Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Cary, North Carolina - 197 schools
An equity score of 42/100 ranks Wake County Schools #148 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,859 per pupil, Wake County Schools ranks #143 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Wake County Schools operates 197 public schools serving 159,778 students, placing it among the largest districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 109 combined, 40 middle, 33 high, 15 elementary schools, giving families in a major system a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a large portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Wake County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,859 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 28.9% local, 54.5% state, and 16.6% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 42/100, ranked #148 of 293 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 31 of 197 schools offering Advanced Placement (517 AP courses district-wide), a 351.2:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 25.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 38.9% White, 23.1% African American, 21.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Kingswood Elementary, with a diversity index of 76.8/100.
Its largest campus is Apex Friendship High, enrolling 2,748 students (2% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is River Oaks Middle, at 7 students, a 393x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Wake County Schools school enrollment ranges from 7 students (lowest) to 2,748 students (highest), a spread of 2,741 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Wake County Schools is typically wider than the Wake County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 197 schools in Wake County Schools.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Wake County Schools's schools, above the North Carolina average of 56.1.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The North Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Guilford County Schools | Smaller | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools | Smaller | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Cumberland County Schools | Smaller | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Union County Public Schools | Smaller | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Wake County Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools →Wake County Schools has 197 schools, including 33 high, 40 middle, 109 combined, 15 elementary. Total enrollment is 159,778 students.
Wake County Schools spends $11,859 per student. The district has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #148 in North Carolina.
Wake County Schools students are 38.9% White, 23.1% African American, 21.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, averaged across 197 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Wake County Schools has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #148 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.