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Northside Elementary

Q: Is Northside Elementary a good school?

Northside Elementary ranks 697 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

697^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Northside Elementary is a PK-5 public school in Chapel Hill, NC, serving 412 students in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district, and it stands apart from neighboring elementaries in several important ways. Overall, Northside ranks in the 53rd percentile statewide (3 stars) — a meaningful recovery from a five-year slide that bottomed out in 2023-2024 — but it remains the lowest-ranked elementary in its district cluster, sitting far below Glenwood Elementary (96th percentile), Estes Hills Elementary (91st), Seawell Elementary (90th), and Carrboro Elementary (89th). Northside also serves the highest percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch (52.9%) among these nearby schools, roughly double the rate at Glenwood and Estes Hills.

Academically, Northside shows real strengths in the early grades: 3rd graders outpaced state averages in both reading and math, and 4th grade math did the same. But those gains fade sharply by 5th grade, when math, reading, and science scores fall below state averages — science by 14 percentage points. Chronic absenteeism (18.7%) runs well above neighboring schools, many of which report rates below 9%. Looking at student groups individually, outcomes vary widely: Gifted students at Northside rank in the 96th percentile statewide and White students in the 88th, yet English Language Learners, Hispanic students, and students from low-income households rank in the single digits.

For parents, the picture is nuanced. Northside spends more per student ($14,816) than most of its higher-performing neighbors, and its student-teacher ratio (12.9) is comparable — so classroom funding is not the missing ingredient. The school has genuine momentum, with its overall state percentile climbing from 36th to 53rd in two years, but that progress has been driven primarily by students who were already strong. The key question for families may be how effectively Northside can extend its success to every child — through attendance support, early intervention, and instruction that meets the needs of its diverse student body.

412

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

52.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

350 Caldwell St
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

(919) 918-2220

District: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.7%

African American:

26.7%

Asian:

12.4%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Northside Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 29th percentile in 2018 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 53rd (2026) from a 29th-percentile low (2018)

✓Above the North Carolina median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 14 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg75%

North Carolina avg61%

697^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 246Chapel Hill-Carrboro City 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
2026	51.8	697 of 1492	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.8	808 of 1490	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.6	961 of 1505	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.9	847 of 1502	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.3	821 of 1514	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.4	814 of 1489	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	939 of 1473	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.2	1023 of 1434	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	51.4	725 of 1429	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	60.8	548 of 1425	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.9	433 of 1440	69.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	773 of 903	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.4	764 of 918	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	858 of 924	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	647 of 933	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.3	757 of 927	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.9	712 of 896	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	750 of 949	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	869 of 927	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.1	131 of 134	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.9	125 of 131	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.9	103 of 106	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.5	91 of 99	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	34.2	433 of 646	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.0	555 of 878	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.2	733 of 897	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	525 of 563	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	529 of 533	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	466 of 514	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	473 of 485	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.3	388 of 497	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	376 of 421	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	674 of 1447	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.9	565 of 1451	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	745 of 1455	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.1	655 of 1459	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.7	736 of 1458	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.4	765 of 1440	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.0	758 of 1424	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	931 of 1405	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★★
2025	62.5	270 of 710	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	290 of 669	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.8	528 of 582	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	458 of 500	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.9	475 of 494	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	57.8	329 of 612	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.4	950 of 981	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	923 of 951	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.2	914 of 915	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	837 of 893	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	822 of 865	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	831 of 851	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.5	1352 of 1434	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.5	1335 of 1437	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	1423 of 1450	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	1391 of 1437	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	1261 of 1366	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	1035 of 1329	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	1279 of 1361	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	1319 of 1332	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	735 of 1451	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.9	992 of 1450	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	1078 of 1464	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.1	1034 of 1461	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.5	890 of 1464	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.5	831 of 1444	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.9	1085 of 1430	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.4	1057 of 1413	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	363 of 815	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.4	182 of 821	77.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	83.1	138 of 1146	88.0%	★★★★☆
2025	70.2	312 of 1172	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	66.5	363 of 1166	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.5	365 of 1183	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.9	333 of 1194	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	58.5	464 of 1172	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.5	356 of 1183	69.9%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	294 of 1178	75.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)96th percentile+43 vs school

White (2026)88th percentile+35 vs school

Special Education (2026)55th percentile~ school

Female (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)49th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2021)33rd percentile-12 vs school

African American (2026)14th percentile-39 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)7th percentile-39 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile-48 vs school

Hispanic (2026)3rd percentile-50 vs school

Asian (2026)2nd percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics64%~ state avg

Reading59%~ state avg

Science53%-14 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, May 14, 2018

Unfortunately, my daughter and son lost an entire year of education when they attended Northside. My son was in Kindergarten and advanced in reading, but as he entered 1st grade he was behind. Thankfully, his new school has now advanced him back to the top. My daughter had no homework and no grades were being sent home despite asking several times to see her work. She was in the 3rd grade. Her teacher kept saying that she was doing great! Finally, in February I saw that she was getting C's and D's!! My straight A student was no getting awful grades. Both the kindergarten and 3rd grade teachers ignored my kids because compared to the other kids they were doing great. This school teaches to the middle. (Not all Chapel Hill schools are great.) Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, March 2, 2017

