Wake Forest High, 420 W. Stadium Drive: grades 9-12, 1,973 students in 2024-25, a B (75) state grade.

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website; the Wake County Public School System’s enrollment and calendar pages, base school lookup and draft 2027-28 enrollment plan; Wake County property records; 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.

Wake Forest High is a Wake County Public School System high school at 420 W. Stadium Drive, Wake Forest. In our Oct. 12 check of 1,000 homes spread across the Wake County part of Wake Forest, drawn from Wake County property records and run through the district’s base school lookup, 695 were assigned to Wake Forest High. The homes in our check assigned to Wake Forest High were assigned to Wake Forest Middle (592) or Heritage Middle (103). Its homepage says it set up the county’s first career and technical education Career Academy in 2002, offers 21 AP courses and 66 honors courses on a 4x4 block schedule, and is home to an Army JROTC unit, the Cougar Battalion.

Who to call
Address 420 W. Stadium Drive, Wake Forest, NC 27587
Phone 919-554-8611
Grades 9 to 12
District Wake County Public School System
Mascot Cougars
Calendar Traditional
State school code 920588

Principal

Principal Melissa Thomas, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

  • State count: an average daily membership of 1,973 students in the 2024-25 school year, down from 2,018 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
  • Federal count: 2,075 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 110 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 19 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 high school, achievement includes end-of-course tests, the ACT or WorkKeys, NC Math 3 and the four-year graduation rate.

School year Grade and score Growth
2024-25 B (75) Met
2023-24 B (77) Met

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 end-of-course tests: 66.5% (statewide: 59.6%)
  • College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 45.8%
  • Growth: exceeded expected growth
  • ACT composite of 17 or higher, 11th graders: 67.6% (statewide: 54.5%)
  • ACT or WorkKeys benchmark, 12th graders: 74.3%
  • Four-year graduation rate: 92.6% (statewide: 89%)

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

Attendance zone

WCPSS assigns every address a base elementary, middle and high school. Enter an address in the district’s base school lookup to see all three, or browse the base attendance area map. Zones do not follow town limits or mailing addresses. We did not find a published feeder list on the district’s enrollment pages, so the pairings above come from the lookup itself; Student Assignment, 919-431-7333, can confirm an address.

The list of proposed base area changes in the district’s draft 2027-28 enrollment plan, which the Board of Education is scheduled to vote on Nov. 17 after a public hearing Oct. 20, does not name Wake Forest High. None of the 1,000 Wake Forest homes in our check would change schools under the draft, according to the district’s proposal lookup.

Calendar and bell times

Wake Forest High follows the district’s traditional calendar. Coming dates on the 2026-27 traditional calendar (PDF):

  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: teacher workday, no school for students
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day holiday
  • Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break

Bell times: 7:20 a.m. to 2:13 p.m., according to the bell schedule posted on the school’s website.

Sports and activities

Wake Forest is a 7A school in the NCHSAA’s 6A/7A Conference C for the 2025-29 alignment, with East Wake, Heritage, Knightdale, Franklinton and Vance County, according to the approved realignment. The school’s homepage says its varsity football team won the 4-AA state championship in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The Cougars’ athletics website lists these teams:

  • Boys: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and wrestling
  • Girls: basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, gymnastics, indoor track, lacrosse, soccer, softball, stunt, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball and wrestling
  • Coed: competitive cheerleading, swimming and track

Fall schedules and results are in our Friday night football guide and on our scoreboard.

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Frequently asked questions

What grades does Wake Forest High serve?

Wake Forest High serves ninth grade through 12th grade.

What is Wake Forest High’s school grade?

Wake Forest High earned a B, with a score of 75, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 66.5% of its state tests were at grade level or above and it exceeded its growth target.

What time does Wake Forest High start?

The school day runs 7:20 a.m. to 2:13 p.m., according to the school’s website.

What conference is Wake Forest High in?

Wake Forest is a 7A school in the NCHSAA’s 6A/7A Conference C for the 2025-29 alignment, with East Wake, Heritage, Knightdale, Franklinton and Vance County.

How do I know if my address is zoned for Wake Forest High?

Enter the address in the Wake County Public School System’s base school lookup, or call Student Assignment at 919-431-7333. Zones do not follow town limits.