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Southwood Elementary

Q: Is Southwood Elementary a good school?

Southwood Elementary ranks 651 st of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

651^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 56% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Southwood Elementary is a PK–5 school in Lexington, NC, serving 616 students as part of Davidson County Schools, a district that ranks slightly above average statewide. The school's population is very high-poverty — 99.5% of students were eligible for free/reduced-price lunch in 2024–25 — yet Southwood has climbed from a 1-star rating at the 26th percentile in 2015–16 to a steady 3-star school, currently at the 56th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools. That puts it in the upper-middle range statewide and ahead of many nearby schools serving similar communities.

Southwood's clearest academic strengths are in upper elementary and science. Fifth-graders posted the highest math proficiency among nearby schools, including Southmont Elementary, Davis-Townsend Elementary, and Churchland Elementary, and the school has beaten the state in 5th-grade science every year in the data — reaching 79.7% proficiency versus 67.7% statewide. Fifth-grade reading also leads its local comparison group. The flip side is 3rd-grade reading: at 43.2%, it is the lowest among nearby elementary schools in Davidson County Schools and well below the 55.6% state average, even though those same students reach the top of the local group by 5th grade. The contrast with Lexington City Schools is also sharp: the school outranks nearby Pickett Elementary School and Charles England Elementary School despite similarly high poverty rates.

Other things parents may want to know: chronic absenteeism has fallen steadily from 30% in 2021–22 to 15.5% in 2024–25 — well below the state average of 24.2%, though still above the 10.5% average for Davidson County Schools. The school also serves gifted students exceptionally well, ranking in the 96th percentile statewide, and continues to serve low-income students above the statewide median — notable given its very high poverty rate. With per-student spending lower than most nearby schools, Southwood appears to be doing more with less. The main watch items are early elementary reading, recent declines in Special Education and low-income subgroup performance, and attendance. If those areas improve, the school has a realistic path back to the 65th–70th percentile range it reached in 2023–24.

616

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

5850 NC Hwy 8
Lexington, NC 27292-9154

(336) 357-2777

District: Davidson County Schools

Students who attend Southwood Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Central Davidson Middle
High:	Central Davidson High

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.2%

Hispanic:

18.8%

Two or more races:

6.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Southwood Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg61%

651^st of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 30 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

101^st of 246Davidson County 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	55.1	651 of 1492	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.3	506 of 1490	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.2	486 of 1505	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.3	666 of 1502	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.4	754 of 1514	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.5	720 of 1489	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.2	982 of 1473	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.1	923 of 1434	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.3	798 of 1429	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.5	1052 of 1425	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.4	1012 of 1440	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	34.0	951 of 1390	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.2	779 of 1403	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	59.8	605 of 1388	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.4	509 of 1381	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.8	576 of 1363	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.1	681 of 1354	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.5	674 of 1324	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.4	888 of 1293	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	37.3	910 of 1276	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	50.9	243 of 634	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.2	455 of 646	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.8	509 of 878	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.2	240 of 897	73.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.4	763 of 1447	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.8	512 of 1451	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.8	458 of 1455	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.7	593 of 1459	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.4	526 of 1458	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.5	582 of 1440	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.1	858 of 1424	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.9	726 of 1405	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★★
2025	62.7	262 of 710	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.5	179 of 669	73.2%	★★★★☆
2023	60.9	258 of 582	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.6	279 of 494	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	643 of 981	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.8	403 of 961	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.8	164 of 951	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	69.3	195 of 915	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	46.9	441 of 893	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.0	271 of 843	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.4	611 of 865	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.4	676 of 851	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.5	554 of 1434	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.2	237 of 1437	83.5%	★★★★☆
2024	71.3	297 of 1450	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	63.1	442 of 1437	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.9	600 of 1366	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.3	401 of 1329	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.2	943 of 1361	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	702 of 1332	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.3	561 of 1451	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.0	488 of 1450	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.1	504 of 1464	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.1	705 of 1461	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.9	937 of 1464	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.9	826 of 1444	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.0	1071 of 1430	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	1059 of 1413	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.0	18 of 181	90.1%	★★★★★
2025	70.1	45 of 175	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	64.9	54 of 159	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.2	25 of 133	81.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.3	356 of 815	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.4	125 of 821	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	90.3	32 of 801	96.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	766 of 1146	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.2	666 of 1172	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	738 of 1166	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.7	930 of 1183	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.6	970 of 1194	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	937 of 1172	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	1104 of 1183	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.8	1054 of 1178	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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+39 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)90th percentile+34 vs school

