2023 Best Public Middle Schools in Wake County

• Raleigh, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Parent: My son has been a student since kindergarten... Quest Academy offers the best education in available in a public school setting. He is at least two years ahead of the average student in NC for his grade level academically. I plan for him to finish through the 8th grade... Quest was the BEST decision we ever made!... Read 1 review

• grade A+

• Students 140

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Wake Forest, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 3.25 out of 5  4 reviews

Parent: Teachers and administrators are the best in Wake County. School community is active and engaged. Our three girls have had the best experience at Endeavor.... Read 4 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 536

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Raleigh, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: We have had a fantastic experience at Exploris. We had two kids start when they expanded to elementary in 2014 and my youngest was lucky enough to start there in K. My oldest has since moved on to HS (for which she was extremely well prepared) and still says she misses Exploris. The culture and community at the school are warm and welcoming. They are making a real effort to become more diverse, which can be hard for charters without funds for transportation. The curriculum is project or theme based, so that content is linked to real life, particularly in the middle school. My kids have done great academically, but we've really enjoyed the "whole child" education approach. It is turning my children into compassionate, kind thinkers that will see problems around them and feel empowered to tackle them. If you're looking for a ton of sports, Exploris is not for you, but my kids have enjoyed club offerings and enrichment classes through Explorations.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 453

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Morrisville, NC•

• Public School•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: We have had two children (K-8th) that have benefitted from the wonderful atmosphere at Sterling. The teachers are amazing and provide a safe and nurturing environment that allows each student to live up to their potential. One of the best decision we ever made!... Read 2 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 616

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Raleigh, NC•

• Public School•

• 3-8

• •
  Rating 3.43 out of 5  14 reviews

Niche User: I like the small classes, it helps with focused studies. They can somehow cram all that knowledge but make it feel like a game of paper. The diversity has risen over the years, and lots of the kids are nice. It helps prepare students for upcoming years and incorporates all of the "specials" and "electives" into the classes or you can sign up for an after school activity. You get to bring your own food which helps with allergy and health worries from stressed parents. I've seen two very nice janitors and lots of encouraging words all around. Thank you Magellan Charter for being a great school.... Read 14 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 405

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Wake Forest, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  4 reviews

Parent: We’re in our 5th year at ESA! My daughter loves being an Eagle! Her 3rd and 5th grades were amazing with some of the best educators pouring knowledge and passion for learning into each student. Project-based learning is so effective, relevant and transferable to trade or higher education. Highly recommend!... Read 4 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 726

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Cary, NC•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.61 out of 5  33 reviews

Senior: Overall, fairly good school. Good academics (offers all non-obscure APs in HS) with strong teachers in all your core classes. More flexibility than most schools, very accommodating of students charting their own course through taking advanced classes. Never felt unsafe. Prepares you well for college. It's a smaller STEM school, so sports are middling. You'd think the clubs would be strong, and they can be, but only when students or parents take initiative/leadership and take over the club. When this happens, strong resources are provided. When it doesn't, clubs fall into disrepair until another leader comes along. The schools weakest point is admin, which seems to be quite bad. Teacher management is bad: I've seen teachers dealing with unreasonable/confusing demands, and more than one leave because of it. Perhaps the biggest manifestation of this is that the school is currently too small for how many students it has. A second school has been promised for years and is needed.... Read 33 reviews

• grade A

• Students 946

• Student-teacher ratio 27:1

• Holly Springs, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: Pine Springs offers one of the most rich curriculum experiences I have seen in any elementary school. My children come home teaching me something new every day. The board truly listens to parent input. The PTO is top notch. We have been thoroughly pleased with the rich education our children are receiving at PSPA.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 825

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Cary, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 3.75 out of 5  4 reviews

• grade A

• Students 915

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Apex, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 1.67 out of 5  6 reviews

• grade A

• Students 773

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• grade A

• Students 1,288

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.22 out of 5  9 reviews

Freshman: I went to Davis Drive Middle School all three years of middle school. There were some really nice teachers who really cared about the students. If you like joining clubs, Davis Drive is a great school because there are a variety of clubs to choose from. There were also very organized Mathcounts and Science Olympiad clubs. Overall I would recommend this school.... Read 9 reviews

• grade A

• Students 911

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Wake Forest, NC•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.99 out of 5  238 reviews

