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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27609

At a glance

Schools

5,116

Students

Districts

Top rankedRoot Elementary274^th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Green Elementary up 165 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Green Elementary 11.6 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

Zip code 27609 in Raleigh, NC is home to 7 public schools in Wake County Schools: 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school, serving roughly 5,116 students within a 4-star district ranked 60th of 246 in North Carolina. The schools are Root Elementary, Brooks Elementary, Green Elementary, Douglas Elementary, Millbrook Elementary, Carroll Middle, and Sanderson High.

Root Elementary is the area's standout, ranking in the 82nd percentile with the only 4-star rating in the zip code. It has the lowest poverty rate (34.75%), lowest chronic absenteeism (16.2%), and beats state averages in 6 of 7 tested subjects. Brooks Elementary is the most improved, climbing from the 44th to 64th percentile in three years. Green Elementary serves a nearly 100% low-income population yet beats state averages in 4 of 7 subjects, outperforming Douglas Elementary, which has far less poverty. Millbrook Elementary is the biggest concern: a persistent 1-star school in the 18th percentile with 99.44% poverty, 32.4% chronic absenteeism, and zero subjects above state averages despite spending the most per pupil ($12,320). Carroll Middle and Sanderson High both rank below the state median but improved this year.

Chronic absenteeism is the area's most widespread challenge. Only Root Elementary is below the district rate of 20.5%; the other six schools exceed it, and four exceed the state rate of 24.2%. Attendance tracks closely with academics, as Root Elementary has the best attendance and top scores, while Millbrook Elementary has the worst attendance and lowest scores. Yet Green Elementary proves high-poverty schools can succeed with the right supports. Math is a particular weakness at the secondary level: Carroll Middle's 8th grade math proficiency is just 39.1% and Sanderson High's Math I proficiency is 29.8%, both far below state averages. Still, Sanderson High graduates 88% of its students, near the state rate. For parents, Root Elementary sets the benchmark, Millbrook Elementary needs the most support, and improving attendance is the clearest opportunity for area-wide gains.

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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)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	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
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)
Brooks Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	700 Northbrook Drive	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 881-1350	471	37	12.8	47.1%	243 (51.6%)	97 (20.6%)	91 (19.3%)	20 (4.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.4%)	62.9	536^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.1%		53.4	683^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	54.2%	147					67.6	65.3	59.4				69.1	68.0	56.3				67.2		$9,556	$383	$9,173
Carroll Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	4520 Six Forks Rd	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 881-1370	898	61	14.8	61.1%	286 (31.8%)	277 (30.8%)	274 (30.5%)	15 (1.7%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (4.7%)	44.1	441^st of 778 public middle schools	43.3%		36.1	505^th of 773 public middle schools	34.7%	64								53.5	53.2	39.1				50.5	54.1	51.5		70.0	$9,352	$593	$8,759
Douglas Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	600 Ortega Rd	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 881-4894	562	41	13.7	44.0%	280 (49.8%)	97 (17.3%)	155 (27.6%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.2%)	51.6	704^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.8%		52.5	704^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.8%						57.3	63.4	62.5				59.4	68.3	50.0				58.8		$9,422	$383	$9,039
Green Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	5307 Six Forks Road	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 431-8141	534	46	11.6	—	149 (27.9%)	193 (36.1%)	158 (29.6%)	10 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.1%)	54.9	657^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.0%		45.7	822^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	44.8%	165					62.8	54.4	65.8				55.1	60.3	57.9				71.1		$10,929	$1,409	$9,521
Millbrook Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1520 E Millbrook Rd	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 850-8700	534	41	13.0	—	71 (13.3%)	215 (40.3%)	224 (41.9%)	9 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.2%)	22.8	1229^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.6%		22.8	1223^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	17.9%	6					57.5	35.4	42.9				50.0	36.5	44.2				55.8		$12,320	$1,878	$10,442
Root Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3202 Northampton Street	Raleigh	27609	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 881-4940	469	36	13.0	34.8%	308 (65.7%)	67 (14.3%)	81 (17.3%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	77.5	274^th of 1492 public elementary schools	81.6%		77.9	281^st of 1490 public elementary schools	81.1%	7					66.2	73.6	82.8				63.5	69.4	76.6				79.7		$10,203	$586	$9,617
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

Cities Near Zip Code 27609

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Raleigh	0.21 mi	108	176^th
Wake Forest	7.52 mi	15	77^th
Knightdale	7.67 mi	5	414^th
Cary	7.74 mi	34	50^th
Garner	8.81 mi	14	254^th

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.