Leadership
District profile / North Carolina
Wake County Schools
163,325
Students
2024-25 school year
198
Schools
2024-25 school year
$9,899
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 11% below the North Carolina median
15.3
Students per teacher
2024-25 · North Carolina median 15.7
Wake County Schools is a public school district based in Cary, North Carolina, serving 163,325 students in 198 schools. By enrollment it ranks #1 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, making it the largest in the state. Its schools average 825 students each, more than the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Dr Robert P Taylor. It spends about $9,899 per student on day-to-day operations, 11% less than the North Carolina median. It has roughly 15.3 students per teacher. We've matched 4 news stories to the district.
How Wake County compares
Wake CountyNorth Carolina median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$1.71 billion in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 7%State 61%Local 32%
| Measure | Wake County | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $9,899 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,701 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $1.90 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $1.71 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 10,648 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 15.3 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 332 | 358 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The North Carolina median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr Robert P Taylor
Source: NC Department of Public Instruction, EDDIE, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
4 stories matchedPeer districts in North Carolina
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County SchoolsCary · this district | 163,325 | 198 | $9,899 | 15.3 | #1 |
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg SchoolsCharlotte | 147,299 | 186 | $10,534 | 16.5 | #2 |
| Guilford County SchoolsGreensboro | 67,620 | 120 | $11,254 | 15.1 | #3 |
| Winston Salem / Forsyth County SchoolsWinston Salem | 52,430 | 81 | $10,626 | 14.2 | #4 |
| Cumberland County SchoolsFayetteville | 49,002 | 86 | $10,286 | 16.8 | #5 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County Public SchoolsFalls Church, VA | 179,323 | $16,976 | 13.3 |
| Houston ISDHouston, TX | 176,727 | $10,446 | 16.1 |
| Hawaii Department of EducationHonolulu, HI | 167,071 | $16,550 | 13.7 |
| Montgomery County Public SchoolsRockville, MD | 159,181 | $17,753 | 13.8 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-nc-wake-county-schools