Panther Creek High, Cary: zone, report card and calendar

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website; the Wake County Public School System’s enrollment and calendar pages, base school lookup and draft 2027-28 enrollment plan; the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2024-25 report card data and 2025-26 school assessment workbook; the federal NCES school directory; and the NCHSAA’s 2025-29 realignment.

Panther Creek High is a Wake County Public School System high school at 6770 McCrimmon Parkway, Cary. In our Oct. 12 check of 986 home addresses spread across Cary in the district’s base school lookup, 111 were assigned to Panther Creek High. The school was established in 2006 and serves about 2,600 students, according to its about page.

Who to call

• Front office: 919-463-8656, 6770 McCrimmon Parkway
• School website: panthercreekhs.wcpss.net
• Enrolling a new student: WCPSS enrollment page; Student Assignment 919-431-7333
• Which school is my address zoned for? the district’s base school lookup
• Buses: WCPSS Transportation 919-805-3030

Principal

Principal Stephanie Raiford, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

• State count: an average daily membership of 2,559 students in the 2024-25 school year, up from 2,555 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
• Federal count: 2,561 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 118 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 22 students per teacher.
• School’s own figure: about 2,600 students, on its about page.

State report card

North Carolina grades every public school A to F. The grade is based 80% on student achievement and 20% on academic growth, according to the state’s 2025-26 annual testing report. For a high school, achievement includes end-of-course tests, the ACT or WorkKeys, NC Math 3 and the four-year graduation rate.

The 2024-25 grade is the latest in the state’s downloadable report card data. From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment workbook:

• At grade level or above, all end-of-course tests: 81.8% (statewide, all tests: 59.2%)
• College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 68.3%
• Growth: exceeded expected growth
• ACT composite of 17 or higher, 11th graders: 83.6% (statewide: 54.5%)
• ACT or WorkKeys benchmark, 12th graders: 87.1%
• Four-year graduation rate: above 95% (statewide: 89%); the state masks figures above 95%

The full report card, with class sizes, teacher data and school safety figures, is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site.

Attendance zone

WCPSS assigns every address a base elementary, middle and high school. Enter an address in the district’s base school lookup to see all three, or browse the base attendance area map. Zones do not follow town limits or mailing addresses. We did not find a published feeder list on the district’s enrollment pages, so we do not name feeder schools here; Student Assignment, 919-431-7333, can confirm an address.

Proposed changes for 2027-28: The district’s draft 2027-28 enrollment plan would move some students now assigned to Panther Creek to the new Morrisville High, due to open in August 2027, and would move some students now assigned to Green Level High to Panther Creek. The plan calls Panther Creek a capped school and says the Morrisville High change would reduce its reliance on mobile classroom units. The plan is a draft: the Board of Education holds a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 20, and is scheduled to vote Nov. 17, according to the district’s enrollment proposal page. Check an address with the proposal lookup.

Calendar and bell times

Panther Creek High follows the district’s traditional calendar. Coming dates on the 2026-27 traditional calendar (PDF):

• Tuesday, Nov. 3: teacher workday, no school for students
• Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day holiday
• Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
• Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break

Bell times: 7:25 a.m. to 2:18 p.m., according to the bell schedule posted on the school’s website.

Sports and activities

Panther Creek is an 8A school in the NCHSAA’s 8A Conference 2 for the 2025-29 alignment, with Apex, Apex Friendship, Green Hope, Green Level, Jordan and Willow Spring, according to the approved realignment.

The Catamounts’ athletics website lists these teams:

• Boys: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball and wrestling
• Girls: basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, gymnastics, indoor track, lacrosse, sideline cheer, soccer, softball, stunt, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball and wrestling

Fall schedules and results are in our Friday night football guide and on our scoreboard.

The about page lists Advanced Placement courses and says students can apply for virtual courses and dual enrollment at local colleges and universities for classes the school does not offer.

More

• The school’s own website and the district’s enrollment page
• Every public school in Cary, with zones and report cards
• Our Cary schools guide for district calendars, enrollment dates and the school board

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Panther Creek High serve?

Panther Creek High serves ninth through 12th grade.

What is Panther Creek High’s school grade?

Panther Creek High earned an A, with a score of 88, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 81.8% of its state tests were at grade level or above and it exceeded its growth target.

What time does Panther Creek High start?

The school day runs 7:25 a.m. to 2:18 p.m., according to the school’s website.

What conference is Panther Creek High in?

Panther Creek is an 8A school in the NCHSAA’s 8A Conference 2 for the 2025-29 alignment, with Apex, Apex Friendship, Green Hope, Green Level, Jordan and Willow Spring.