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Alston Ridge Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

132^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Alston Ridge Elementary is a large public school in Cary, NC, serving 917 students in pre-K through 5th grade as part of Wake County Schools. The school is a consistently high performer: in 2025–2026 it ranked 132nd out of more than 1,490 North Carolina elementary schools, placing it in the 91st percentile statewide with a 5-star rating. Students score well above district and state averages in every subject and grade. In 5th grade reading, for example, about 77% of students were proficient, compared with roughly 66% across Wake County and 55% statewide. Attendance is another strength: the chronic absenteeism rate was 10.6% in 2024–2025, less than half the statewide rate of 24.2%.

Alston Ridge is the largest elementary school in its immediate Wake County area, with 917 students, and that size has not hurt its results — its student-teacher ratio improved to 13.9 in 2024–2025. The neighborhood is unusually competitive: Mills Park Elementary ranked 27th statewide in 2025–2026 and Hortons Creek Elementary 44th, while Cedar Fork Elementary (88th) and Parkside Elementary (110th) also finished strongly. Alston Ridge (132nd) outperforms Carpenter Elementary (144th), meaning every nearby school ranks comfortably in the top 10 percent of the state.

Where Alston Ridge stands out most is with English Learners: these students ranked in the 95th percentile statewide for school effectiveness in 2025–2026 and have stayed between the 94th and 97th percentiles for three straight years. Female, male, White, African American, and Hispanic students also all ranked above the 73rd percentile. The areas needing the most attention are Asian students (39th percentile) and Special Education students (51st percentile), which sit closer to the statewide middle. After a temporary dip in 2024–2025, scores rebounded strongly across virtually every subject and grade in 2025–2026, suggesting the drop was a blip rather than a trend. The overall picture is clear: Alston Ridge offers high achievement, healthy attendance, and especially strong outcomes for English Learners in one of Cary's best school clusters.

917

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

17.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11555 Green Level Church Rd.
Cary, NC 27519

(919) 544-2474

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Alston Ridge 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:

54.6%

White:

18.6%

African American:

13.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Alston Ridge Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 97th percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (80% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school80%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

132^nd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 3% (2016) to top 9% (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	88.9	132 of 1492	91.2%	★★★★★
2025	84.0	190 of 1490	87.2%	★★★★☆
2024	91.8	88 of 1505	94.2%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	68 of 1502	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	93.1	75 of 1514	95.0%	★★★★★
2021	94.4	68 of 1489	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	87.8	123 of 1473	91.6%	★★★★★
2018	88.4	114 of 1434	92.1%	★★★★★
2017	89.3	90 of 1429	93.7%	★★★★★
2016	92.7	49 of 1425	96.6%	★★★★★
2015	93.7	40 of 1440	97.2%	★★★★★
2014	95.6	30 of 1390	97.8%	★★★★★
2013	93.3	69 of 1403	95.1%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.6	198 of 903	78.1%	★★★★☆
2025	55.8	326 of 918	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	85.8	65 of 924	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	90.7	42 of 933	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	45 of 927	95.1%	★★★★★
2021	88.0	64 of 896	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	71.9	180 of 949	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	72.4	167 of 927	82.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	82 of 134	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.6	77 of 131	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.8	55 of 130	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.9	39 of 114	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.9	44 of 107	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.4	36 of 95	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.0	55 of 106	48.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.2	18 of 99	81.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	76.7	67 of 634	89.4%	★★★★☆
2019	62.5	216 of 878	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	74.9	111 of 897	87.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.1	28 of 519	94.6%	★★★★★
2025	87.1	36 of 563	93.6%	★★★★★
2024	95.9	17 of 533	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	89.7	29 of 514	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	96.8	11 of 485	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	96.8	6 of 385	98.4%	★★★★★
2019	86.4	36 of 497	92.8%	★★★★★
2018	92.8	15 of 421	96.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.1	82 of 1447	94.3%	★★★★★
2025	86.7	133 of 1451	90.8%	★★★★★
2024	91.7	73 of 1455	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	91.0	86 of 1459	94.1%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	68 of 1458	95.3%	★★★★★
2021	91.0	88 of 1440	93.9%	★★★★★
2019	87.0	112 of 1424	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	86.3	116 of 1405	91.7%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.0	270 of 743	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.7	581 of 710	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	56.0	368 of 669	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.9	243 of 582	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.6	140 of 500	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	70.6	105 of 494	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	46.7	480 of 612	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.5	262 of 981	73.3%	★★★★☆
2025	41.2	588 of 961	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.1	387 of 951	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.9	219 of 915	76.1%	★★★★☆
2022	76.6	132 of 893	85.2%	★★★★☆
2021	72.2	153 of 843	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	58.2	319 of 865	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.5	323 of 851	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.6	440 of 1434	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.5	942 of 1437	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	70.5	312 of 1450	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	51.4	680 of 1437	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.6	326 of 1329	75.5%	★★★★☆
2019	71.5	287 of 1361	78.9%	★★★★☆
2018	39.6	862 of 1332	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.2	199 of 1451	86.3%	★★★★☆
2025	77.1	269 of 1450	81.4%	★★★★☆
2024	89.2	108 of 1464	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	93.6	48 of 1461	96.7%	★★★★★
2022	92.0	74 of 1464	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	95.1	40 of 1444	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	86.6	139 of 1430	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	88.8	107 of 1413	92.4%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.2	65 of 181	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.7	72 of 175	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.0	80 of 133	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	399 of 815	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.1	258 of 821	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.0	248 of 801	69.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.0	188 of 1146	83.6%	★★★★☆
2025	75.8	244 of 1172	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	79.1	208 of 1166	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	84.4	127 of 1183	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.2	162 of 1194	86.4%	★★★★☆
2021	79.8	196 of 1172	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	78.5	199 of 1183	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	82.1	157 of 1178	86.7%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)95th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)94th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)89th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2026)86th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)84th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2026)78th percentile-13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)73rd percentile-18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile-22 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)64th percentile-27 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)64th percentile-27 vs school