Senior: Throughout my experience as a student in Franklin Academy I can truly say that this school made the biggest impact on my life academically, in sports and my personal life itself. This school gives out so many opportunities to better our chances into getting scholarships and get into out dream colleges. And what is even better is that this is for everyone including underclassman. Not only do they do this but compared to other high schools in North Carolina, Franklin Academy is the only school who teaches us to advocate for ourselves and encourage us to seek out as many opportunities as possible. Overall I give this school a 5 star rating!... Read 238 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,650

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.38 out of 5  8 reviews

Niche User: Mills Park is a wonderful school! The teachers and students have a special kind of relationship, not to mention the school spirit is amazing! The teachers are very good in making sure that students ask questions and they understand that some students take longer to understand than others. The diversity is great and they have a variety of sports to offer.... Read 8 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,639

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.82 out of 5  22 reviews

Freshman: Overall, Martin is a great school. The elective choices are amazing (lots of variety). The performing arts at Martin are especially good, with classes like Honors Chorus getting to skip days of school and sometimes travel around the country performing. The quality of the teachers, the classes, and the programs are top-notch here. However, a lot of students do vape. There are a big bunch of kids here that you could consider as "in the hood". The teachers usually do not catch students vaping or sometimes doing drugs. I found myself in a friend group that had really supportive and amazing people. As long as you find your tribe and take advantage of the vast variety of opportunities here, you will come out with an extremely enriching experience.... Read 22 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,009

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 2.83 out of 5  6 reviews

Middle School Student: Fabulous. I've been incredibly impressed with the Carnage Middle School .Currently I am an 8th Student and this school has given me several opportunities to grow in several area. Be it science, music,art, business,community contribution, Carnage has activities and clubs which support all of it.My teachers were really supportive and very keen in our transition to high school.... Read 6 reviews

• grade A

• Students 914

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 2 out of 5  4 reviews

Parent: Pine hollow middle school has been a good school for my daughter who is transitioning from another state, emotionally she has received a lot of support but academically I think they should do better. After this pandemic many students are struggling not only emotionally but also in their classes.... Read 4 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,026

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: I am entering my last year at Ligon middle school. Ligon has a great academic and arts program. My love of Poetry and Writing was one thing that I really got to expand on during my two years at the school. My passion for singing also played a big role in my overall experience at Ligon with the best teacher I could ever ask for. One thing I would love to change is the layout of the school. All of my core classes are on the same side of the school, but on the opposite side are all of the arts classes, auditorium and the gym. Because we have extremely crowded hallways and over 800 students traveling through them navigating the halls becomes very difficult and usually results in many people being late to class.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 971

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  3 reviews

Middle School Student: Lufkin has a great learning environment and teachers who help push you to get better. The actual school facility however is really bad. There is no track or stage or auditorium and the classrooms and hallways are cramped, and there are almost no windows to let in light.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,134

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.14 out of 5  7 reviews

Middle School Student: I really like Salem middle school. The teachers are all very wonderful and understanding, and I have really enjoyed attending school here.... Read 7 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,044

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.83 out of 5  6 reviews

High School Sophomore: I love this school. Some of my fondest memories come from here. I don't regret a second of it... Read 6 reviews

• grade A

• Students 940

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.15 out of 5  20 reviews

Alum: I enjoyed going to Heritage Middle School, I only went for 2 years but I made some great friends and had some awesome teachers!... Read 20 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,206

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Wake Forest, NC•

• Public School•

• K-8

• grade A

• Students 767

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.13 out of 5  32 reviews

Alum: My experience at WYWLA was amazing. I was welcomed into the OWL family in the 7th grade and although I came a year late, my peers and the faculty made me feel right at home. Without WYWLA, I wouldn't be the woman I am today. Due to attending WYWLA, my transition into college happened smoothly and I already had the college "feel" due to the early college program that the school offers. I would definitely recommend this school for girls to attend because its a great recourse and experience.... Read 32 reviews

• grade A

• Students 369

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Wake County Schools, NC•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 2.67 out of 5  3 reviews

Middle School Student: I think this school has taught me so much and I love the teachers and the friendly environment. This school has taught me many things such as respect, Kindness, discipline. I enjoy going here... Read 3 reviews

• grade A

• Students 864

• Student-teacher ratio 17:1