This is a terrific school that educates a diverse group of children. It's a shame that the school digger ratings don't truly reflect how good this place is. If you are a parent who spends time helping your child with homework and gets involved in their schooling, then your child will do well in this school. The classrooms are huge and not overcrowded, the teachers really care, and the principle is very hands-on. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, May 5, 2016

Because Northside is so new, it doesn't have the track-record of the other Chapel-Hill elementary schools, but being new also has its advantages. Having had children in several other Chapel-Hill elementary schools I can definitively state that Northside has the most innovative and modern approach to learning of any of the other schools. Sometimes when you have been doing the same thing for years it is hard to learn new tricks, which I have seen all too often at other schools.
Not to mention the lovely new facilities and brand new technology present at Northside. Close Quote

Schools Near Northside Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	350 Caldwell St	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 918-2220	412	32	12.9	52.9%	172 (41.7%)	110 (26.7%)	50 (12.1%)	51 (12.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.3%)	51.8	697^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.3%		46.8	808^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.8%	111	72.6	65.5	54.8	59.7	63.8	53.4	53.4	$14,816	$528	$14,288
Carrboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Shelton St	Carrboro	27510	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 968-3652	515	40	12.8	32.6%	286 (55.5%)	17 (3.3%)	174 (33.8%)	13 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.9%)	85.5	171^st of 1492 public elementary schools	88.5%		82.1	216^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.5%	45	82.7	81.5	77.0	72.8	79.0	72.7	76.1	$13,407	$564	$12,843
FPG Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	101 Smith Level Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 942-6491	536	40	13.2	36.4%	206 (38.4%)	20 (3.7%)	275 (51.3%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.0%)	72.8	363^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	75.7%		76	305^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.5%	58	70.9	68.6	72.3	64.0	68.6	69.9	72.3	$11,908	$501	$11,407
Estes Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 N Estes Dr	Chapel Hill	27514	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 942-4753	336	31	10.9	26.5%	191 (56.8%)	39 (11.6%)	39 (11.6%)	25 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (12.5%)	88.7	136^th of 1492 public elementary schools	90.9%		87.8	141^st of 1490 public elementary schools	90.5%	5	77.4	84.2	86.0	71.7	82.5	79.1	81.4	$14,515	$862	$13,653
Seawell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9115 Seawell School Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 967-4343	416	34	12.4	30.0%	142 (34.1%)	55 (13.2%)	44 (10.6%)	136 (32.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.4%)	88	146^th of 1492 public elementary schools	90.2%		86.9	145^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.3%	1	76.8	78.3	84.7	75.0	71.1	73.5	92.9	$13,527	$419	$13,108
McDougle Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	890 Old Fayetteville Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 969-2435	497	39	12.9	31.4%	281 (56.5%)	76 (15.3%)	90 (18.1%)	14 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.2%)	76.9	280^th of 1492 public elementary schools	81.2%		79.4	253^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	83.0%	27	72.0	69.8	77.0	68.8	68.6	68.9	77.0	$12,936	$505	$12,431
Glenwood Elementary	Public	K-5	2 Prestwick Rd	Chapel Hill	27517	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 968-3473	390	33	12.0	19.2%	150 (38.5%)	34 (8.7%)	17 (4.4%)	137 (35.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	51 (13.1%)	93.5	66^th of 1492 public elementary schools	95.6%		93.3	69^th of 1490 public elementary schools	95.4%	3	84.0	88.2	91.3	74.7	88.2	85.5	88.4	$13,438	$519	$12,919
Scroggs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	501 Kildaire Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 918-7165	410	34	12.0	30.0%	212 (51.7%)	58 (14.1%)	56 (13.7%)	55 (13.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.1%)	86	165^th of 1492 public elementary schools	88.9%		74.5	325^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.2%	160	86.1	69.4	80.3	76.4	69.4	76.3	84.2	$13,218	$771	$12,446
Ephesus Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1495 Ephesus Church Rd	Chapel Hill	27517	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 929-8715	410	33	12.5	30.0%	203 (49.5%)	72 (17.6%)	57 (13.9%)	55 (13.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.4%)	84.9	182^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	87.8%		78.9	265^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.2%	83	79.1	76.8	80.8	76.1	71.4	76.9	76.9	$13,810	$557	$13,253
Rashkis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Meadowmont Ln	Chapel Hill	27517	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 918-2160	455	35	12.8	47.7%	146 (32.1%)	95 (20.9%)	68 (14.9%)	106 (23.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.8%)	67.1	468^th of 1492 public elementary schools	68.6%		66.6	456^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.4%	12	73.4	63.8	74.0	57.8	62.1	58.9	75.3	$15,130	$665	$14,464

Frequently Asked Questions about Northside Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Northside Elementary?

Students at Northside Elementary are 42% White, 27% African American, 12% Asian, 12% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend Northside Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 412 students attended Northside Elementary.

What district is Northside Elementary in?

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

Is Northside Elementary a good school?

Northside Elementary ranks 697^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Northside Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.