List of schools in the Wake County Public School System

This is a list of schools operated by the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Wake County, North Carolina. As of the 2025–26 school year, WCPSS is responsible for more than 161,115 students across 203 schools, making them the largest school system in the state as of 2025, and the 14th-largest in the United States as of the newest statistics from 2021. Across these schools, WCPSS maintains a staff of 20,060 including 10,840 teachers: of whom 41.56% have advanced degrees and 1,384 are National Board-certified teachers. Additionally, 56,227 of the students within WCPSS are part of a Free or Reduced-price Lunch (FRL) program, 20,829 are part of a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) program, and 20,511 are part of a Special education program. Finally, the budget for WCPSS exceeds $2.23 billon, totaling to about $13,460 per student.

The Wake County Public School System was founded on July 1, 1976, after the merger of the two segregated school systems operating in the county named Wake County Schools and Raleigh City Schools. The effort to desegregate the county was aided by the opening of the county's first magnet school the following year in Raleigh, in an initial attempt to encourage white students to learn in the majority-black Raleigh area. WCPSS has since become notable for its integration efforts, being used as a metaphor for hope by Professor Gerald Grant of Syracuse University in his 2009 book Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh. Today, WCPSS is adapting to a rapidly-growing population in the county, opening one new high school and three new elementary schools for the 2025–26 school year. WCPSS also faces challenges in the form of major cuts in federal funding, being one of the worst impacted school systems in the country after decisions from President Trump, and their approach to the use of artificial intelligence in education, for which the system supports at least partially.

The school directory below is current as of the newest statistics from the 2024–25 school year, and is collected through a number of sources including primary and secondary lists. The tables are divided between sections for high school, middle school, elementary school, and other public schools still under WCPSS. Within each table is the name of school, the city they're located in, their school type (which can be either traditional, magnet, or early college), grade levels, calendar (which can either be traditional, year-round, or modified calendar), total students, percent of students on Free or Reduced-price Lunch (FRL), percent of students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and their Title I status. Among other reasons, these metrics were chosen as they are the ones outlined by WCPSS in their yearly report and likewise are the most important to the county.

High schools Below is the current list of public high schools administered by WCPSS as of the 2024–2025 school year. The table values for "City" are sourced from U.S. News & World Report, "School type" from the WCPSS Magnet and Early Colleges Directory, and the remaining information from the WCPSS 2024–2025 Districts Facts Report. Any additional references used are listed on the right end of the table.

+ List of high schools in the Wake County Public School System School City School type Grade levels Calendar Total studentsYear Opened Title I Apex Friendship High School Apex Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,7412015 11.2% 2.0% No Apex High School Apex Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,4491920, 2019 21.7% 7.8% No Athens Drive High School Raleigh Magnet: Center for Medical Sciences and Global Health Initiatives 9–12 Traditional 2,1161978 43.2% 15.5% No Broughton High School Raleigh Magnet: Global Studies and Language Immersion/International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme 9–12 Traditional 2,1401929 27.3% 8.0% No Cary High School Cary Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,0401896, 1960 37.9% 15.2% No Crossroads FLEX High School Cary Magnet-related: Flexible Learning EXperience for personal pursuits (i.e. competitive arts, sports) 9–12 Traditional 1392016 5.8% 0.0% No East Wake High School Wendell Magnet: iTech and Design 9–12 Traditional 1,7721977 62.10% 13% Yes Enloe High School Raleigh Magnet: Gifted and Talented/International Baccalaureate DP Programme 9–12 Traditional 2,6041962 27.30% 6.8% No Felton Grove High School Apex Traditional 9–12 Traditional 8002025 N/A N/A N/A Fuquay-Varina High School Fuquay-Varina Traditional 9–12 Traditional 1,8391925, 2021 25.1% 5.3% No Garner High School Garner Magnet: International Baccalaureate - Middle Years and Diploma Programme 9–12 Traditional 1,6631968, 2018 52.60% 16.9% No Green Hope High School Cary Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,3061999 11.8% 6.6% No Green Level High School Cary Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,2822019 6.3% 3.2% No Heritage High School Wake Forest Traditional 9–12 Traditional 1,7732010 27.2% 11.8% No Holly Springs High School Holly Springs Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,0162006 13.6% 2.5% No Knightdale High School Knightdale Traditional 9–12 Early College 1,6932004 64.6% 19.1% Yes Leesville Road High School Raleigh Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,4011993 23.9% 7.3% No Middle Creek High School Apex Traditional 9–12 Traditional 1,5832002 28.70% 9.9% No Millbrook High School Raleigh Magnet: International Baccalaureate - Middle Years & Diploma Programme 9–12 Traditional 2,4811922 32.8% 12.2% No North Wake College and Career Academy Wake Forest Early College 9–13 Early College 3462016 35.8% 2.9% No Panther Creek High School Cary Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,5982006 14.8% 6.6% No Phillips High School Raleigh Traditional 9–12 Traditional 1191975 66.4% 9.2% Yes Rolesville High School Rolesville Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,3192013 49.7% 14.7% No Sanderson High School Raleigh Traditional 9–12 Traditional 1,6401968 42.3% 15.9% No SCORE Academy Cary Traditional 9–12 Traditional 6172017 54.2% 10.0% Yes South Garner High School Garner Traditional 9–12 Traditional 1,8272018 60.1% 17.2% Yes Southeast Raleigh High School Raleigh Magnet: University Connections: School of Design, Art and Engineering 9–12 Modified 1,4421997 62.1% 19.6% Yes Vernon Malone College and Career Academy Raleigh Early College 9–13 Early College 3482014 44.7% 3.2% No Wake Early College of Health and Sciences Raleigh Early College 9–13 Early College 3182006 34.0% 1.3% No Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies Morrisville Early College 9–13 Early College 2602022 15.8% 1.5% No Wake Forest High School Wake Forest Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,0221941 29.6% 8.2% No Wake STEM Early College High School Cary Early College 9–13 Early College 2922011 35.3% 1.0% No Wakefield High School Raleigh Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,0462000 35.0% 8.5% No Willow Spring High School Fuquay-Varina Traditional 9–12 Traditional 2,2152021 28.5% 7.4% No

