Franklin Academy, Wake Forest: admission and report card

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website and admission page; the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2024-25 report card data and 2025-26 school assessment workbook; the federal NCES school directory; and the NCHSAA’s 2025-29 realignment.

Franklin Academy is a tuition-free public charter school for kindergarten through 12th grade. It says it was founded in 1998 as one of North Carolina’s first 100 charter schools and is overseen by its own board, with no management company, according to its website. It teaches on three Wake Forest campuses: kindergarten to second grade at 604 S. Franklin St. (919-554-4911), third to eighth grade at 1127 Chalk Road (919-570-8262) and ninth to 12th grade at 648 Flaherty Ave. (919-453-5090). The state lists the school at the Chalk Road address. It is not part of the Wake County Public School System: it has no attendance zone, and students are admitted by application and lottery.

Who to call

• Front office: 919-570-8262, 1127 Chalk Road
• School website: franklinacademy.org
• Admission: the school’s admission page
• Zoned WCPSS school for an address: the district’s base school lookup

Enrollment and teachers

• State count: an average daily membership of 1,647 students in the 2024-25 school year, up from 1,639 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
• Federal count: 1,652 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 118 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 14 students per teacher.

State report card

North Carolina grades every public school, charter schools included, A to F. The grade is based 80% on student achievement and 20% on academic growth, according to the state’s 2025-26 annual testing report. For a school that runs from kindergarten to 12th grade, achievement includes the end-of-grade tests in the lower grades and, in the high school grades, end-of-course tests, the ACT or WorkKeys, NC Math 3 and the graduation rate.

The 2024-25 grade is the latest in the state’s downloadable report card data. The state released 2025-26 test results in September 2026; from its 2025-26 school assessment workbook:

• At grade level or above, all state tests: 87.3% (statewide: 59.2%)
• College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 64.4%
• Growth: exceeded expected growth
• Reading, grades 3 to 8: 82.2% at grade level or above; math: 88.5%
• ACT composite of 17 or higher, 11th graders: 91.3% (statewide: 54.5%)
• ACT or WorkKeys benchmark, 12th graders: 93%
• Four-year graduation rate: above 95% (statewide: 89%); the state masks figures above 95%

The full report card, with class sizes, teacher data and school safety figures, is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site.

Admission

Franklin Academy admits by public lottery. Applicants must live in North Carolina during the open application period, and kindergartners must turn 5 by Aug. 31. Siblings of current students get first preference in a separate sibling lottery, and children of full-time employees and board members are admitted automatically up to 15% of enrollment, according to the school’s lottery information page. Waiting lists do not carry over from year to year.

The school’s timeline for 2027-28:

• Open houses: Dec. 7 (grades 9-12), Dec. 8 (K-2) and Dec. 9 (grades 3-8), and again Jan. 11, 12 and 14, 2027, each 6 to 7 p.m.
• Lottery: 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2027, at the high school, 648 Flaherty Ave., open to the public
• Results mailed: Feb. 26, 2027
• Admissions paperwork due: April 12, 2027

District attendance zones do not apply. To find the WCPSS school an address is zoned for instead, use the district’s base school lookup.

Calendar and bell times

Franklin Academy sets its own calendar, separate from the district’s. Coming dates on its 2026-27 calendar (PDF), a year-round schedule with three-week breaks:

• Monday, Oct. 12: students return from fall track-out
• Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day holiday
• Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
• Dec. 19 to Jan. 10: three-week winter break

Sports and activities

Franklin Academy is a 2A school in the NCHSAA’s 1A/2A/3A Conference A for the 2025-29 alignment, with East Wake Academy, Raleigh Charter, Research Triangle, Roxboro Community, Triangle Math and Science, Voyager Academy, Neuse Charter and NCSSM (Durham), according to the approved realignment. Its teams are the Patriots.

The school’s athletics page lists these teams:

• Fall: soccer, volleyball, golf, cross country, tennis and competitive cheerleading
• Winter: basketball, indoor track, swimming and competitive cheerleading
• Spring: baseball, softball, tennis, soccer, golf and track

Area results are on our scoreboard.

More

• The school’s own website
• Every public school in Wake Forest, with zones and report cards
• Our Wake Forest schools guide for district calendars, enrollment dates and the school board

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Franklin Academy serve?

Franklin Academy serves kindergarten through 12th grade. It is a tuition-free public charter school, not part of WCPSS.

What is Franklin Academy’s school grade?

Franklin Academy earned an A, with a score of 85, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 87.3% of its state tests were at grade level or above and it exceeded its growth target.

What conference is Franklin Academy in?

Franklin Academy is a 2A school in the NCHSAA’s 1A/2A/3A Conference A for the 2025-29 alignment, with East Wake Academy, Raleigh Charter, Research Triangle, Roxboro Community, Triangle Math and Science, Voyager Academy, Neuse Charter and NCSSM (Durham).

How do I get into Franklin Academy?

Franklin Academy fills seats by public lottery, with sibling preference. The 2027-28 lottery is at 9 a.m. Feb. 9, 2027, at its high school campus.