Enrollment
8
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Cary, NC
Connections Academy
Federal NCES profile for Connections Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370472003445
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 98
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Connections Academy earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- #1 of 7
- middle schools in Cary · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 85.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 8
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Connections Academy ranks #1 of 7 middle schools in Cary, NC.
School address
District: Wake County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370472003445 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Free-lunch eligible
85.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+30% vs state
What stands out at Connections Academy
Connections Academy is a high-poverty, small middle school in Cary, North Carolina, enrolling 8 students.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.7% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of North Carolina schools, with 8 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (38%) (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 8 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 41 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 8 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Cary's middle schools, it stands alongside Mills Park Middle (1,632 students): Connections Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students) and Enloe High (2,643 students) alongside Connections Academy.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Connections Academy compares
Connections Academy on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.7% | ▲ 30% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 8 | top 100% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8
Bigger than 1% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Funding equity
$11,859
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 8 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 200.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 512.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 37.5%
Hispanic or Latino 37.5%
African American 25.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 37.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.6, Connections Academy is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wake County Schools, which includes Connections Academy.
$11,859
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 54.5%
Federal 16.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Connections Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Friendship High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Enloe High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Panther Creek High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Millbrook High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Apex High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Connections Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,748
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,643
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,609
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,498
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,449
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar middle schools in Cary
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Mills Park Middle
Standard public school
1,632 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Alston Ridge Middle
Standard public school
1,494 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Davis Drive Middle
Standard public school
992 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
West Cary Middle
Standard public school
824 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Reedy Creek Middle
Standard public school
805 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
East Cary Middle
Standard public school
597 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Connections Academy's federal record.
- Compare Connections Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Wake County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Connections Academy
How many students attend Connections Academy?
Connections Academy has 8 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Cary, NC.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Connections Academy?
85.7% of students at Connections Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Connections Academy?
The largest demographic group at Connections Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 37.5% of enrollment, in Cary, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Connections Academy?
Connections Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Connections Academy rank among middle schools in Cary?
By Resource Investment Index, Connections Academy ranks #1 of 7 middle schools in Cary, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Cary on the city page.
Is Connections Academy a good school?
Connections Academy earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Wake County Schools?
Besides Connections Academy, Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students), Enloe High (2,643 students), and Panther Creek High (2,609 students). See the Wake County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.