May 12, 2025
Twenty-one WCPSS schools have received 2024-25 Purple Star Awards from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. The Purple Star Award recognizes schools that show a strong commitment to students and families connected to our nation's military.
“I’m extremely proud of this year’s winners of the Purple Star Award,” said Dr. Robert Taylor, superintendent of the Wake County Public School System. “My wife and eldest daughter are proud Army veterans, so I know first-hand the sacrifice and discipline required not only of service members, but also of their families. Purple Star schools have shown they will go the extra mile to make sure military-connected students and families have the support they need.”
To earn this distinction, schools must designate a staff person who serves as the point of contact for military families, demonstrate an understanding of deployments and how that may impact a military-connected child, and conduct at least one school-wide activity showing appreciation for and raising awareness of military-connected students and families.
- Alston Ridge Elementary
- Alston Ridge Middle
- Apex High
- Apex Friendship High
- Baucom Elementary
- Brier Creek Elementary
- Bugg Magnet Elementary
- Farmington Woods Magnet Elementary
- Herbert Akins Road Middle
- Holly Ridge Elementary
- Holly Springs High
- Lockhart Elementary
- Lincoln Heights Magnet Elementary
- Millbrook Magnet Elementary
- Millbrook Magnet High School
- Pleasant Union Elementary
- Poe Magnet Elementary
- Sanderson High
- Southeast Raleigh Magnet High
- Willow Springs Elementary
- Willow Springs High
Six of those schools are first-time Purple Star Award winners: Apex Friendship High, Baucom Elementary, Brier Creek Elementary, Holly Ridge Elementary, Millbrook Magnet Elementary, and Southeast Raleigh Magnet High.
“Ensuring that every North Carolina public school student has the appropriate support is paramount to achieving academic excellence in our schools,” said State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green. “I applaud the hundreds of schools across the state who were awarded Purple Stars today. Their dedication to their students, their families and their communities does not go unnoticed, and I am grateful for all that you have done and continue to do for military students and their families.”
