Discover yourself here
Who can you be in this world? Let’s find out—together.
At Cary Academy, we believe in the endless possibilities of you. In following your curiosity, asking the right questions, discovering your purpose, and taking bold steps toward the future you imagine—for yourself and the world.
Who are we?
We’re an inclusive learning community for grades 6-12, all about discovery, innovation, teamwork, and doing our best. We believe that knowing yourself, exploring the world, and having a strong support system helps you grow into your best self.
Our community is guided by respect, integrity, compassion, and equity—your compass for the journey ahead.
Mission
A learning community dedicated to discovery, innovation, collaboration, and excellence. Respect, integrity, compassion, and equity are our community values.
Community
794 inquisitive minds, future collaborators, teammates, and lifelong friends in grades 6 through 12.
That's 300 Middle Schoolers and 494 Upper Schoolers who show up for each other, lend their unique perspectives, and connect across differences. Your squad just got bigger.
Equity
With equity as a core value, we are the most proudly diverse and inclusive independent school in the Southeast, with 61% students of color and 39% faculty of color. Many of our community identify as LGBTQIA+.
We believe diversity in its many forms is our greatest community asset.
Learning Approach
Passionate advocates and practitioners of purposeful, flexible, and personally-relevant learning. We believe in putting students in the driver's seat to own their learning journeys.
Support
In a word: wraparound. Consider us your biggest cheering section.
From our learning specialists and counselors to our nurse, athletic trainers, and college counselors, you'll have an entire team dedicated to prioritizing your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.
The most powerful learning happens when it is connected to a sense of purpose.
What’s your why?
Already know what makes you tick? Or just figuring it out?
Wherever you are on your learning journey, you’ll have the flexibility and opportunities to discover what drives you—what lights you up—and match it to your learning.
Customize your learning
With class placement based on skill (not class year), tons of electives and student-led clubs, and flexible pathways to graduation, you'll have the freedom to follow your curiosity and shape your experience.
Launch a new club, go deep with advanced classes, design your own independent study or X Day. Whatever path you take, it's yours to create--and ours to support along the way.
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Get hands-on
The best learning happens when you roll up your sleeves and dive in.
You might design experiments in the lab, build a prototype in the Makerspace, or tackle a real-world problem with a community partner.
However you like to get your hands dirty, you will connect what you are learning in the classroom to the world around you—and have fun doing it.
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Make an impact
From the classroom to the global stage, Chargers are changemakers.
Whether you’re launching a STEM gender equality club, protecting a local watershed, teaming up with city officials on affordable housing, or taking on racism and prejudice, you’ll turn ideas into action.
Ready to lead the charge? Our Leadership Academy helps you build the skills to drive change on campus—and beyond.
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Grow with purpose
Whether you’re dropping bars in the Poetry and Hip Hop Showcase, advocating a position in Speech and Debate, or running a mock presidential campaign on an issue you’re fired up about—you’ll find plenty of ways to explore who you are and what matters to you.
Tackle tough conversations with our Dialogue Across Difference program, share your story in an affinity group, and dive into projects that make you think, question, and create.
Along the way, you’ll learn how to work with others, stand up for your beliefs, and advocate for yourself.
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Want to explore?
Inspiration lurks around every corner.
Take our quiz (hint: there are no wrong answers!) to explore just a few ways that your interests might come to life at CA.
Your internet goes down. What do you do?
It sounds like you're going to have a blast organizing an X day to tour local public art and connect with local artists.
You’ll love finding your favorite genre in our expansive English electives (Maybe dystopian literature or urban fiction is your jam?)
You’ll be right at home in our state-of-the-art MakerSpace on our award-winning robotics team.
Your persuasive skills will be welcomed in our Speech and Debate Program.
You're inspired to start a side project. What do you focus on?
Our Entrepreneurship program is perfect for a Chargerpreneur like yourself.
Service learning is a key part of the CA experience. Help spearhead the Middle School’s Backpack Buddies program to help address local food insecurity. Or join one of the many themed Delta Service Club committees in the Upper School to support a cause close to your heart.
You’re going to love organizing (and maybe presenting?) at our bi-annual TEDxCA event.
You’ll feel welcome in one of our 18 affinity groups, which regularly host diverse cultural events and celebrations across campus.
Your Saturday plans just fell through. What sounds like fun?
California may have Coachella, but CA has Quadchella. Whether belting it out on the stage or taking it in with your friends, you’re sure to have a blast.
With 55 teams representing 16 sports, you’re sure to find your favorite. More fan than athlete? Sign up to coach Friday Night Lights or hit up your friends at a tailgate. #skogers
StuCo can use your talents in the Super Smash Bros and Mario Cart challenges in their annual Spring Games. Looking for something a bit more . . . serious? Our competitive eSports is a natural fit (just wait til you see their tricked-out space.)
Sounds like you’re a natural fit for our Middle School or Upper School Wilderness Clubs. Or maybe our Middle School fishing club? How about the Middle or Upper School’s scuba club?
You’re tasked with a group project. How do you contribute?
In our Leadership Academy, you’ll learn how to take your skills to the next level to lead initiatives on campus.
Our visual and digital arts studios will feel right at home. Maybe you’ll enjoy Data Visualization, Graphic Design, or Mixed Media?
