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Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 27606

At a glance

Schools

1,462

Students

Top rankedDillard Drive Middle429^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools

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Biggest riser

Centennial Campus Middle up 36 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 27606 in Raleigh, North Carolina is served by three Wake County Schools middle schools spanning grades 6 through 8, and these schools vary dramatically in size, demographics, and academic performance. Dillard Drive Middle is the clear standout and the strongest traditional option in the area, enrolling 977 students and performing relatively close to North Carolina state averages despite trailing the Wake County Schools district average in every tested subject. Dillard Drive is particularly strong in 8th grade science at 70.6% proficiency (above the state average of 68.6%) and 6th grade math at 59.3% proficiency (nearly identical to the state average). It ranks in the 45th percentile statewide with a 2-star rating, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 24.3% aligns with the statewide norm.

Centennial Campus Middle represents the greatest educational challenge in this zip code, serving 477 students where an overwhelming 99.37% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 45.7% is more than double the district rate of 20.5%, and its academic proficiency rates run roughly 15 to 31 percentage points below Wake County averages in math and reading. Even with higher per-pupil spending ($11,386 vs. $8,594) and a lower student-teacher ratio (12.9:1 vs. 14.7:1) than Dillard Drive, Centennial's outcomes remain far weaker, ranking in the 19th percentile with a 1-star rating. Encouragingly, Centennial improved substantially from the prior year, with 7th grade math jumping from 26.1% to 44.4% proficiency.

Connections Academy is a nonstandard outlier that should not be compared directly with the other two schools. With only 8 students, a 0.6:1 student-teacher ratio, and $38,998 in per-pupil spending, it functions as an alternative or virtual learning environment rather than a traditional middle school. Its proficiency rates are extremely low, ranging from 5.3% in 7th grade math and reading to 30.0% in 8th grade science, but these figures come from a tiny population and different reporting year, making them statistically unreliable. Parents in 27606 seeking the strongest traditional middle school option should focus on Dillard Drive, while Centennial Campus offers smaller class sizes but faces significant poverty and attendance hurdles.

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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 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dillard Drive Middle	Public	6-8	5200 Dillard Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 233-4228	977	66	14.7	50.5%	381 (39.0%)	241 (24.7%)	278 (28.5%)	45 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (3.2%)	46	429^th of 778 public middle schools	44.9%		46.6	423^rd of 773 public middle schools	45.3%	6	59.3	45.0	46.2	53.6	51.2	52.7	70.6	$8,594	$467	$8,126
Centennial Campus Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1900 Main Campus Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 233-4217	477	37	12.9	99.4%	69 (14.5%)	231 (48.4%)	150 (31.4%)	14 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.7%)	22.4	631^st of 778 public middle schools	18.9%		17.5	667^th of 773 public middle schools	13.7%	36	41.7	44.4	33.3	40.6	46.4	37.8	48.9	$11,386	$725	$10,660
Connections Academy	Public	6-8	1280 Buck Jones Rd	Cary	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-8910	8	12	.6		3 (37.5%)	2 (25.0%)	3 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$38,998	$1,698	$37,300

Cities Near Zip Code 27606

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Raleigh	0.15 mi	108	176^th
Cary	0.89 mi	34	50^th
Garner	5.77 mi	14	254^th
Apex	5.86 mi	23	26^th
Morrisville	7.98 mi	6	31^st

See the top NC North Carolina cities

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.