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Lakewood Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1330^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Lakewood Elementary is a public elementary school in Durham, North Carolina, serving 401 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Durham Public Schools district, which is ranked 163 out of 242 districts in the state.

Lakewood Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of North Carolina elementary schools over the past several years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past 5 years. The school's proficiency rates in Math, Reading, and Science are significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd grade Math proficiency rate is 38.2%, compared to 55.2% for the district and 64.1% for the state. Lakewood's performance is particularly low for Hispanic and English Language Learner students, who rank in the bottom 10-15% of their respective subgroups statewide.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as C.C. Spaulding Elementary, Fayetteville Street Elementary, and Hope Valley Elementary, generally perform better than Lakewood Elementary on academic measures, with higher proficiency rates. However, these schools also have higher percentages of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch, ranging from 65% to 99%, indicating they serve similarly disadvantaged populations. In contrast, the higher-performing nearby magnet schools, such as George Watts Elementary and Morehead Montessori, likely attract a more diverse and higher-achieving student population.

439

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,031

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2520 Vesson Avenue
Durham, NC 27707-1437

(919) 560-3939

District: Durham Public Schools

Students who attend Lakewood Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Brogden Middle
	Rogers-Herr Middle
High:	C E Jordan High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.8%

African American:

27.1%

White:

20.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Lakewood Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2015 → 11th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (38% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!Science scores 25 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg50%

North Carolina avg57%

1,330^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

27^th of 30Elementary Schools in the Durham Public Schools

163^rd of 242Durham Public Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	1330 of 1490	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	1351 of 1505	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	1343 of 1502	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	1380 of 1514	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.6	1350 of 1489	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	1289 of 1473	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	3.8	1407 of 1434	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.4	1371 of 1429	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.6	1403 of 1425	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.6	1359 of 1440	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	9.2	1302 of 1390	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.8	1308 of 1403	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.9	1323 of 1388	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.5	1331 of 1381	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	24.0	1124 of 1363	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.3	1205 of 1354	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.8	1126 of 1324	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.5	981 of 1293	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	17.4	1149 of 1276	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	797 of 918	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	723 of 924	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.7	753 of 933	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.9	819 of 927	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	869 of 896	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	615 of 949	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.6	796 of 927	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	18.8	611 of 646	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	552 of 563	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	451 of 533	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	377 of 514	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	410 of 485	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.8	317 of 497	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	10.6	417 of 421	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.3	1287 of 1451	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	1254 of 1455	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	1322 of 1459	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	1285 of 1458	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	1265 of 1440	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.2	990 of 1424	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	9.8	1331 of 1405	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	615 of 710	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.7	603 of 669	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	908 of 961	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	886 of 951	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	869 of 915	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	736 of 893	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.2	761 of 843	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.9	680 of 865	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	838 of 851	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	1420 of 1437	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	1355 of 1450	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	1389 of 1437	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	1187 of 1366	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.4	1306 of 1329	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.0	974 of 1361	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	1262 of 1332	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.5	1299 of 1450	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	1361 of 1464	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	1261 of 1461	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	1393 of 1464	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	1317 of 1444	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	1351 of 1430	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.0	1401 of 1413	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	694 of 821	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.2	279 of 1172	76.2%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2025)76th percentile+65 vs school

Special Education (2025)15th percentile+5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)13th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2025)13th percentile~ school

Female (2025)11th percentile~ school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2021)5th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)2nd percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Reading38%-14 vs state

Mathematics38%-23 vs state

Science37%-25 vs state

5.0

5 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★5

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Tuesday, December 18, 2018

As a Duke University retiree, I volunteer at the school and, while I cannot attest to the quality of the teaching, I do know that the atmosphere is stellar and the staff is dedicated. The school is clean and cheerfully decorated and every little student I encounter is polite and seems happy. Close Quote

by a citizen
Friday, December 14, 2018

Lakewood is a school to watch! The new Principal, and his Assistant Principal are excellent. They approach each student with optimism and encouragement. I tutor, voluntarily, a few days each week. The teachers are quite dedicated, and the front office staff are welcoming. They have done a good job involving retired Duke Alumni to both their classrooms and organic garden. I will not, however, sugar coat my review. There are many students with difficult family situations, and food-insecurity is a problem. Over 99 of the students receive free lunch (and breakfast). This school will continue to improve each year while Principal Hopkins is at the helm. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, July 24, 2017

