District guide
Wake County Schools public schools
Parent-focused district context for Wake County, NC: school list, grade pathway, enrollment scale, profile links, and the local checks to make before using the district in a housing decision.
Direct answer for parents
What Wake County Schools tells you before choosing a home
Wake County Schools is listed with 197 public schools and 159,778 reported students in the current NCES file. Treat this as a district-level research page: it helps you understand scale, grade coverage, and school records, but it does not confirm the school assigned to a specific address.
The current district file lists 121 primary, 40 middle, 34 high, 2 other schools. Verify transition grades, feeder patterns, transfer policies, and program eligibility with the district.
197 district schools are associated with Wake County in the current file, about 88% of listed county schools. Confirm address-level assignment locally.
Grade pathway
District school mix by level
Use this section to separate elementary, middle, high, and other school records before comparing commute, programs, and assignment rules.
121
69,890 reported students
40
35,945 reported students
34
52,341 reported students
2
1,602 reported students
Parent checks for Wake County Schools
These are the local questions that matter after the public data narrows the field.
Confirm the assigned school
Use official attendance-zone or address lookup tools before assuming a school serves a home.
Check transition grades
Elementary choices can split into different middle or high school paths, especially in large districts.
Verify choice-program rules
Charter, magnet, virtual, and transfer options can require applications, lotteries, or eligibility checks.
Compare similar schools
Compare schools at the same level before treating enrollment, grade span, or school type as a quality signal.
School records
Largest listed schools in Wake County Schools
Sorted by reported enrollment. Profile links appear where SchoolsByCounty has generated an individual school page; listed-only records still preserve NCES grade, type, city, and enrollment fields.
| School | Level | Grades | City | Enrollment | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Friendship High Regular | High | 9–12 | Apex | 2,772 | Profile |
| Leesville Road High Regular | High | 9–12 | Raleigh | 2,613 | Profile |
| Enloe High Regular | High | 9–12 | Raleigh | 2,502 | Profile |
| Apex High Regular | High | 9–12 | Apex | 2,500 | Profile |
| Panther Creek High Regular | High | 9–12 | Cary | 2,435 | Profile |
| Millbrook High Regular | High | 9–12 | Raleigh | 2,421 | Profile |
| Rolesville High Regular | High | 9–12 | Rolesville | 2,373 | Profile |
| Cary High Regular | High | 9–12 | Cary | 2,145 | Profile |
| Holly Springs High Regular | High | 9–12 | Holly Springs | 2,140 | Profile |
| Needham Broughton High Regular | High | 9–12 | Raleigh | 2,128 | Profile |
| Wake Forest High School Regular | High | 9–12 | Wake Forest | 2,101 | Profile |
| Wakefield High Regular | High | 9–12 | Raleigh | 2,072 | Profile |
| Athens Drive High Regular | High | 9–12 | Raleigh | 2,062 | Profile |
| Green Level High Regular | High | 9–12 | Cary | 2,052 | Profile |
| Green Hope High Regular | High | 9–12 | Cary | 2,001 | Profile |
| Fuquay-Varina High Regular | High | 9–12 | Fuquay-Varina | 1,940 | Profile |
| South Garner High Regular | High | 9–12 | Garner | 1,824 | Profile |
| Heritage High Regular | High | 9–12 | Wake Forest | 1,811 | Profile |
| Knightdale High Regular | High | 9–12 | Knightdale | 1,702 | Profile |
| Garner High Regular | High | 9–12 | Garner | 1,683 | Profile |
| Sanderson High Regular | High | 9–12 | Raleigh | 1,677 | Profile |
| Middle Creek High Regular | High | 9–12 | Apex | 1,659 | Profile |
| East Wake High Regular | High | 9–12 | Wendell | 1,646 | Profile |
| Mills Park Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Cary | 1,630 | Profile |
| Willow Spring High Regular | Other | 9–11 | Fuquay Varina | 1,477 | Profile |
| Alston Ridge Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Cary | 1,459 | Profile |
| Southeast Raleigh High Regular | High | 9–12 | Raleigh | 1,401 | Profile |
| Apex Friendship Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Apex | 1,397 | Profile |
| East Garner Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Garner | 1,186 | Profile |
| Fuquay-Varina Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Fuquay-Varina | 1,164 | Profile |
| River Bend Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Raleigh | 1,124 | Profile |
| Oberlin Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Raleigh | 1,076 | Profile |
| Salem Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Apex | 1,071 | Profile |
| Alston Ridge Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Cary | 1,047 | Profile |
| West Millbrook Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Raleigh | 1,046 | Profile |
| Rolesville Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Rolesville | 1,021 | Profile |
| Heritage Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Wake Forest | 997 | Profile |
| Lufkin Road Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Apex | 995 | Profile |
| Holly Ridge Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Holly Springs | 994 | Profile |
| Olive Chapel Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Apex | 982 | Profile |
Communities in the district file
NCES city fields are directory fields, not attendance boundaries. Use them to orient the district footprint, then verify the exact home-to-school assignment.
County coverage
Some districts can include records associated with more than one county. The route is anchored to the district's primary county record in the current data.
Wake County Schools FAQ
What schools are included for Wake County Schools?
Wake County Schools includes 197 public schools in the current NCES district file. The current district file lists 121 primary, 40 middle, 34 high, 2 other schools.
Does this Wake County Schools page show exact attendance zones?
No. SchoolsByCounty publishes district and school records from public data. Attendance boundaries, transportation, transfers, magnet eligibility, and charter rules must be confirmed with Wake County Schools or local assignment tools.
Is Wake County Schools ranked as the best district in Wake County?
No. This is a district guide, not a recommendation or ranking. Use it to understand the district's listed schools, grade spans, enrollment scale, and available school profiles before verifying local fit.
How many Wake County Schools schools have detailed profiles?
48 schools in this district currently link to detailed SchoolsByCounty profiles. Other schools remain listed with NCES directory fields.
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.