The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Math. The lowest is 70% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Alston Ridge Elementary
Alston Ridge Elementary is a public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Cary, North Carolina, and is part of Wake County Schools. The school is located on Green Level Church Road in a suburban setting characteristic of Cary's planned residential developments, a short drive from the school's neighborhoods.
The school serves a student population that is substantially Asian, with meaningful representation from white, Black, and Hispanic students, a composition reflecting Cary's multicultural character shaped by major employers like SAS Institute and Epic Games. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment is healthy and stable, with grades fairly well distributed across the elementary band.
In state testing, Alston Ridge's results show above-average performance. In mathematics, the school's proficiency rate sits solidly above the midpoint for a school of its size and grade band. Reading and language arts proficiency is strong, though slightly lower than math. Science testing was administered to a smaller subset of students; that proficiency rate is respectable, though note that the state changed the science assessment and cut scores this year, so trend comparison is not yet reliable. Overall, the school is holding its students to a strong academic standard in the fundamentals.
Cary itself is a large, predominantly suburban municipality in the Raleigh-Cary metro with a population that has grown substantially over decades. The town combines a historic, walkable downtown core around Academy and Chatham Streets—with parks, shops, and civic anchors like the Cary Regional Library and the Cary Arts Center—with extensive master-planned residential neighborhoods elsewhere. Most schools sit on separate suburban campuses within neighborhoods rather than near the downtown. Cary has invested heavily in green space and walkability, with over 80 miles of greenway and on-road bike facilities; the town is designated a Silver Walk Friendly Community. Recent development includes the new Downtown Cary Park, the mixed-use Fenton development, and an active affordable-housing pipeline. Housing values in the 27519 zip code are substantial, though down slightly year-over-year; median rent is also notable for the market. A parent considering a move to support Alston Ridge should expect a suburban, car-oriented setting with a strong job market and a town that deliberates heavily on quality of life and appearance.
Within Wake County Schools, important district-wide changes affect all families. The district has overhauled K–5 reading instruction to the Science of Reading approach, with all PreK–5 teachers completing state-mandated LETRS training. This is foundational pedagogy shift in early literacy. Large-scale student reassignments have continued to address growth and open new schools; a November 2025 plan affects multiple schools and takes effect in 2026–27, though most affected families are eligible for a stability transfer if they wish to remain. A voters-approved school construction bond approved in 2022 is funding five new schools and renovations at seven existing schools, supported by a property-tax increase. Additionally, Wake adopted a district-wide cellphone policy effective 2025–26: elementary and middle school students must keep phones silenced and stored away all day. These changes ripple across the district and affect where children attend school, what families pay in taxes, how early literacy is taught, and daily school routines.
Special populations enrollment data—including counts of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners—was not available in the school's publicly reported information. A parent seeking detail on how the school serves students with IEPs or those learning English as an additional language may want to reach out to the school directly. Staffing, discipline, attendance, and course-access details were also not included in the available data. The school's website may carry additional detail on these areas.
See more original research from School Decision →