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Mills Park Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

23^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 98% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Mills Park Elementary is a highly-rated public elementary school in Cary, North Carolina, serving 645 students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. The school is part of the Wake County Schools district, which is ranked 60th out of 242 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Mills Park Elementary consistently ranks among the top 20 elementary schools in North Carolina, maintaining a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past 10 years. The school demonstrates exceptional academic performance across various student subgroups, including female students, male students, Asian students, and students with disabilities. In the 2024-2025 school year, Mills Park had significantly higher proficiency rates in mathematics, reading, and science compared to the Wake County Schools district and the state of North Carolina.

When compared to nearby schools, such as White Oak Elementary, Morrisville Elementary, and Davis Drive Elementary, Mills Park Elementary stands out as a top-performing school in the region. The school's consistent excellence across grade levels and subjects is a testament to its effective teaching practices, curriculum, and overall educational environment.

594

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,738

Per pupil spending ?

17.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

509 Mills Park Dr
Cary, NC 27519

(919) 466-1466

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Mills Park Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mills Park Middle
High:	Panther Creek 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

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

46.8%

White:

32.7%

Hispanic:

14.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Mills Park Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2015 → 98th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (89% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Wake County Schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school89%

District avg66%

North Carolina avg57%

23^rd of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 2%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 115Elementary Schools in the Wake County Schools

60^th of 242Wake 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
2025	96.8	23 of 1490	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	95.8	41 of 1505	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	96.1	24 of 1502	98.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	18 of 1514	98.8%	★★★★★
2021	98.2	14 of 1489	99.1%	★★★★★
2019	95.8	20 of 1473	98.6%	★★★★★
2018	96.5	10 of 1434	99.3%	★★★★★
2017	96.4	11 of 1429	99.2%	★★★★★
2016	95.6	19 of 1425	98.7%	★★★★★
2015	95.8	15 of 1440	99.0%	★★★★★
2014	96.8	16 of 1390	98.8%	★★★★★
2013	98.8	9 of 1403	99.4%	★★★★★
2012	90.0	40 of 1388	97.1%	★★★★★
2011	89.7	36 of 1381	97.4%	★★★★★
2010	88.6	58 of 1363	95.7%	★★★★★
2009	90.7	40 of 1354	97.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.6	12 of 131	90.8%	★★★★★
2024	74.4	22 of 130	83.1%	★★★★☆
2023	78.0	18 of 114	84.2%	★★★★☆
2022	79.5	9 of 107	91.6%	★★★★★
2021	82.8	5 of 95	94.7%	★★★★★
2019	80.6	10 of 106	90.6%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	88.9	28 of 646	95.7%	★★★★★
2019	92.7	27 of 878	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	91.1	32 of 897	96.4%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	90.8	29 of 563	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	95.0	22 of 533	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	40.4	287 of 497	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	94.5	43 of 1451	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	94.6	42 of 1455	97.1%	★★★★★
2023	94.0	39 of 1459	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	19 of 1458	98.7%	★★★★★
2021	98.6	6 of 1440	99.6%	★★★★★
2019	94.2	24 of 1424	98.3%	★★★★★
2018	95.0	18 of 1405	98.7%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	66.8	189 of 710	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	65.7	197 of 669	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	66.1	169 of 582	71.0%	★★★★☆
2019	61.4	281 of 612	54.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	76.9	127 of 961	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	74.5	169 of 951	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.6	161 of 915	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	66.3	213 of 893	76.1%	★★★★☆
2021	74.1	137 of 843	83.7%	★★★★☆
2019	49.9	419 of 865	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.6	455 of 851	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.8	187 of 1437	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	43.3	860 of 1450	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	70.0	317 of 1437	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	47.4	737 of 1361	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	96.9	13 of 1450	99.1%	★★★★★
2024	95.5	31 of 1464	97.9%	★★★★★
2023	96.4	17 of 1461	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	12 of 1464	99.2%	★★★★★
2021	96.0	31 of 1444	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	95.6	18 of 1430	98.7%	★★★★★
2018	96.5	7 of 1413	99.5%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	95.9	14 of 821	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.1	22 of 801	97.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	88.4	77 of 1172	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	88.6	75 of 1166	93.6%	★★★★★
2023	87.1	92 of 1183	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	87.0	86 of 1194	92.8%	★★★★★
2021	89.6	60 of 1172	94.9%	★★★★★
2019	83.0	145 of 1183	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	91.3	33 of 1178	97.2%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2025)99th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)98th percentile~ school