Middle schools Below is the current list of public middle schools administered by WCPSS as of the 2024–2025 school year. The table values for "City" are sourced from U.S. News & World Report, "School type" from the WCPSS Magnet and Early Colleges Directory, and the remaining information from the WCPSS 2024–2025 Districts Facts Report. Any additional references used are listed on the right end of the table.

+ List of middle schools in the Wake County Public School System School City School type Grade levels Calendar Total students Title I Alston Ridge Middle School Cary Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 1,520 20.0% 10.7% No Apex Friendship Middle School Apex Traditional 6–8 Traditional 1,409 7.9% 3.1% No Apex Middle School Apex Traditional 6–8 Traditional 869 23.9% 9.0% No Raleigh Magnet: Gifted and Talented/AIG Basics 6–8 Traditional 918 31.1% 6.3% No Carroll Middle School Raleigh Magnet: Leadership in Technology 6–8 Traditional 886 60.8% 21.0% Yes Raleigh Magnet: Center for Innovation 6–8 Modified 476 62.7% 22.5% Yes Connections Academy Cary Traditional 6–8 Traditional 12 46.2% 15.4% Yes Davis Drive Middle School Cary Traditional 6–8 Traditional 995 12.9% 13.5% No Dillard Drive Middle School Raleigh Magnet: Center for World Languages & Spanish Immersion 6–8 Traditional 968 49.9% 19.9% Yes Raleigh Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 652 64.4% 22.6% Yes Cary Magnet: Center for World Languages and Global Studies 6–8 Traditional 592 35.1% 10.2% No East Garner Middle School Garner Magnet: International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme/Creative Arts 6–8 Traditional 1,109 62.6% 18.1% Yes East Millbrook Middle School Raleigh Magnet: Academy of Arts and Design 6–8 Traditional 733 63.6% 25.3% Yes Fuquay-Varina Middle School Fuquay-Varina Traditional 6–8 Traditional 1,004 28.1% 5.4% No Herbert Akins Road Middle School Fuquay-Varina Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 1,260 31.6% 10.9% No Heritage Middle School Wake Forest Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 950 16.1% 3.6% No Holly Springs Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 991 17.1% 4.0% No Holly Ridge Middle School Holly Springs Traditional 6–8 Traditional 958 25.4% 7.1% No Leesville Road Middle School Raleigh Traditional 6–8 Traditional 792 30.9% 9.5% No Ligon Middle School Raleigh Magnet: Gifted and Talented/AIG Basics 6–8 Traditional 956 33.8% 5.0% No Apex Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 1,041 31.1% 16.4% No Raleigh Magnet: Gifted and Talented 6–8 Traditional 1,010 28.5% 9.2% No Mills Park Middle School Cary Traditional 6–8 Traditional 1,629 7.6% 3.2% No Moore Square Middle School Raleigh Magnet: Gifted and Talented/AIG Basics 6–8 Modified 592 27.7% 3.4% No Neuse River Middle School Raleigh Traditional 6–8 Modified 891 61.9% 25.5% Yes North Garner Middle School Garner Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 855 51.2% 16.7% Yes Oberlin Middle School Raleigh Magnet: Global Studies and Language Immersion 6–8 Traditional 1,051 28.2% 8.8% No Pine Hollow Middle School Raleigh Traditional 6–8 Traditional 785 31.2% 8.2% No Reedy Creek Middle School Cary Magnet: Center for the Digital Sciences 6–8 Traditional 797 35.0% 11.0% No River Bend Middle School Raleigh Traditional 6–8 Traditional 997 62.2% 24.6% Yes River Oaks Middle School Raleigh Traditional 6–8 Traditional 12 83.3% 16.7% Yes Rolesville Middle School Rolesville Traditional 6–8 Traditional 897 40.4% 8.9% No Salem Middle School Apex Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 1,067 18.1% 11.2% No Wake Forest Traditional 6–8 Traditional 882 54.8% 11.7% Yes Raleigh Traditional 6–8 Traditional 804 30.4% 7.3% No Wendell Middle School Wendell Magnet: Academy of Design and Creative Arts 6–8 Traditional 759 59.0% 17.4% Yes West Cary Middle School Cary Traditional 6–8 Traditional 821 29.0% 17.3% No West Lake Middle School Apex Traditional 6–8 Year-Round 690 39.5% 12.1% No West Millbrook Middle School Raleigh Magnet: International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme 6–8 Traditional 1,165 31.4% 13.5% No Zebulon Middle School Zebulon Magnet: Center for Advanced Studies & STEM 6–8 Traditional 772 59.5% 11.1% Yes

Elementary schools Below will be the current list of public elementary schools administered by WCPSS as of the 2024–2025 school year. The table values for "City" are sourced from U.S. News & World Report, "School type" from the WCPSS Magnet and Early Colleges Directory, and the remaining information from the WCPSS 2024–2025 Districts Facts Report. Any additional references used are listed on the right end of the table.