Enrollment
534
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Holly Springs, NC
Southern Wake Academy
Federal NCES profile for Southern Wake Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370011402554Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Wake Academy earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina schools.
- #5 of 5
- schools in Holly Springs · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.9:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 534
- students enrolled
Southern Wake Academy has class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Wake Academy ranks #5 of 5 schools in Holly Springs, NC.
School address
District: Southern Wake Academy · North Carolina
NCES ID 370011402554 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Wake Academy compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Wake Academy
Southern Wake Academy is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Holly Springs, North Carolina, enrolling 534 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.9:1, Southern Wake Academy is leaner than roughly 92% of North Carolina schools and 31% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
With 534 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 534 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Holly Springs's public schools, it stands alongside Buckhorn Creek Elementary (905 students): Southern Wake Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.9:1 vs 16.5:1).
Southern Wake Academy is a single-school charter district, so Southern Wake Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Southern Wake Academy compares
Southern Wake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.9:1 | ▼ 31% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 534 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
534
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 8% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,016
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 534 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.9 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 65.7%
Hispanic or Latino 11.0%
African American 10.3%
Two or More 9.7%
Asian 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 65.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.5, Southern Wake Academy is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Wake Academy, which includes Southern Wake Academy.
$12,016
Per student
0%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.5%
State 69.0%
Federal 10.5%
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.
Similar other schools in Holly Springs
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Buckhorn Creek Elementary
Standard public school
905 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Holly Grove Elementary
Standard public school
889 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Holly Springs Elementary
Standard public school
751 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Holly Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
735 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~534 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Wake Academy's federal record.
- Compare Southern Wake Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Southern Wake Academy'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 Southern Wake Academy
How many students attend Southern Wake Academy?
Southern Wake Academy has 534 students enrolled. It is a public school in Holly Springs, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Wake Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Wake Academy is 10.9:1, which is 31% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Wake Academy?
The largest demographic group at Southern Wake Academy is White at 65.7% of enrollment, in Holly Springs, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Wake Academy?
Southern Wake Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Southern Wake Academy rank among schools in Holly Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Wake Academy ranks #5 of 5 schools in Holly Springs, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Holly Springs on the city page.
Is Southern Wake Academy a good school?
Southern Wake Academy earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina schools. 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 Southern Wake Academy?
None; Southern Wake Academy is a single-school charter district, and Southern Wake Academy is its only campus.
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.