Green Level High

Green Level High is a large public high school in Cary, NC, serving 2,283 students in grades 9–12 as part of Wake County Schools. Located in a fast-growing, relatively affluent suburb in the Research Triangle area, the school reflects that community with just 6.4% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Green Level has a strong statewide record, currently ranking 90th of 662 schools (86th percentile) in 2025–26 after reaching a peak of #37 in North Carolina in 2024–25.

Academically, Green Level is ahead of nearly all of its neighbors. End-of-Course proficiency rates are far above district and state averages: 93.8% in English II, 91.1% in Biology, and 94.4% in Math III. Among traditional large high schools in the immediate area, Green Level ranks highest—ahead of Green Hope High, Panther Creek High, Apex Friendship High, and Cary High. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 9.4% is the lowest among those schools and less than half the state average. The school also posts standout results for student groups that often face larger achievement gaps, including English learners, students receiving special education services, and multi-racial students, who all rank in the top tier of schools statewide.

One area to watch is Math I, where 65.5% proficiency, though far above the district’s 36.6% and the state’s 42.1%, trails the school’s own scores in other tested subjects. Year-to-year ranking shifts—such as a drop from #37 to #90—are more about small changes in the comparison cohort than real classroom performance, since core test scores have remained stable. Most striking is that Green Level achieves results comparable to much smaller specialized schools like Wake EC of Information & Biotechnologies and Wake STEM Early College High School, while serving over 2,000 students. That combination of high achievement at comprehensive size is rare and points to sustained academic strength.