EDUCATION

Education

First Public High School

At the turn of the century, Cary High School was a well-known boarding school for young people from up and down the Eastern Seaboard. The school that sat at the end of Academy Street was the life of the community, and the commencements were marked by day-long events that featured picnics on the grounds. Hundreds of young people, both Cary natives and out-of-towners, walked through the hallways of that school over the years, and Cary streets bear the names of beloved principals like Dry and Middleton. By 1907, Cary High had earned the distinction of becoming the state's first public high school.

Innovation in Education

While Cary may have changed a great deal throughout the 20th century, its commitment, interest and support of education remains strong. Wake County is well known for its innovation in education, and magnet schools are among the country's best success stories. Offering programs in international studies, language arts and communications, gifted and talented, and classical studies, as well as extended day and year-round programs, magnet schools give parents choices.

Quality Public Schools

Year-round education is another state first for Cary. When Kingswood Elementary opened in July, 1989, it was the first year-round school in North Carolina and the nation's only year-round magnet. While Kingswood today is no longer a year-round school, four of the seven Wake County year-round programs are in the Cary-Apex area. For high school students with advanced skills and motivation, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is but a few minutes away in Durham, and Cary is generally represented there each fall.

Colleges and Universities

Quality public schools are only part of Cary's education story. Located in the heart of the Triangle, Cary is conveniently accessible to all 10 Triangle colleges and universities, including major insititutions like N.C. State, Duke and the Unversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cary is also accessible to both Wake Technical Community College and Durham Technical Institue, two well-respected schools in the state's community college system. It should come as little surprise, that Fortune magazine picked the Triangle area as the number one location for knowledge workers in 1994. Employers find here the qualified, highly skilled workers they seek, and parents know their children can receive a public education second to none.