GreatSchools ranked Raleigh No. 1 for public schools among large U.S. cities with 300,000 or more people. Cary ranked third for public schools among midsized cities of between 100,000 and 300,000 people.

GreatSchools, which collects information on public and private schools to encourage parent choice, praised the Wake school system for its socioeconomic diversity policy. "But the future of this stellar district is in doubt," according to GreatSchools. "An election last fall changed the makeup of the school board, and the new board recently voted to end the diversity policy."

GreatSchools developed the rankings based on test results, unemployment rates and median home price. Visit GreatSchools.org for details.