My daughter really enjoyed her first year at Lakewood in Kindergarten. She loved her teachers and classmates and learned a lot. We're looking forward to next year, with high hopes for the new administration that seems really promising. I'd recommend anyone zoned for Lakewood to take a tour and connect with parents through the PTA. Close Quote

Schools Near Lakewood Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lakewood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2520 Vesson Avenue	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3939	439	39	11.2	98.9%	91 (20.7%)	119 (27.1%)	188 (42.8%)	15 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.9%)	16.7	1330^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.7%		15.7	1351^st of 1505 public elementary schools	10.2%	21	38.2	40.3	35.8				36.8	41.7	36.4				37.3		$14,031	$1,898	$12,133
Hope Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	3005 Dixon Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3980	539	49	11.1	99.4%	145 (26.9%)	105 (19.5%)	218 (40.4%)	25 (4.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.0%)	28.3	1112^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.4%		27.9	1142^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	24.1%	30	64.5	41.4	48.9				35.8	44.9	39.4				40.9		$12,023	$1,391	$10,632
Community School of Digital & Visual Art	Public, Charter	K-8	1955 West Cornwallis Road	Durham	27705	Durham County	Community School of Digital and Visual A	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 797-2340	204	13	15.5	98.5%	5 (2.5%)	170 (83.3%)	20 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.4%)	10.3	1413^th of 1490 public elementary schools	5.2%		21.9	1250^th of 1505 public elementary schools	16.9%	163	24.0	17.6	20.8	56.0	33.3	50.0	20.0	35.3	17.4	32.0	23.8	41.7	16.7	50.0
Morehead Montessori	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	909 Cobb Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3954	278	20	14.2	98.9%	136 (48.9%)	55 (19.8%)	46 (16.5%)	12 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (10.4%)	77.3	287^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.7%		81.2	223^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	85.2%	64	59.0	64.9	86.2				62.5	70.3	75.9				82.8		$16,804	$1,621	$15,183
C C Spaulding Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1531 S Roxboro Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3974	247	24	10.2	98.8%	22 (8.9%)	88 (35.6%)	117 (47.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.7%)	26	1156^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.4%		14.1	1376^th of 1505 public elementary schools	8.6%	220	27.0	40.6	75.8				19.4	18.8	40.6				59.4		$16,448	$4,879	$11,568
Fayetteville Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2905 Fayetteville Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3944	261	21	12.6	97.3%	2 (0.8%)	119 (45.6%)	120 (46.0%)	16 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	19.8	1284^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.8%		26.9	1161^st of 1505 public elementary schools	22.9%	123	40.0	51.1	56.1				26.7	34.0	29.3				40.0		$12,761	$2,103	$10,658
E K Powe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	913 9th Street	Durham	27705	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3963	454	36	12.7	99.3%	170 (37.4%)	81 (17.8%)	161 (35.5%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.8%)	41.8	884^th of 1490 public elementary schools	40.7%		50.5	736^th of 1505 public elementary schools	51.1%	148	61.3	54.2	40.8				50.0	51.7	47.2				54.8		$12,287	$1,073	$11,214
George Watts Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	700 Watts Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3947	358	25	14.2	99.2%	176 (49.2%)	55 (15.4%)	90 (25.1%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (8.4%)	76.9	299^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.9%		83.4	196^th of 1505 public elementary schools	87.0%	103	72.0	60.0	68.2				62.0	70.0	75.0				75.0		$15,158	$1,151	$14,007
W G Pearson Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3501 Fayettville Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3988	319	32	9.9	97.2%	14 (4.4%)	184 (57.7%)	93 (29.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.8%)	35.8	986^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.8%		44.5	846^th of 1505 public elementary schools	43.8%	140	26.5	58.5	51.3				24.5	53.7	50.0				68.3		$14,391	$3,740	$10,650
Central Park School For Children	Public, Charter	K-8	724 Foster Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	Central Park School For Children	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 682-1200	585	47	12.4	35.6%	284 (48.5%)	133 (22.7%)	108 (18.5%)	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.9%)	55.6	642^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	56.9%		63.1	522^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	65.3%	120	63.5	55.2	47.1	61.8	53.4	61.1	50.8	72.4	48.5	67.6	72.4	61.1	54.4	61.1

Frequently Asked Questions about Lakewood Elementary

What schools do graduates of Lakewood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lakewood Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Brogden Middle
Middle : Rogers-Herr Middle
High : C E Jordan High

What district is Lakewood Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Lakewood Elementary?

Students at Lakewood Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 27% African American, 21% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Lakewood Elementary a good school?

Lakewood Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.7% of North Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Lakewood Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Lakewood Elementary.

Rate Lakewood Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.