Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

North Wake College and Career Academy

Q: Is North Wake College and Career Academy a good school?

North Wake College and Career Academy ranks 110 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

110^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 83% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

North Wake College and Career Academy is a small, public high school in Wake Forest, NC, serving grades 9 through 12 with just 346 students. As part of Wake County Schools, this academy has earned an impressive 4-star rating and ranks 110th out of 662 high schools statewide (83rd percentile) for the 2025–26 school year. Its small size and career-focused model make it a unique option compared with the much larger traditional high schools that surround it.

The school’s academic results, particularly in mathematics, are extraordinary when compared with neighboring schools. On End-of-Course tests in the latest school year, North Wake posted a 76.7% proficiency rate in Math I — more than double the rates at Wake Forest High School (33.8%) and Heritage High (35.8%), which are just a few miles away. Its Math III proficiency rate reached 94.1%, while the district average was 76.4%. Biology (84.1%) and English II (82.4%) proficiency rates also outpace the Wake County and state averages. This strong academic performance has been consistent for several years, with the school maintaining a statewide ranking in the 80th–89th percentile since 2022. Statewide, North Wake ranks significantly ahead of all nearby high schools, including Heritage High (61st percentile), Wake Forest High (60th percentile), and Wakefield High (57th percentile).

Beyond test scores, North Wake stands out for its exceptional attendance culture. Its chronic absenteeism rate is just 12.1%, dramatically lower than the state average of 24.2% and far below nearby schools such as Wakefield High (29.8%) and Rolesville High (35.5%). The school also spends more per student than neighboring schools ($13,377), which reflects its specialized academy programs and smaller class settings. North Wake serves a diverse student body with a moderate free-and-reduced-lunch rate of about 36%, and it earns high marks across many student groups — including African American, Hispanic, male, and low-income students, all of whom score at or above the 81st percentile statewide. One area families may want to watch is the Gifted and Talented subgroup, whose statewide ranking has declined from the 92nd to the 53rd percentile in recent years, which could be influenced by small cohort sizes at this compact school.

346

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

36.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

931 Durham Rd
Wake Forest, NC 27587

(919) 694-8650

District: Wake County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.3%

African American:

33.8%

Hispanic:

21.7%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare North Wake College and Career Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2019 → 83rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (85% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2019

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school85%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg60%

110^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 17%▼ down 5 pts since 2019

From top 12% (2019) to top 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High 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	84.5	110 of 662	83.4%	★★★★☆
2025	86.6	100 of 641	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	84.4	115 of 640	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	89.5	74 of 626	88.2%	★★★★☆
2022	91.0	67 of 621	89.2%	★★★★☆
2021	82.2	104 of 594	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	78.0	60 of 514	88.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.2	47 of 450	89.6%	★★★★☆
2025	90.9	41 of 440	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	90.8	48 of 437	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	95.4	32 of 434	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.7	24 of 430	94.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.8	153 of 629	75.7%	★★★★☆
2025	82.0	114 of 610	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	143 of 602	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	86.0	90 of 588	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	88.0	76 of 594	87.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.0	191 of 407	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.4	99 of 412	76.0%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	34 of 403	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	80.8	52 of 403	87.1%	★★★★☆
2022	76.1	71 of 398	82.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	87.7	69 of 474	85.4%	★★★★☆
2025	91.6	50 of 462	89.2%	★★★★☆
2024	82.0	75 of 454	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	91.1	52 of 449	88.4%	★★★★☆
2022	94.8	32 of 436	92.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.1	120 of 620	80.6%	★★★★☆
2025	88.3	85 of 606	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	88.1	91 of 613	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	92.3	66 of 597	88.9%	★★★★☆
2022	93.1	56 of 544	89.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	90.3	81 of 624	87.0%	★★★★☆
2025	90.3	82 of 601	86.4%	★★★★☆
2024	89.7	87 of 607	85.7%	★★★★☆
2023	92.8	60 of 602	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	94.0	49 of 585	91.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.2	86 of 551	84.4%	★★★★☆
2025	86.1	83 of 542	84.7%	★★★★☆
2024	82.2	105 of 553	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	90.7	48 of 537	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	89.8	54 of 534	89.9%	★★★★★

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)

African American (2026)90th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)87th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)85th percentile~ school

White (2026)84th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)81st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)76th percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)53rd percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III94%+25 vs state

Biology84%+26 vs state

English II82%+18 vs state

Math I77%+35 vs state

5.0

2 ratings

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate North Wake College and Career Academy

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near North Wake College and Career Academy