Female (2025)97th percentile~ school

Disabled (2021)96th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)95th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)93rd percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2025)91st percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)87th percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)73rd percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science93%+31 vs state

Mathematics91%+30 vs state

Reading85%+33 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, October 30, 2012

This is an awesome school, great teachers, great classrooms, parents are very involved and helping out in classrooms.
BUT this is considered as an overcrowded school in the disctrict with over a 1,000 students for only 815 max capacity....
This means that my KG had lunch at 10:40 last year, yes ten forty, and there was one class that eating before.
This year my 4 th grader is eating at 1:10 Nd there is at least one more class behind if not two....
It also means that most of the "other teaching" like tutoring is done in the hallway as these classes have been given away tp accomodate a regular full time class.
The principal is loved, involved nice and you can talk to to him anytime. Overall an awesome school, that's why it's so popular and ... Overcrowded

You should also know that it is not because you live in the school district that you will get this school. Because it's overcrowded they redirct new students to other schools near by, and sibblings have priority over new comers.

The middle school shares some of the athletics equipment like the outdoor track for PE. It's really next door. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, September 26, 2011

I have 3 children currently enrolled at Mills Park and have been very impressed with the education they are receiving. There is a high degree of parental involvement. The PTA is top notch, and all the staff we have encountered have been caring, passionate, and intelligent. The curriculum is challenging. My second grader is doing pre algebra.. I considered both home schooling and private school, but have been so impressed with this school I plan on keeping my kids here. Close Quote

Schools Near Mills Park Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	96.8	23^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	98.5%		95.8	41^st of 1505 public elementary schools	97.3%	18	93.8	85.3	93.8	81.3	82.6	91.2	92.9	$8,738	$372	$8,366
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%)	96.8	24^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.4%		97.7	10^th of 1505 public elementary schools	99.3%	14	93.0	91.9	92.9	80.7	87.0	83.2	88.4	$8,277	$370	$7,907
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%)	82.4	208^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.0%		83.2	203^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	86.5%	5	84.0	74.8	70.2	64.0	77.7	66.9	70.2	$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%)	94.5	55^th of 1490 public elementary schools	96.3%		96.7	27^th of 1505 public elementary schools	98.2%	28	79.0	91.8	89.6	76.5	81.6	84.4	89.6	$8,968	$486	$8,482
Hortons Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7615 O'Kelly Chapel Rd	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8660	739	47	15.6	11.5%	210 (28.4%)	78 (10.6%)	54 (7.3%)	372 (50.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.7%)	96.7	25^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.3%		97.3	14^th of 1505 public elementary schools	99.1%	11	84.8	89.5	92.3	78.1	91.0	94.6	93.0	$7,977	$280	$7,697
White Oak Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1512 White Oak Church Rd	Apex	27523	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-0202	843	53	16.0	3.6%	208 (24.7%)	24 (2.8%)	33 (3.9%)	533 (63.2%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (4.7%)	99	2^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	99.9%		99.5	1^st of 1505 public elementary schools	99.9%	1	98.6			89.3	94.9	98.2	98.2	$8,554	$326	$8,228
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%)	91.1	93^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	93.8%		93.5	67^th of 1505 public elementary schools	95.5%	26	83.5	82.8	89.4	67.8	71.7	80.8	83.7	$9,542	$495	$9,047
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%)	79.8	247^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.4%		74	342^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	77.3%	95	64.4	72.6	73.8	59.8	78.8	72.8	78.6	$9,601	$458	$9,143
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%)	92	81^st of 1490 public elementary schools	94.6%		92.7	75^th of 1505 public elementary schools	95.0%	6	82.6	86.2	78.5	78.3	79.7	79.2	82.3
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%)	97.1	20^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.7%		96.9	24^th of 1505 public elementary schools	98.4%	4	92.7	92.4	95.2	83.0	85.5	83.2	90.4	$9,368	$407	$8,961

Frequently Asked Questions about Mills Park Elementary

What schools do graduates of Mills Park Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mills Park Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mills Park Middle
High : Panther Creek High
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

How many students attend Mills Park Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 594 students attended Mills Park Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Mills Park Elementary?

Students at Mills Park Elementary are 47% Asian, 33% White, 14% Hispanic, 5% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Is Mills Park Elementary a good school?

Yes! Mills Park Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 23^rd of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools.

What district is Mills Park Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

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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.