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Herbert Akins Rd Elementary

Q: Is Herbert Akins Rd Elementary a good school?

Herbert Akins Rd Elementary ranks 235 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

235^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Herbert Akins Rd Elementary is a PK–5 school in Fuquay Varina, NC, serving 988 students — the largest elementary enrollment in its immediate area — and is part of Wake County Schools. The school is a solidly above-average performer, ranking 235th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (84th percentile) with a 4-star rating in 2025–26, consistent with its rankings between the 73rd and 84th percentiles each year since 2015–16. On state tests, it beat both district and state averages in every grade and subject tested, with standout results in 3rd-grade math (82% proficient) and reading (73.4% proficient).

What most sets this school apart is its recent performance with lower-income students. About 32% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, and after ranking in the 38th percentile statewide in 2023–24 and the 48th in 2024–25, that group jumped to the 85th percentile in 2025–26 — a 4-star result. The school also reports excellent attendance: a 14.3% chronic absenteeism rate in 2024–25, well below the district's 20.5% and the state's 24.2%, and better than nearby Fuquay-Varina Elementary (18.3%) and Lincoln Heights Elementary (16.8%). Attendance has also improved steadily since the 24.9% post-pandemic peak in 2021–22.

That said, the school sits in a highly competitive neighborhood. Nearby Holly Grove Elementary (97th percentile), Holly Ridge Elementary (95th percentile), and Holly Springs Elementary (94th percentile) all rank higher and exceed 85% proficiency in most math and reading categories, while this school posts scores in the low-to-mid 70s. Much of that gap reflects demographics — those top-performing schools serve only 13–20% low-income students versus the 32% here — making these results notably strong given the population served. The clearest opportunity for growth is with the school's highest-performing learners, as the gifted and talented subgroup ranks only in the 22nd percentile statewide. Overall, this is a large, efficient, and consistently strong school, a cost-effective choice in Fuquay-Varina that is especially effective with low-income students and attendance.

988

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

32%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2255 Herbert Akins Rd
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

(919) 567-4100

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Herbert Akins Rd Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Holly Grove Middle
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:

White:

60.5%

African American:

14.6%

Hispanic:

11.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Herbert Akins Rd Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 80th percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (74% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% 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 school74%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

235^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From top 20% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

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	80.7	235 of 1492	84.2%	★★★★☆
2025	77.8	282 of 1490	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	405 of 1505	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	75.4	319 of 1502	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	74.9	328 of 1514	78.3%	★★★★☆
2021	76.0	301 of 1489	79.8%	★★★★☆
2019	79.5	238 of 1473	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	73.7	332 of 1434	76.8%	★★★★☆
2017	78.5	250 of 1429	82.5%	★★★★☆
2016	76.9	281 of 1425	80.3%	★★★★☆
2015	81.1	220 of 1440	84.7%	★★★★☆
2014	84.0	181 of 1390	87.0%	★★★★☆
2013	83.4	178 of 1403	87.3%	★★★★☆
2012	66.2	474 of 1388	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	53.1	741 of 1381	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.0	306 of 903	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.9	545 of 918	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.4	381 of 924	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.9	411 of 933	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.0	161 of 927	82.6%	★★★★☆
2021	54.3	296 of 896	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.8	233 of 949	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	69.6	201 of 927	78.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.2	3 of 134	97.8%	★★★★★
2025	44.5	96 of 131	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	63.5	139 of 634	78.1%	★★★★☆
2021	45.7	288 of 646	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.4	156 of 878	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	56.5	311 of 897	65.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.9	294 of 563	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.0	447 of 533	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	63.8	97 of 421	77.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.3	258 of 1447	82.2%	★★★★☆
2025	77.9	241 of 1451	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	66.7	423 of 1455	70.9%	★★★★☆
2023	76.8	262 of 1459	82.0%	★★★★☆
2022	68.0	412 of 1458	71.7%	★★★★☆
2021	80.8	212 of 1440	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	244 of 1424	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	75.3	296 of 1405	78.9%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.3	577 of 743	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.6	498 of 710	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	588 of 669	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.0	452 of 582	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.6	311 of 500	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.5	333 of 494	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.9	445 of 612	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.3	267 of 981	72.8%	★★★★☆
2025	57.4	360 of 961	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.6	646 of 951	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.9	424 of 915	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.8	423 of 893	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.7	158 of 843	81.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.6	161 of 865	81.4%	★★★★☆
2018	49.2	434 of 851	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.8	220 of 1434	84.7%	★★★★☆
2025	47.7	745 of 1437	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.3	904 of 1450	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.4	842 of 1437	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.1	539 of 1366	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.3	564 of 1329	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.3	441 of 1361	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.2	805 of 1332	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.5	219 of 1451	84.9%	★★★★☆
2025	73.6	328 of 1450	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	70.7	378 of 1464	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	364 of 1461	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	245 of 1464	83.3%	★★★★☆
2021	67.9	418 of 1444	71.1%	★★★★☆
2019	78.0	243 of 1430	83.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.0	388 of 1413	72.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.2	82 of 175	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	63 of 159	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.7	21 of 133	84.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.1	242 of 815	70.3%	★★★★☆
2025	54.5	277 of 821	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.1	466 of 801	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.1	334 of 1146	70.9%	★★★★☆
2025	75.4	246 of 1172	79.0%	★★★★☆
2024	67.9	341 of 1166	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	72.2	294 of 1183	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	66.7	359 of 1194	69.9%	★★★★☆
2021	66.2	360 of 1172	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.8	366 of 1183	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.7	358 of 1178	69.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