Load more schools when map is moved

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)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (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	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
North Wake College and Career Academy	Public	9-12	931 Durham Rd	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8650	346	19	17.9	36.1%	122 (35.3%)	117 (33.8%)	75 (21.7%)	15 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.6%)	84.5	110^th of 662 public high schools	83.4%		86.6	100^th of 641 public high schools	84.4%	10	84.1	82.4	76.7	94.1	$13,377	$439	$12,939
Wake Forest High School	Public	9-12	420 West Stadium Drive	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 554-8611	2,043	109	18.8	30.4%	1,052 (51.5%)	473 (23.2%)	360 (17.6%)	71 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.2%)	82 (4.0%)	59	262^nd of 662 public high schools	60.4%		63.8	207^th of 641 public high schools	67.7%	55	70.0	72.5	33.8	77.1	$8,011	$375	$7,637
Wakefield High	Public	9-12	2200 Wakefield Pines Drive	Raleigh	27614	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 562-3600	2,065	106	19.5	36.1%	913 (44.2%)	577 (27.9%)	399 (19.3%)	93 (4.5%)	6 (0.3%)	6 (0.3%)	71 (3.4%)	55.1	286^th of 662 public high schools	56.8%		59.4	231^st of 641 public high schools	64.0%	55	65.1	74.0	30.7	73.8	$8,642	$337	$8,306
Heritage High	Public	9-12	1150 Forestville Road	Wake Forest	27587	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 570-5600	1,778	97	18.2	27.7%	950 (53.4%)	257 (14.5%)	418 (23.5%)	86 (4.8%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	62 (3.5%)	59.8	256^th of 662 public high schools	61.3%		66	198^th of 641 public high schools	69.1%	58	64.6	75.7	35.8	78.7	$8,792	$487	$8,305
Rolesville High	Public	9-12	1099 East Young St	Rolesville	27571	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 554-6303	2,321	126	18.4	50.6%	594 (25.6%)	859 (37.0%)	663 (28.6%)	107 (4.6%)	8 (0.3%)	4 (0.2%)	86 (3.7%)	23.8	529^th of 662 public high schools	20.1%		30.1	447^th of 641 public high schools	30.3%	82	39.3	58.7	19.6	50.9	$8,260	$382	$7,877
Millbrook High	Public, Magnet	9-12	2201 Spring Forest Rd	Raleigh	27615	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 850-8787	2,498	137	18.2	33.3%	1,188 (47.6%)	572 (22.9%)	552 (22.1%)	85 (3.4%)	6 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	91 (3.6%)	53.2	301^st of 662 public high schools	54.5%		59.3	232^nd of 641 public high schools	63.8%	69	67.3	75.2	33.2	66.1	$8,648	$382	$8,265
Franklinton High	Public	9-12	910 Cedar Creek Road	Franklinton	27525	Franklin County	Franklin County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 494-2332	1,127	63	18.0	99.4%	416 (36.9%)	383 (34.0%)	250 (22.2%)	10 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (5.9%)	43.3	381^st of 662 public high schools	42.4%		47.6	322^nd of 641 public high schools	49.8%	59	48.7	66.4	56.5	57.0	$8,675	$527	$8,148
Sanderson High	Public	9-12	5500 Dixon Drive	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 881-4800	1,648	91	18.0	43.4%	779 (47.3%)	384 (23.3%)	349 (21.2%)	55 (3.3%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	76 (4.6%)	43.1	383^rd of 662 public high schools	42.1%		35.3	411^th of 641 public high schools	35.9%	28	54.5	68.2	29.8	64.3	$8,965	$528	$8,437
Leesville Road High	Public	9-12	8410 Pride Way	Raleigh	27613	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 870-4250	2,411	123	19.6	24.5%	1,364 (56.6%)	486 (20.2%)	343 (14.2%)	132 (5.5%)	3 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	81 (3.4%)	76.6	155^th of 662 public high schools	76.6%		71.1	174^th of 641 public high schools	72.9%	19	80.4	78.2	62.3	86.4	$8,133	$353	$7,780
Ncvps	Public, Virtual	7-12	343 E. Six Forks Road Suite 1	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	North Carolina Virtual Public School	No	No	Yes	No	(919) 513-8550	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about North Wake College and Career Academy

How many students attend North Wake College and Career Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 346 students attended North Wake College and Career Academy.

What district is North Wake College and Career Academy in?

Wake County Schools

What is the racial makeup of North Wake College and Career Academy?

Students at North Wake College and Career Academy are 35% White, 34% African American, 22% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Is North Wake College and Career Academy a good school?

North Wake College and Career Academy ranks 110^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate North Wake College and Career Academy!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina High School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Wake Forest, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for North Wake College and Career Academy!

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.