Public schools in Wake Forest, NC
Wake Forest has 15 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 2 middle, 8 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 15,492 students. They are run by 7 districts and agencies; Wake County Public School System runs 9 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 7 districts and agencies that run Wake Forest's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Wake Forest | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County Public School System | 9 | 159,778 | $11,691 |
| Wake Preparatory Academy | 1 | 1,961 | $9,113 |
| Franklin Academy | 1 | 1,651 | $8,437 |
| Endeavor Charter School | 1 | 767 | $10,520 |
| Envision Science Academy | 1 | 741 | $9,603 |
| Casa Esperanza Montessori | 1 | 615 | $12,000 |
| Wake Forest Charter Academy | 1 | 636 | $10,642 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
3 high schools in Wake Forest, 4,167 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest High School | 2,043 | 18.8 | 28.6% | Wake County Public School System |
| Heritage High | 1,778 | 18.3 | 25.5% | Wake County Public School System |
| North Wake College and Career Academy | 346 | 17.9 | 33.2% | Wake County Public School System |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 middle schools in Wake Forest, 1,825 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Middle | 947 | 16.2 | 14.9% | Wake County Public School System |
| Wake Forest Middle School | 878 | 16.0 | 54.2% | Wake County Public School System |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
8 elementary schools in Wake Forest, 5,223 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endeavor Charter School | 799 | 15.5 | not reported | Endeavor Charter School |
| Envision Science Academy | 759 | 13.3 | not reported | Envision Science Academy |
| Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School | 752 | 18.8 | not reported | Casa Esperanza Montessori |
| Wake Forest Charter Academy | 650 | 18.9 | 40.3% | Wake Forest Charter Academy |
| Heritage Elementary | 634 | 15.5 | 28.4% | Wake County Public School System |
| Jones Dairy Elementary | 627 | 16.6 | 13.4% | Wake County Public School System |
| Richland Creek Elementary | 558 | 15.6 | 38.5% | Wake County Public School System |
| Wake Forest Elementary | 444 | 11.8 | 43.2% | Wake County Public School System |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 other schools in Wake Forest, 4,277 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Preparatory Academy | 2,617 | 21.5 | 27.5% | Wake Preparatory Academy |
| Franklin Academy | 1,660 | 13.3 | not reported | Franklin Academy |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Wake Forest's public schools compare with North Carolina's
The median Wake Forest school has 16.2 students per full-time teacher, more than the North Carolina median of 15.4. 14% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 55% across the state. Its median school enrolls 759 students (state 497).
| Wake Forest | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 16.2 | 15.4 |
| Median school size (students) | 759 | 497 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 14% | 55% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 0% |
| Charter schools | 40% | 7.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 15 Wake Forest schools and the 2,653 North Carolina schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Wake Forest
- Wake County Public School SystemRuns 9 of Wake Forest's 15 public schools and spent $11,691 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,691
- Wake Forest High School, the largest high school in Wake Forest2,043 students in 2024-25, 18.8 per teacher.2,043
- Compare Wake County Public School System with Wake Preparatory AcademyWake Forest's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in North CarolinaNorth Carolina's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Wake Forest addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in North Carolina
- Charlotte173 schools
- Raleigh99 schools
- Greensboro79 schools
- Durham68 schools
- Fayetteville68 schools
- Winston Salem64 schools
- Wilmington44 schools
- Concord35 schools
Questions about schools in Wake Forest
How many public schools are in Wake Forest, NC?
15 public schools with an address in Wake Forest were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 2 middle, 8 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 15,492 students. 6 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Wake Forest?
Wake Forest High School, with 2,043 students in 2024-25 (Wake County Public School System).Which districts run Wake Forest's schools?
Wake County Public School System (9 schools), Wake Preparatory Academy (1 school), Franklin Academy (1 school), Endeavor Charter School (1 school), and 3 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25