The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in Math. The lowest is 77% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Alston Ridge Middle
Alston Ridge Middle is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Cary, North Carolina, within the Wake County Schools district. The school sits in a suburban Cary neighborhood in the Raleigh-Cary metro area, a setting shaped by Research Triangle Park's presence and decades of planned-unit development. The area is affluent, with a large Asian population and substantial representation of multiple other groups; the school's student body reflects that diversity.
The school enrolls a moderate number of students distributed fairly evenly across the three grades. About one in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The demographic composition is distinctive: a substantial majority of the enrollment is Asian, with white, Black, and Hispanic students making up the next largest shares. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners were not available.
Academically, Alston Ridge is performing at a strong level across the subjects tested. In mathematics, the vast majority of students scored at proficient or above on the state End-of-Grade Tests. In English language arts, a large share met proficiency. In science, proficiency was comparably high, though note that the science assessment itself changed this year, so historical trend comparison is not possible. These are solid results that place the school among capable middle schools in its peer set, and they reflect a school where the majority of students are meeting grade-level standards across core subjects.
Cary itself is a large, predominantly suburban municipality of the Raleigh-Cary metro, marked by planned-unit-development zoning, extensive master-planned residential neighborhoods, and a deliberate municipal focus on green space and appearance. The town has a walkable historic downtown core around Academy and Chatham Streets, anchored by the recently completed Downtown Cary Park, plus civic anchors like the Cary Regional Library and Cary Arts Center. Beyond that core, however, most neighborhoods and schools are separated suburban campuses within the town's roughly sixty square miles. SAS Institute, the world's largest privately held software company, is Cary's largest employer; Epic Games, Deutsche Bank, American Airlines, and other major corporations also operate there. The housing market in Cary's 27519 zip code is substantial and prices have remained stable relative to state and national benchmarks, though they remain high in absolute terms. Rents, while elevated, represent a smaller share of household income than home purchases do.
Wake County Schools has been in active construction and reassignment mode to absorb growth. A school bond approved in 2022 is funding five new schools and renovations at seven existing ones, paid for via a property tax increase. Recent reassignment waves have affected many schools; this is an ongoing reality for families choosing a Wake County neighborhood. The district adopted the Science of Reading approach across elementary schools and has mandated a new cellphone policy for the 2025-26 school year requiring students to keep phones silenced and stored away during the school day.
State testing data was the primary academic measure available. Enrollment and demographic data were reported. Information on special education enrollment rates, English learner rates, staff, programs, and school-level discipline or attendance was not provided. No trend data over multiple years was available due to assessment changes.
See more original research from School Decision →