You’re a natural mathlete. In Middle School, you might join our competitive MathCounts team. In Upper School, our interdisciplinary Statculus class—blending visual arts, statistics, and calculus—has your name written all over it.
Sounds like you’d be a great fit for our Dialogue Across Difference initiative. As a trained facilitator, you’ll learn how to guide community members to connect across each other’s differences in a productive and community-building way.
You had a bad day. What do you do?
Our campus calm rooms await you with soothing colors, cozy seating, an array of fidgets, and the sweet sound of silence.
Nothing beats the comfy couches and listening ears of our amazing school counselors (pro-tip: they often have candy stashes). Head to your advisory to connect with some of the people who know you best.
After placing your signature drink order, head to the community table at The Hub to connect with your friends.
Get in a workout with one of our trainers in our world-class weight room.
“Get comfortable
being uncomfortable”.
Our mantra.
On repeat.
Discover your world
Magic happens when you step outside the classroom – and your comfort zone.
Taking risks. Putting ideas into real-world practice. Experiencing a new perspective or culture. These are the moments that cultivate resilience, deeper understanding, and empathy (also known as The Big Stuff/Major Life Skills/ Keys to Success).
Push your limits to crest a peak in the North Carolina mountains during an OUTDOORS CLUB expedition (and meet some local creatures along the way).
Face down a challenge (and maybe a fear) while leading your advisory team forward on a high-ropes course during a COMMUNITY DAY outing.
Experience the science of flight with indoor skydiving during a two-week DISCOVERY TERM exploration of aerodynamics.
Travel to Switzerland for a student-led sustainability conference. Or, practice your fluency while living like a local in Quilmes, Argentina (or in Chile, China, France, or Germany) with a host family during your WORLD LANGUAGE EXCHANGE.
Investigate the impacts of PFAS contamination and hog farming on North Carolina waterways by testing water quality at a state park during a SCIENCE EXCURSION.
Venture into a prehistoric world to explore the Paleolithic Era during a Dino X DAY.
Explore CA with our Chargers
Every Charger's experience is different. Tag along with our student ambassadors to learn more about CA through their eyes.
Unleash your inner artist.
Here, art isn’t just a class—it’s a way to show the world who you are. A place where you can experiment and explore, have fun, and turn creativity into something uniquely yours. This is where your creative voice gets loud.
Charger Athletics
With tons of sports and competitive opportunities, Chargers level up their skills while building teamwork, leadership, and resilience that stick with them long after the game ends.
At CA, athletics isn't just about wins (although our trophy case speaks for itself). It’s about pushing limits, finding your grit, and growing stronger together.
You—at your best.
Authentic. Confident. Engaged. Resilient. Purposeful. Equipped with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to take your future by the horns.
You deserve academics that challenge you, put you in the driver’s seat, that prioritize your social, emotional, and physical wellness.
You need people who truly have your back—who see you for who you are and support you in the ways that matter most. That's where Student Support Services comes in.
“My favorite thing is community.”
You'll hear it from students, faculty, parents, and alums alike. Founded on our values of respect, integrity, compassion, and equity—our Charger community is what really makes CA .
Our numbers speak for us
Our matriculation list speaks for itself.
Our last graduating class is pursuing their best lives at 65 different institutions worldwide; That’s a wide range of “right fits.”
College acceptance
Recognized by National Merit
Alums reporting satisfaction
with their quality of life
Discover your possibilities
There is no single “right path” for a Charger—only the path that is right for you. Chargers have gone on to do some pretty remarkable things all over the globe—from pioneering groundbreaking medical research to creating award-winning documentaries to professional athletes to helming major corporations and everything and anything in between.
Making Change Drop by Drop
Social entrepreneur Serena Advani, ’13, is turning her passion for sustainability into a groundbreaking business that is as innovative as it is impactful.
Honoring Trey Murphy III
NBA shooting guard Trey Murphy III ’18 returned to CA for his jersey retirement, celebrated for his records, advocacy, and inspirational legacy on and off the court.
Reel Impact
Jamie Berger ’09, environmental advocate and filmmaker, exposes injustices in NC's pork industry in "The Smell of Money," igniting global dialogue.
Affective Changemaker
Advocate for democracy, Max Henning ’11 applies neuroscience and behavioral science to tackle global challenges by harnessing the power of emotion.
Artful Healer
Dr. Emma Astrike-Davis ’14 blends compassion and medicine, improving healthcare equity and co-founding Art for Hospice, which shares student art with care facilities.
Gridiron Insider
Kelly Bright ’17, NFL Films producer, blends her love for sports and storytelling to create impactful narratives. As a rising leader, she empowers future women in sports media.
Speaking Truth
Artist, educator, and mentor Josh Rowsey ’09 discovers his authentic voice through hip-hop, empowering youth to find theirs and heal through self-expression.
Healthy Curiosity
Kristin Andrejko ’14, PhD student and epidemiologist, tackles global health challenges with a focus on vaccines and equity, aiming to transform public health policy.
Role of a Lifetime
Aaron Harrington ’10, a rising Broadway star, champions diversity and representation in theater, aiming to inspire change and amplify marginalized voices on stage.
Moving the Needle
Political strategist Firoz Jameel ’09 has dedicated his career to civic engagement, from grassroots organizing to consulting. Now he aims to inspire lasting community impact.