeup of Carpenter Elementary?

Students at Carpenter Elementary are 43% Asian, 24% White, 23% Hispanic, 7% African American, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Carpenter Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 604 students attended Carpenter Elementary.

What district is Carpenter Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

Is Carpenter Elementary a good school?

Yes. Carpenter Elementary ranks in the top 9.7% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Carpenter Elementary!

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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.