Summary:
Zip code 27502 in Apex, North Carolina, is served by two public middle schools — Apex Friendship Middle and Apex Middle — both covering grades 6–8 within the Wake County Schools district.
Apex Friendship Middle is the clear standout, ranking #18 in the state with a 98th-percentile rating and 5-star status. Its students average roughly 90.2% proficiency across reading, math, and science end-of-grade tests, far above the Wake County average of 67.8% and the state average of 57.7%. In contrast, Apex Middle, while still above state averages, ranks #147 with an 81st-percentile rating and averages about 70.7% proficiency. Apex Friendship outperforms Apex Middle by about 19.5 percentage points overall, a huge gap for two schools in the same town and district.
The schools also differ in other key areas. Apex Friendship has only a 7.86% free/reduced-price lunch rate and a 10% chronic absenteeism rate, while Apex Middle has a 24.8% free/reduced-price lunch rate and double the chronic absenteeism (20%). Interestingly, Apex Middle has smaller class sizes (15.9 students per teacher vs. 19.3 at Apex Friendship) and slightly higher per-student spending, yet scores far lower. Apex Middle’s statewide ranking has also slipped recently, from #85 to #147, with 7th-grade math and reading falling below district averages. Apex Friendship, meanwhile, has remained consistently excellent, improving slightly and holding its #18 ranking for two straight years. Both schools remain above North Carolina averages, but Apex Friendship Middle is clearly one of the best middle schools in the state.
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