Apex Elementary

the beginning...

"Apex School" built in 1932.

• A Rosenwald School - schools funded by the Rosenwald Foundation with matching community funds. Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck & Co. - offered matching funds to rural black communities for pre-designed schools on landscaped lots with playing fields.
• Apex School was constructed between 1931 and 1932. The cost was $11,200. the Rosenwald Fund paid $2,000, public funds paid $7,700 and contributions by black citizens were $1,500.
• Planting an acre of tobacco on the land that is currently Apex Elementary and hosting "box parties" raised the contributions by blacks.
• Apex Rosenwald was a "four teacher school." Most of the materials were shipped by Sears, Roebuck & Company to the site by train.
• Apex Elementary was one of the few bricked Rosenwald schools.
• The land was donated by the Baldwin family.
• The Apex school had 100 students and 4 teachers.
• In 1942, Apex Elementary was the first Negro School in Wake County to be accredited by the N.C. State Department of Education.
• During the mid-forties, Apex Elementary became Apex Junior High with grades 1 through 9.
• In the fifties, a 10th and 11th grade were added. The school became Apex Consolidated High School. By 1970, a 12th grade was added.
• During the 1970's, our school once again became Apex Elementary.
• In 1992, the Rosenwald building was demolished to make way for a new 2-story building.
• In 2002-03, all of the remaining buildings were destroyed except the gym and the 2-story former office building. A new school was built connecting the two older buildings making sure to do as little damage as possible to the existing landscape.
• Apex Elementary has a long history of community involvement and commitment to the larger Apex community and it continues today.