This is a list of schools operated by the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Wake County, North Carolina. As of the 2025âÂÂ26 school year, WCPSS is responsible for more than 161,115 students across 203 schools, making them the largest school system in the state as of 2025, and the 14th-largest in the United States as of the newest statistics from 2021. Across these schools, WCPSS maintains a staff of 20,060 including 10,840 teachers: of whom 41.56% have advanced degrees and 1,384 are National Board-certified teachers. Additionally, 56,227 of the students within WCPSS are part of a Free or Reduced-price Lunch (FRL) program, 20,829 are part of a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) program, and 20,511 are part of a Special education program. Finally, the budget for WCPSS exceeds $2.23 billon, totaling to about $13,460 per student.
The Wake County Public School System was founded on July 1, 1976, after the merger of the two segregated school systems operating in the county named Wake County Schools and Raleigh City Schools. The effort to desegregate the county was aided by the opening of the county's first magnet school the following year in Raleigh, in an initial attempt to encourage white students to learn in the majority-black Raleigh area. WCPSS has since become notable for its integration efforts, being used as a metaphor for hope by Professor Gerald Grant of Syracuse University in his 2009 book '. Today, WCPSS is adapting to a rapidly-growing population in the county, opening one new high school and three new elementary schools for the 2025âÂÂ26 school year. WCPSS also faces challenges in the form of major cuts in federal funding, being one of the worst impacted school systems in the country after decisions from President Trump, and their approach to the use of artificial intelligence in education, for which the system supports at least partially.
The school directory below is current as of the newest statistics from the 2024âÂÂ25 school year, and is collected through a number of sources including primary and secondary lists. The tables are divided between sections for high school, middle school, elementary school, and other public schools still under WCPSS. Within each table is the name of school, the city they're located in, their school type (which can be either traditional, magnet, or early college), grade levels, calendar (which can either be traditional, year-round, or modified calendar), total students, percent of students on Free or Reduced-price Lunch (FRL), percent of students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and their Title I status. Among other reasons, these metrics were chosen as they are the ones outlined by WCPSS in their yearly report and likewise are the most important to the county.
Below is the current list of public high schools administered by WCPSS as of the 2024âÂÂ2025 school year. The table values for "City" are sourced from U.S. News & World Report, "School type" from the WCPSS Magnet and Early Colleges Directory, and the remaining information from the WCPSS 2024âÂÂ2025 Districts Facts Report. Any additional references used are listed on the right end of the table.
Below is the current list of public middle schools administered by WCPSS as of the 2024âÂÂ2025 school year. The table values for "City" are sourced from U.S. News & World Report, "School type" from the WCPSS Magnet and Early Colleges Directory, and the remaining information from the WCPSS 2024âÂÂ2025 Districts Facts Report. Any additional references used are listed on the right end of the table.
Below will be the current list of public elementary schools administered by WCPSS as of the 2024âÂÂ2025 school year. The table values for "City" are sourced from U.S. News & World Report, "School type" from the WCPSS Magnet and Early Colleges Directory, and the remaining information from the WCPSS 2024âÂÂ2025 Districts Facts Report. Any additional references used are listed on the right end of the table.
Below is the current list of other public schools which do not fall in one of the above grade classifications, administered by WCPSS as of the 2024âÂÂ25 school year. The table values for "City" are sourced from U.S. News & World Report, "School type" from the previous source and the WCPSS Magnet and Early Colleges Directory, and the remaining information from the WCPSS 2024âÂÂ25 Districts Facts Report. Any additional references used are listed on the right end of the table.