[2][3][4] Cary Academy was founded by Ann and James Goodnight and Ginger and John Sall in 1996, though the first classes were not held until 1997.

[8][9] In September 2004, the United States Department of Education named Cary Academy one of 255 public and private schools that had won its No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon award since the inception of the program.

[3] In January 2019, the 24,000-square-foot Center for Math and Science was completed, providing a maker space, classrooms, a greenhouse, and laboratories.

[11] The demographic breakdown of the 777 students enrolled for the 2021–22 school year was Asian 202 (26.1%), Black 60 (7.8%), Hispanic 31 (4%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific islanders 1 (.1%), White 417 (53.9%), and Multiracial 62 (8%).

[4] Cary Academy also offers performance arts courses including creative writing, dance, drama, poetry.

[4][3] In addition, a foreign exchange program that allows 100 upper school students to travel to Argentina, Germany, Ecuador, China, or France each year.

[3] Cary Academy is a Division 1 member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA).

[17] Boys athletic teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling.

[4][21][22][23] Cary Academy's Speech and Debate Team participates in competitions of the Tarheel Forensic League.