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20+ elementary, middle, and high schools in Winston-Salem

From North to West, we’re giving you all the pertinent details about some of the elementary, middle, and high schools in Winston-Salem.

WStoday: Atkins high school in winston-salem

Students who apply to Atkins High School will be entered into a lottery system to enroll in the magnet school.

Photo by Jay Sinclair via Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

The Twin City has 81+ schools and 53,000+ students. We’re giving you the 411 on enrollment, student-teacher ratio, tuition, and more (thanks to data from U.S. News & World Report) for the area’s major public + private schools and charter schools. And don’t worry, there won’t be any homework.

Editor’s note: This is not a comprehensive list. Find the full list of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) here.

Pssst — don’t let school traffic impact your plans. See the map below for a visual of where these schools are located.

Before we dive in, here are four fast facts about schools in the Twin City:

  • WS/FCS is the fourth largest system in NC and the 81st largest in the nation
  • Winston-Salem and Forsyth County districts merged in 1963
  • 2023-2024 report shows third grade reading scores improved, 61% of schools in the district met or exceeded growth, and the five-year graduation rate hit 88.1%.
  • WSFCS has a workforce of 7,400+ employees

Public elementary schools

Sherwood Forest Elementary School, 1055 Yorkshire Rd.

Whitaker Elementary School, 2600 Buena Vista Rd.

Meadowlark Elementary School, 401 Meadowlark Dr.

Jefferson Elementary School, 4000 Jefferson School Ln.

Brunson Elementary School, 155 N. Hawthorne Rd.

Cook Literacy Model School, 920 11th St. NW

WStoday: Kids playing with colorful legos in classroom

Playing legos is just as important as solving a math problem.

Photo by Jay Sinclair via Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Public middle schools

Thomas Jefferson Middle School, 3500 Sally Kirk Rd.

Flat Rock Middle School, 4648 Ebert Rd.

Meadowlark Middle School, 301 Meadowlark Dr.

WStoday: teachers sitting around a table and listening to guest speaker making a presentation during Atkins high school leadership conference

Teachers take classes too.

Photo by Jay Sinclair via Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Public high schools

Atkins Academy and Tech High School, 3605 Old Greensboro Rd.

R.J. Reynolds High School, 301 N. Hawthorne Rd.

Ronald Wilson Reagan High School, 3750 Transou Rd., Pfafftown

North Forsyth High School, 5705 Shattalon Dr.

WStoday: high school students learning in classroom

The percentage of WSFCS students earning their high school diploma within five years hit a record high of 88.1% in the 2023-24 school year.

Photo by Jay Sinclair via Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Mount Tabor High School, 342 Petree Rd.

Parkland High School, 1600 Brewer Rd.

West Forsyth High School, 1735 Lewisville-Clemmons Rd.

  • Grades 9-12
  • Total enrollment: 2,200
  • Student-teacher ratio: N/A
  • Tuition-free
  • Unranked

Carter High School, 851 Highland Ct.

  • Grades 9-12
  • Total enrollment: 134
  • Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
  • Tuition-free
  • Unranked

Charter schools

The Arts Based School, 1380 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.

Forsyth Academy, 5426 Shattalon Dr.

Quality Education Academy, 5012-D Lansing Dr.

WStoday: teacher instructing students on how to play drums

Research shows that music can help increase brain power and improve creativity.

Photo by Jay Sinclair via Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Carter G. Woodson School, 437 Goldfloss St.

Magnet Schools

The Downtown School, 601 N. Cherry St.

Paisley Magnet School, 1394 Thurmond St.

Early College of Forsyth County, 2100 Silas Creek Pkwy.

Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy, 1215 N. Cameron Ave.

John F. Kennedy High School, 890 E. 11th St.

Middle College of Forsyth County, 2100 Silas Creek Prkwy.

  • Grades 11-12
  • Total enrollment: 106
  • Student-teacher ratio: 27:1
  • Tuition: N/A
  • Unranked
WStoday: three students playing legos at a table in the classroom

Teamwork makes the dream work

Photo by Jay Sinclair via Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Private Schools

Summit School, 2100 Reynolda Rd.

  • Founded in 1933
  • Grades PK-10
  • Total enrollment: 560
  • Student-teacher ratio: 5:1
  • Tuition: $12,935-$40,575/year

Salem Academy, 601 S. Church St.

  • Founded in 1772
  • Grades 9-12
  • Total enrollment: 74
  • Student-teacher ratio: 6:1
  • Tuition: $28,300-$53,500/year

Beream Christian School, 4135 Thomasville Rd.

  • Founded in 1772
  • Grades 1-10
  • Total enrollment: 20
  • Student-teacher ratio: 6:1
  • Tuition: N/A

Winston-Salem Christian School, 3665 N. Patterson Ave.

  • Founded in 1979
  • Grades PK-12
  • Total enrollment: 405
  • Student-teacher ratio: 8:1
  • Tuition: $7,800 - $8,900+/year (includes boarding school)

Redeemer School, 1013 Melrose St.

  • Founded in 1995
  • Grades K-8
  • Total enrollment: 195
  • Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
  • Tuition: $5,652-$9,696

Calvary Day School, 134 S. Peace Haven Rd.

  • Founded in 1971
  • Grades PK-12
  • Total enrollment: 990
  • Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
  • Tuition: $2,016-$14,000+/year
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