Disabled (2022)62nd percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)61st percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)61st percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2026)56th percentile~ school

Female (2026)47th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)34th percentile-22 vs school

White (2026)33rd percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science80%+12 vs state

Mathematics67%+3 vs state

Reading51%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southwood 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 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
Southwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5850 NC Hwy 8	Lexington	27292	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 357-2777	616	41	14.9	—	426 (69.2%)	25 (4.1%)	116 (18.8%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.3%)	55.1	651^st of 1492 public elementary schools	56.4%		63.3	506^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.0%	145	67.6	57.4	77.2				43.2	52.1	62.0				79.7		$8,958	$925	$8,033
South Lexington School	Public	PK-K	1000 Cotton Grove Road	Lexington	27292	Davidson County	Lexington City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 242-1544	308	24	12.9	—	43 (14.0%)	92 (29.9%)	136 (44.2%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (9.7%)								(n/a)															$14,927	$2,761	$12,166
Southmont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	398 Owen Rd	Lexington	27292	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 242-5800	281	20	14.2	—	235 (83.6%)	7 (2.5%)	22 (7.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.0%)	55.7	645^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.8%		46.2	814^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.4%	169	71.4	55.8	76.1				55.1	29.5	54.3				84.8		$9,403	$977	$8,426
Tyro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	450 Cow Palace Rd	Lexington	27295	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 242-5760	393	23	17.0	—	298 (75.8%)	28 (7.1%)	39 (9.9%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.6%)	48.8	748^th of 1492 public elementary schools	49.9%		34.6	1009^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.3%	261	71.4	75.3	61.2				50.0	43.2	43.3				68.2		$9,626	$1,145	$8,480
Southwest Elementary Global Academy	Public	1-5	434 Central Avenue	Lexington	27292	Davidson County	Lexington City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 242-1548	369	26	13.9	—	62 (16.8%)	121 (32.8%)	145 (39.3%)	12 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.9%)	34.8	1009^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.4%		40.8	904^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.3%	105	57.8	62.0	56.4				45.6	45.7	42.3				57.7		$10,272	$1,699	$8,573
Charles England Elementary School	Public	1-5	111 Cornelia Drive	Lexington	27292	Davidson County	Lexington City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 242-1552	381	27	14.3	95.8%	53 (13.9%)	152 (39.9%)	129 (33.9%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (11.0%)	20.5	1271^st of 1492 public elementary schools	14.8%		21.9	1246^th of 1490 public elementary schools	16.4%	25	54.5	44.2	39.0				34.5	41.6	40.7				59.3		$11,713	$1,677	$10,036
Pickett Elementary School	Public	1-5	200 Biesecker Road	Lexington	27295	Davidson County	Lexington City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 242-1546	385	25	15.4	—	60 (15.6%)	109 (28.3%)	155 (40.3%)	13 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (12.5%)	18.1	1314^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.9%		20.2	1277^th of 1490 public elementary schools	14.3%	37	39.5	43.8	45.2				35.5	52.1	38.4				46.6		$11,026	$1,694	$9,332
Davidson Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	500 Biesecker Rd	Lexington	27295	Davidson County	Davidson Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(336) 803-7809	658	42	15.8	—	347 (52.7%)	102 (15.5%)	128 (19.5%)	11 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (10.6%)	38	943^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	36.8%		39.8	921^st of 1490 public elementary schools	38.2%	22	52.8	41.8	51.7	53.3	63.0	48.9	58.3	52.2	48.3	55.0	58.7	55.6	60.0	77.8
Davis-Townsend Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	975 Heath Church Road	Lexington	27292	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 249-9880	430	26	16.5	—	344 (80.0%)	15 (3.5%)	59 (13.7%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	58.5	606^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.4%		61.5	538^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.9%	68	63.0	58.2	71.2				64.2	53.7	57.7				75.0		$10,132	$1,065	$9,067
Reeds Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	791 South NC Hwy 150	Lexington	27295	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 242-5620	274	19	14.7	—	232 (84.7%)	5 (1.8%)	32 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	44.5	836^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.0%		43.1	862^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	42.1%	26	57.9	53.7	68.2				44.7	48.8	43.2				79.5		$9,910	$984	$8,926

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwood Elementary

Is Southwood Elementary a good school?

Southwood Elementary ranks 651^st of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Southwood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southwood Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central Davidson Middle
High : Central Davidson High

What district is Southwood Elementary in?

Davidson County Schools

How many students attend Southwood Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 616 students attended Southwood Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Southwood Elementary?

Students at Southwood Elementary are 69% White, 19% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Asian.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 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.