Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

George Watts Elementary

Q: Is George Watts Elementary a good school?

George Watts Elementary ranks 299 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

299^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

George Watts Elementary is a public magnet elementary school in Durham, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 309 students. This high-performing school consistently outperforms the Durham Public Schools district and the state of North Carolina in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels.

For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 72% of 3rd graders at George Watts Elementary were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 55.2% for the district and 64.1% for the state. The school also ranks highly for female students, male students, and white students, indicating that it is effectively serving a diverse student population. Additionally, George Watts Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10.9 to 11.7 students per teacher in recent years, which is lower than the nearby schools in the Durham Public Schools district.

While George Watts Elementary has strong academic performance overall, it faces some challenges in serving its low socioeconomic status (SES) student population. However, when compared to other elementary schools in the Durham Public Schools district, such as Eastway Elementary, C.C. Spaulding Elementary, and Lakewood Elementary, George Watts Elementary stands out as a high-performing school with a consistent 4- or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

358

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,158

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

700 Watts Street
Durham, NC 27701-1726

(919) 560-3947

District: Durham Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.2%

Hispanic:

25.1%

African American:

15.4%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare George Watts Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 90th percentile in 2023 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (69% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Durham Public Schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 90th-percentile peak (2023) to 80th (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg50%

North Carolina avg57%

299^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 32 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to top 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^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	76.9	299 of 1490	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	83.4	196 of 1505	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	86.0	150 of 1502	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	85.9	164 of 1514	89.2%	★★★★☆
2021	85.5	178 of 1489	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	70.4	397 of 1473	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	60.1	574 of 1434	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.9	666 of 1429	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	56.2	620 of 1425	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.9	753 of 1440	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	61.7	512 of 1390	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.2	485 of 1403	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	35.2	1008 of 1388	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	16.9	1241 of 1381	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.0	1109 of 1363	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	14.9	1220 of 1354	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	12.5	1221 of 1324	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	20.0	1135 of 1293	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	4.3	1265 of 1276	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	66.1	241 of 927	74.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	82.1	53 of 646	91.8%	★★★★★
2019	74.4	121 of 878	86.2%	★★★★☆
2018	49.3	386 of 897	57.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.1	215 of 1451	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.9	191 of 1455	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.3	149 of 1459	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	83.3	183 of 1458	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.7	187 of 1440	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	73.5	326 of 1424	77.1%	★★★★☆
2018	48.3	776 of 1405	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	362 of 710	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.7	219 of 669	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.0	172 of 582	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	63.0	195 of 500	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.5	193 of 494	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.8	434 of 612	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	60 of 69	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	861 of 961	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	722 of 915	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	53.4	360 of 893	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.4	689 of 843	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	687 of 865	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.5	621 of 851	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	1359 of 1437	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	51.3	665 of 1450	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.4	1062 of 1437	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	1081 of 1361	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.8	959 of 1332	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	384 of 1450	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	81.3	207 of 1464	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	83.8	171 of 1461	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	83.5	184 of 1464	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	84.8	170 of 1444	88.2%	★★★★☆
2019	64.3	463 of 1430	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.7	394 of 1413	72.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	65.2	166 of 801	79.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	91.4	36 of 1172	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	87.0	94 of 1166	91.9%	★★★★★
2023	94.5	8 of 1183	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	92.4	28 of 1194	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	95.0	15 of 1172	98.7%	★★★★★
2019	90.5	42 of 1183	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	82.9	142 of 1178	87.9%	★★★★☆

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)97th percentile+17 vs school

Disabled (2021)92nd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)85th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2024)79th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2018)74th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)74th percentile-6 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)49th percentile-31 vs school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile-70 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile-75 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science75%+13 vs state

Reading69%+16 vs state

Mathematics67%+6 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate George Watts Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near George Watts 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
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
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
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
Club Boulevard Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	400 W Club Boulevard	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3918	364	25	14.6	99.2%	141 (38.7%)	73 (20.1%)	128 (35.2%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.2%)	51.6	717^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.9%		75.5	320^th of 1505 public elementary schools	78.7%	397	57.9	48.1	66.7				57.9	50.6	59.4				58.0		$12,570	$1,172	$11,398
Global Scholars Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	311 Dowd St	Durham	27701	Durham County	Global Scholars Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 682-5903	201	17	11.8	98.5%	0 (0.0%)	77 (38.3%)	121 (60.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	16.8	1328^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.9%		10.4	1420^th of 1505 public elementary schools	5.6%	92	28.6	45.8	47.4	45.5	64.3	33.3	21.4	29.2	42.1	40.9	57.1	50.0	21.1	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
Eastway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	610 North Alston Avenue	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3910	331	31	10.5	99.1%	12 (3.6%)	128 (38.7%)	173 (52.3%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	17.1	1327^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.9%		14	1378^th of 1505 public elementary schools	8.4%	51	50.8	53.1	49.1				19.0	26.6	23.6				29.1		$13,790	$3,532	$10,259
KIPP Durham College Preparatory	Public, Charter	K-8	1107 Holloway Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	KIPP Durham College Preparatory	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 973-0285	380	26	14.9	99.2%	9 (2.4%)	180 (47.4%)	183 (48.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	19.2	1289^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.5%					(n/a)	39.6			51.9	32.6	36.5	16.7			36.5	26.1	28.8		36.5
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about George Watts Elementary

What is the racial makeup of George Watts Elementary?

Students at George Watts Elementary are 49% White, 25% Hispanic, 15% African American, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend George Watts Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 358 students attended George Watts Elementary.

Is George Watts Elementary a good school?

George Watts Elementary ranks 299^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is George Watts Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

Rate George Watts Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Durham, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for George Watts Elementary!

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.