Charter School

Southern Wake Academy

grade B minus
Overall Grade
Public, Charter
6-12
HOLLY SPRINGS, NC
Rating 3.67 out of 5 92 reviews

COVID-19 Update for Prospective Students and Families:

Southern Wake Academy pursues daily its concurrent commitment to optimizing community safety while pursuing and realizing new learning and achievement horizons. All educators and students make vital, proactive contributions to ongoing, policy driven protocols affirming Center for Disease Control (CDC) standards. A standing Safety Team leads implementation of all Covid-19 procedures.

B minus

Overall Niche Grade

How are grades calculated?Data Sources

Academics
grade B minus
Diversity
grade B
Teachers
grade B+
College Prep
grade B minus
Clubs & Activities
grade C minus
Administration
grade B minus
Sports
grade C minus
Food
grade A
Resources & Facilities
grade B

swake.org

(919) 567-9955

5108 OLD POWELL RD
HOLLY SPRINGS, NC 27540

About Southern Wake Academy...

North Carolina

Enrolling

Grades

6-12

Students

775

From Southern Wake Academy

Established in 1999, Southern Wake Academy (SWA) is one of the most sought after tuition-free, public charter school for middle and high school grades in Wake County.

Southern Wake Academy utilizes an integrated, community-based curriculum to sustain a challenging and supporting learning environment for students of all abilities, including academically gifted (AG) and exceptional children (EC). SWA follows the North Carolina Standard Course of Study with the added benefits of smaller student-to-teacher ratios, close-knit advisory program, individual portfolio reviews, community service in a variety of community settings, job shadows, senior internship program, and honors classes.

Southern Wake Academy Rankings

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Academics

Percent Proficient - Reading

50%

Percent Proficient - Math

37%

Average Graduation Rate

87%

Average SAT

1140

29 responses

Average ACT

48 responses

AP Enrollment

Niche College Admissions Calculator

Popular Colleges

Niche users from this school are most interested in the following colleges.

grade A
North Carolina State University
64 Students
grade B+
Appalachian State University
38 Students
grade B
East Carolina University
32 Students
grade A+
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
32 Students
grade B+
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
26 Students
grade B+
University of North Carolina - Wilmington
26 Students
grade B minus
Campbell University
23 Students
grade B minus
Wake Technical Community College
19 Students
grade A
Clemson University
15 Students
grade B
Western Carolina University
15 Students

More About Southern Wake Academy Academics

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A+

Overall Niche Grade

How are grades calculated?Data Sources

Cost of Living
grade C+
Good for Families
grade A+
Housing
grade A

Median Household Income

$88,471

National

$69,021

Median Rent

$1,276

National

$1,163

Median Home Value

$324,500

National

$244,900

Culture & Safety

Poll

86%

of students agree that they feel safe at their school. 7 responses

Poll

of students agree that they like their school and feel happy there. 7 responses

Poll

What are your favorite school events or traditions?

Based on 10 responses

Dress down days
40%
Graduation
20%
None
10%
Prom
10%
Soccer games
10%
Spirit Week
10%

Students

Diversity

Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses on school culture and diversity from students and parents.

Students

775

Free or Reduced Lunch

67%

of students and parents agree that students at this school are competitive. 12 responses

58%

of students and parents agree that students at this school are creative and artsy. 12 responses

75%

of students and parents agree that students at this school are athletic. 12 responses

Teachers

Student-Teacher Ratio

16:1

National

17:1

Average Teacher Salary

Teachers in First/Second Year

25.6%

20%

of students and parents agree that the teachers give engaging lessons. 10 responses

100%

of students and parents agree that the teachers genuinely care about the students. 10 responses

40%

of students and parents agree that the teachers adequately lead and control the classroom. 10 responses

Clubs & Activities

C minus

Based on student and parent reviews of clubs and activities.

Girls Athletic Participation

Very Low

Boys Athletic Participation

Low

Expenses Per Student

National

$12,239

36%

of students and parents agree that there are plenty of clubs and organizations for students to get involved in. 11 responses

27%

of students and parents agree that clubs and organizations get the funding they need. 11 responses

27%

of students and parents agree that lots of students participate in clubs and organizations. 11 responses

Southern Wake Academy Reviews

92 reviews

Positives: because it's such a small school, it harbors a close-knit community of teachers and students who've known each other for a long time(especially if you start in middle school); most of the teachers seem to actually enjoy their job and try to make lessons engaging; the administration does not shy away from discussing serious topics such as child abuse, bullying, or school shootings; in conclusion, everyone seems pretty chill and minds their own business. Negatives: many students have complained about the lack of options in courses, leading to a lot of students transferring schools; I've seen one or two teachers complain about how the administration is run, in front of students. Overall, this school is much better than the previous schools I've attended but it still has room for improvement.

Southern Wake Academy was a great school for me, but most likely wouldn't be for most people. The teachers and faculty are mediocre at best, but there were a few in the past that were diamonds among the rough. The available education is not the best, and the building was also sub-par. But Southern Wake Academy does have its small size going for it. My class was only 72 people, which made it very easy to get to know everyone, and have a close-knit group of friends that I still stay in touch with to this day. I loved this school due to my experiences at it, but I know I would've had a better education and maybe even a more pleasant experience elsewhere.

Southern Wake Academy's academics were decent, they had many electives and classes that they could possibly manage. But, the way the teachers handled their students was not well maintained. Some students did whatever they wanted, while others got severely punished. The teachers did a decent job teaching, although there were many cases where unqualified teachers got the job. The school board itself did not listen to the students and parents very well, it took direct threats to the board in order for them to follow up issues. The atmosphere itself was good, and there were not many bully cases. However, even when these did take place, the school failed to properly resolve these issues.

COVID-19 Update for Prospective Students and Families:

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