Alston Ridge Elementary

Alston Ridge Elementary, a sprawling elementary-level community in Cary, North Carolina, overseen by Wake County Schools, enrolls 917 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 467 students per school, that is 96% above typical.

Alston Ridge Elementary is one of 198 schools operated by Wake County Schools, a district that works with 163,176 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Alston Ridge Elementary lists that the largest single group is Asian at 55%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder comes out to 19% White, 13% Black, 9% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 9% Asian, putting the school's mix visibly more Asian than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school employs 66 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.9:1. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 18% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Wake County (around 42%), the school's rate is south of typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Alston Ridge Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 73.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 72.3%.

In the broader community, census data for Wake County shows median household earnings sit near $105,768, roughly 57% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Alston Ridge Elementary is one of 237 public schools in Wake County (combined enrollment of about 184,790 students).

The closest other public school is Alston Ridge Middle, roughly 0.4 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Alston Ridge Elementary. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Alston Ridge Elementary ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 70.7%.

Alston Ridge Elementary operates from an inner-city location.

Looking at the recent track record. Alston Ridge Elementary's enrollment has ticked down 11% since 2018, when it stood at 1,029 (now 917). White enrollment moved from 30% to 19% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 16.4:1 in 2018 to 13.9:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.