Special Education (2026)51st percentile-40 vs school

Asian (2026)39th percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science85%+18 vs state

Mathematics81%+18 vs state

Reading76%+20 vs state

4.0

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, April 15, 2017

We love this school after moving from VA Beach my daughter is doing very well. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Excellent school and excellent teachers! Close Quote

Schools Near Alston Ridge 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
Alston Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11555 Green Level Church Rd.	Cary	27519	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 544-2474	917	66	13.9	17.8%	171 (18.6%)	120 (13.1%)	81 (8.8%)	501 (54.6%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (4.3%)	88.9	132^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	91.2%		84	190^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.2%	58	79.7	80.3	83.3				74.8	77.7	76.7				85.3		$8,773	$530	$8,243
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%)	94.9	44^th of 1492 public elementary schools	97.1%		96.7	25^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.3%	19	89.8	90.4	90.1				77.1	85.2	84.7				90.1		$7,977	$280	$7,697
Lyons Farm Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	906 Scott King Rd	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(919) 560-9449	608	38	16.0	99.5%	292 (48.0%)	155 (25.5%)	66 (10.9%)	35 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (9.9%)	76.8	283^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	81.0%		78.4	273^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	81.7%	10	77.4	70.2	71.1				74.5	77.7	60.2				71.1
Parkwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5207 Revere Road	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3962	491	35	13.8	99.4%	57 (11.6%)	271 (55.2%)	98 (20.0%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (11.4%)	10.1	1420^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.8%		12.5	1383^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	7.2%	37	31.0	23.3	31.3				34.5	33.3	40.0				52.3		$11,377	$1,372	$10,005
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
Kestrel Heights School	Public, Charter	K-8	4700 South Alston Ave.	Durham	27713	Durham County	Kestrel Heights School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 484-1300	421	29	14.4	56.3%	29 (6.9%)	244 (58.0%)	86 (20.4%)	29 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	38.7	924^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.1%		36.3	976^th of 1490 public elementary schools	34.5%	52	64.9	65.2	56.4	48.2	41.5	18.9	39.5	56.5	53.8	46.4	48.1	53.7	56.4	64.8
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
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
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
The Institute Development Young Leaders	Public, Charter	K-8	4300 S. Miami Blvd.	Durham	27703	Durham County	The Institute for the Development of You	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 308-9731	419	26	16.2		5 (1.2%)	214 (51.1%)	181 (43.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.8%)	28.1	1133^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	24.1%		39.3	930^th of 1490 public elementary schools	37.6%	203	26.8	36.5	69.0	53.4	58.1	50.0	23.2	28.8	66.7	37.9	55.8	41.7	66.7	75.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Alston Ridge Elementary

Is Alston Ridge Elementary a good school?

Yes. Alston Ridge Elementary ranks in the top 8.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What district is Alston Ridge Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

What schools do graduates of Alston Ridge Elementary attend?

Students who attend Alston Ridge 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

What is the racial makeup of Alston Ridge Elementary?

Students at Alston Ridge Elementary are 55% Asian, 19% White, 13% African American, 9% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Alston Ridge Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 917 students attended Alston Ridge Elementary.

Rate Alston Ridge Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.