Wake STEM Early College High School

Wake STEM Early College High School is a micro-enrollment four-year high school in Cary, North Carolina, operated by Wake County Schools. The school works with 294 students in grades 9 through 13. By comparison, North Carolina's public schools average about 761 students each, so Wake STEM Early College High School sits 61% below that benchmark.

Wake County Schools runs 198 schools in total, collectively educating 163,176 students. Wake STEM Early College High School is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Wake STEM Early College High School reports that the largest single group is White at 33%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder reads as 29% Hispanic, 20% Asian, 14% Black, 4% multiracial. By comparison, Wake County as a whole is about 58% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Wake STEM Early College High School has 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 20.3:1. The state averages around 19.6:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 36% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Wake STEM Early College High School ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 67.9%; Wake STEM Early College High School posts 92.2%, +24.2 points above that line.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Wake County put the typical household earns roughly $105,768 per year, 57% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. In all, Wake County runs 237 public schools (combined enrollment of about 184,790 students), of which Wake STEM Early College High School is one.

The closest other public school is Crossroads FLEX, roughly 0.1 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Wake STEM Early College High School comes 1st of 6 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 51.2%.

The campus sits in a city-core setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Wake STEM Early College High School has expanded 18%, going from 249 students in 2018 to 294 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 55% to 33%. Class-load math has widened: from 17.1:1 in 2018 to 20.3:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.