About Us

Who We Are

Welcome to Wake Preparatory Academy

Tuition-Free K-12 Public Charter School located in the heart of Wake Forest, North Carolina

At Wake Preparatory Academy, we like to say school doesn’t end at the classroom door—it stretches into every hallway, every soccer practice, and every conversation at the curb after dismissal. Located in the heart of Wake Forest and proudly serving Louisburg, Youngsville, Franklinton, we’re committed to providing a supportive, vibrant, and academically enriching environment tailored to each student's unique potential.our campus blends rigorous coursework with the kind of day‑to‑day support that lets students try, stumble, and try again until they succeed.

What truly distinguishes us among local charter schools is our commitment to shared life: community first, character always, and parents as partners from day one. Whether you’re reading aloud in a kindergarten class, cheering beside us at a Friday‑night game, or lending your voice on the family advisory council, your involvement isn’t a side program—it’s woven into how we learn and grow together. Here, education is a team effort, and every family member has a seat at the table.

A modern brick and glass building stands under a clear blue sky, with a green lawn and white railings in the foreground.

K-12

Grades Served

Wake Forest, NC

Located in

Performance Grade Information

2025-2026 - 74% B
2024-2025 - 64% C
2023-2024 - 64% C
2022-2023 - 62% C

Our Vision

WPA welcomes a diverse student population and builds upon the shared virtues that have helped make our nation great; hard work, perseverance, integrity, civility, honesty, respect, honor, and kindness. These shared values are the foundation of our vision. We believe that all youth in our nation hold tremendous potential. Regardless of socioeconomic status or background, when students, taught by exceptional teachers, are given the tools and skills necessary to realize their potential they become empowered and can accomplish anything.

What We Model

At Wake Prep, parent involvement isn’t a sideline activity—it’s the heartbeat of our campus culture. When mothers, fathers, and guardians read aloud in kindergarten, cheer at a middle‑school debate, or chat with teachers during afternoon pickup, school starts to feel like an extension of home. That closeness keeps communication flowing in both directions, so wins are celebrated quickly and challenges are addressed before they grow. In turn, students see the adults in their lives—educators and family members—modeling respect, accountability, and service together, reinforcing the same positive values wherever they go. The result is a learning environment that nurtures both academic growth and personal character, giving every child the confidence to stretch, stumble, and soar.

Tuition-Free K-12 Charter School Education

Lower Campus (K-6)
Upper Campus (7-12)

Lower Campus (K-6)

Elementary School

Grades K-6

Students develop knowledge, literacy, mathematics, communication, problem-solving, character, and habits that later coursework will depend on. Wake Prep's academic approach includes Core Knowledge, Eureka Math, strong literacy and mathematics instruction, traditional classroom methods, and R.A.I.S.E. Leadership.

The campus also offers advanced learning opportunities through our AIG program for qualifying students.

Learn more about Wake Prep's Lower Campus →

Upper Campus (7-12)

Middle School & High School

Grades 7-12

Students balance coursework, teachers, activities, and deadlines while gaining access to advanced academic learning opportunities through Advanced Placement (AP), dual-enrollment, and specialized electives. Our student services team guide students to receive personalized graduation planning, career exploration, and academic counseling to ensure post-secondary readiness.

Students growth extends beyond the classrom through our extracurricular programs such as Athletics & Fine Arts.

Learn more about Wake Prep's Upper Campus →

Four smiling students sit and talk on blue picnic tables in a grassy outdoor area with a tree and a chain-link fence in the background.

Expanding the Walls of the Classroom to the Community and Homes

Character and integrity aren’t add‑ons to a child’s education—they’re the bedrock. That’s why we work so hard to keep our campus atmosphere positive and principled, the kind of place where students feel safe to stretch themselves and learn what real leadership looks like. In daily practice that means servant leadership woven through lessons, a uniform dress code that reminds everyone to take pride in their appearance and respect one another, and a code of conduct that applies as much to the adults as it does to the kids.

Leadership, of course, has to leave the classroom to matter. Each year our students step beyond the school gates to complete sixty hours of service that answer a genuine need in the community—tutoring younger children, organizing food drives, cleaning local parks. Those projects sharpen empathy, strengthen initiative, and show students firsthand how the virtues they study can change the world around them.

A young man in a red polo shirt sits at a desk in the foreground, while other students and a chalkboard are visible in the background of the classroom.

School, Home, and Community: One Connected Learning Space

At Wake Preparatory Academy, learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door—it flows through our hallways, out onto the athletic fields, and into living rooms across Franklin County. Our modern labs, performance spaces, and collaborative commons are more than eye‑catching facilities; they’re gathering points where students, teachers, and families team up to pursue shared goals. Spend a morning touring campus or cheering at a school event and you’ll see parents everywhere—mentoring in the makerspace, coaching on the sidelines, or chatting with teachers about a project that will spill over into dinner‑table conversation. That seamless partnership between home and school is woven into the fabric of our culture and stands at the heart of why Wake Prep has become a leading charter school in Wake Forest.

Now Enrolling for 2026-2027

Preschool through Grade 12 · Public Tuition-Free Charter School

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