Asian (2026)98th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)85th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)85th percentile~ school

Female (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)78th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)73rd percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2026)70th percentile-14 vs school

African American (2026)66th percentile-18 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)53rd percentile-28 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)48th percentile-33 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)22nd percentile-62 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics77%+13 vs state

Science74%+6 vs state

Reading71%+15 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Herbert Akins Rd 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 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
Herbert Akins Rd Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2255 Herbert Akins Rd	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 567-4100	988	69	14.3	32.0%	598 (60.5%)	144 (14.6%)	117 (11.8%)	63 (6.4%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (6.0%)	80.7	235^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.2%		77.8	282^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	81.1%	47	82.0	72.4	76.3	73.4	70.1	69.1	74.1	$9,017	$332	$8,685
Ballentine Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1651 North McLaurin Lane	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-1120	742	53	14.0	28.6%	463 (62.4%)	52 (7.0%)	155 (20.9%)	44 (5.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.6%)	85.2	178^th of 1492 public elementary schools	88.1%		86.8	148^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.1%	30	78.0	76.1	80.2	75.4	77.1	68.7	82.4	$10,151	$476	$9,675
Lincoln Heights Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	307 Bridge St	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 557-2587	667	45	14.7	35.8%	393 (58.9%)	103 (15.4%)	93 (13.9%)	51 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	25 (3.7%)	74.1	336^th of 1492 public elementary schools	77.5%		73.7	336^th of 1490 public elementary schools	77.4%		70.9	72.1	68.3	67.4	71.2	60.4	80.2	$13,231	$2,042	$11,189
Buckhorn Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5651 Honeycutt Rd	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8970	905	63	14.3	25.7%	443 (49.0%)	109 (12.0%)	125 (13.8%)	171 (18.9%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (5.9%)	90.9	99^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.4%		85.9	159^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.3%	60	85.1	87.2	88.6	68.6	78.7	74.0	92.6	$9,241	$405	$8,837
Holly Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Holly Springs Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 577-1300	735	50	14.5	18.1%	515 (70.1%)	84 (11.4%)	58 (7.9%)	43 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.8%)	92.8	74^th of 1492 public elementary schools	95.0%		91.6	87^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.2%	13	84.1	83.2	86.8	84.1	78.2	80.6	91.5	$9,223	$783	$8,440
Holly Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1451 Avent Ferry Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 577-1700	889	62	14.3	13.3%	582 (65.5%)	61 (6.9%)	73 (8.2%)	135 (15.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (3.9%)	95	39^th of 1492 public elementary schools	97.4%		94.6	53^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	96.4%	14	86.1	87.7	90.6	84.4	86.3	85.5	89.9	$9,174	$517	$8,657
Holly Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Holly Springs Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-2660	751	51	14.5	20.4%	457 (60.9%)	70 (9.3%)	105 (14.0%)	60 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (7.9%)	91.5	95^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.6%		93.2	70^th of 1490 public elementary schools	95.3%	25	88.9	79.6	84.1	84.6	75.2	84.1	84.1	$9,402	$603	$8,799
Fuquay-Varina Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6600 Johnson Pond Rd	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-2566	772	51	15.2	35.9%	379 (49.1%)	123 (15.9%)	111 (14.4%)	100 (13.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.1%)	74	338^th of 1492 public elementary schools	77.3%		68.5	415^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.1%	77	82.2	67.0	69.4	70.1	63.7	63.1	74.8	$9,010	$382	$8,627
Bowling Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1155 Bowling Road	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(919) 431-7400	0																		(n/a)	62.8	50.6	63.5	56.9	43.2	52.7	75.7
West Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4500 West Lake Rd	Apex	27539	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 662-2300	581	39	15.0	32.0%	369 (63.5%)	38 (6.5%)	117 (20.1%)	26 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.3%)	72.8	364^th of 1492 public elementary schools	75.6%		74.7	319^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.6%	45	91.4	64.4	70.2	78.5	61.1	64.0	68.4	$9,343	$437	$8,905

Frequently Asked Questions about Herbert Akins Rd Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Herbert Akins Rd Elementary?

Students at Herbert Akins Rd Elementary are 61% White, 15% African American, 12% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend Herbert Akins Rd Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 988 students attended Herbert Akins Rd Elementary.

What district is Herbert Akins Rd Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

Is Herbert Akins Rd Elementary a good school?

Herbert Akins Rd Elementary ranks 235^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Herbert Akins Rd Elementary attend?

Students who attend Herbert Akins Rd Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Holly Grove Middle
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

Rate Herbert Akins Rd 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.