City: Cary, NC

Category: Education

Telephone: (919) 677-3873

Address: 1500 N. Harrison Ave.

Description: Set in the booming suburb of Cary, this academy for middle- and high-schoolers boasts 100 percent of its graduates accepted to four-year colleges. There are no grade-point averages calculated at Cary Academy, and students are not ranked. But middle-school students can expect as much as two hours of homework a night; three for grades 9 to 12. The academy reports giving out more than $1 million in annual aid. Fees are more for 10th graders, who can participate in an international exchange program. But all students, who operate on a trimester, will see fewer than 18 students per class.