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Pearsontown Elementary

Q: Is Pearsontown Elementary a good school?

Pearsontown Elementary ranks 369 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

369^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 75% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Pearsontown Elementary is a PK–5 school in southern Durham, NC, serving 765 students within the Durham Public Schools district. Although the district ranks below the state average as a whole, Pearsontown is a clear standout: it currently ranks in the 75th percentile statewide (369th of 1,492 elementary schools) with a 4-star rating, and posts reading proficiency rates roughly 18–22 points above the district and up to 18 points above the state. Chronic absenteeism is another bright spot, with just 16.2% of students chronically absent in 2024–25 — less than half the district rate of 36.1% and well below the state's 24.2%.

Among nearby schools, only Southwest Elementary (74th percentile) is a close peer — and Pearsontown holds a notable edge in reading. The rest of the surrounding cluster trails significantly: R N Harris Elementary (36th percentile), Kestrel Heights School (38th), C C Spaulding Elementary (31st), Research Triangle Charter (22nd), Murray-Massenburg Elementary (23rd), and Fayetteville Street Elementary (17th). Pearsontown is also efficient with resources, spending about $11,050 per student in 2018–19 — less than most neighboring schools — while achieving stronger outcomes. Attendance and literacy are the school's clear strengths; reading proficiency sits around 71–74% across grades 3–5.

The concerns are momentum and equity. Pearsontown was a top-50 school statewide as recently as 2021–22, but has gradually slipped to its current top-quarter standing. Math and science scores have declined from recent peaks, and subgroup data shows an emerging gender gap, with female students ranking at the 81st percentile statewide versus the 64th for male students. The most significant red flag is for economically disadvantaged students: their statewide subgroup ranking fell from the 81st percentile in 2023–24 to just the 18th percentile in 2025–26. The school's foundation — strong attendance culture and literacy results — suggests it has the tools to address these gaps and return to the upper echelons of North Carolina elementary schools.

765

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4915 Barbee Road
Durham, NC 27713-1603

(919) 560-3964

District: Durham Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.1%

African American:

35.6%

Hispanic:

14.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Pearsontown Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 78th percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (70% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school70%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

369^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 25%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

From top 22% (2016) to top 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

155^th of 246Durham 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
2026	72.4	369 of 1492	75.3%	★★★★☆
2025	80.8	237 of 1490	84.1%	★★★★☆
2024	88.1	139 of 1505	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	92.8	82 of 1502	94.5%	★★★★★
2022	94.9	46 of 1514	97.0%	★★★★★
2021	90.8	111 of 1489	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	86.9	142 of 1473	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	84.6	162 of 1434	88.7%	★★★★☆
2017	78.3	255 of 1429	82.2%	★★★★☆
2016	75.0	308 of 1425	78.4%	★★★★☆
2015	83.6	176 of 1440	87.8%	★★★★☆
2014	86.2	150 of 1390	89.2%	★★★★☆
2013	81.5	206 of 1403	85.3%	★★★★☆
2012	83.5	134 of 1388	90.3%	★★★★★
2011	72.8	345 of 1381	75.0%	★★★★☆
2010	74.8	298 of 1363	78.1%	★★★★☆
2009	79.2	226 of 1354	83.3%	★★★★☆
2008	67.0	399 of 1324	69.9%	★★★★☆
2007	74.7	267 of 1293	79.4%	★★★★☆
2006	83.4	127 of 1276	90.0%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	312 of 903	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.7	165 of 918	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	85.1	71 of 924	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	93.8	23 of 933	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	96.8	14 of 927	98.5%	★★★★★
2021	90.6	47 of 896	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	92.6	33 of 949	96.5%	★★★★★
2018	93.4	19 of 927	98.0%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	82.2	43 of 634	93.2%	★★★★★
2021	63.1	149 of 646	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	69.8	153 of 878	82.6%	★★★★☆
2018	78.3	90 of 897	90.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.5	281 of 1447	80.6%	★★★★☆
2025	81.5	195 of 1451	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	90.0	97 of 1455	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	92.6	56 of 1459	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	93.1	53 of 1458	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	88.0	124 of 1440	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	82.5	174 of 1424	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	81.3	197 of 1405	86.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.3	331 of 743	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.3	537 of 710	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	63.5	238 of 669	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.0	214 of 582	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.2	125 of 500	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	56.0	277 of 494	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.3	235 of 612	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.1	325 of 981	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.8	208 of 961	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.1	133 of 951	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	94.3	24 of 915	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	74.5	156 of 893	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	77.9	111 of 843	86.8%	★★★★☆
2019	76.0	130 of 865	85.0%	★★★★☆
2018	78.7	114 of 851	86.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	1171 of 1434	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	59.1	503 of 1437	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.2	270 of 1450	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	85.0	92 of 1437	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.4	34 of 1366	97.5%	★★★★★
2021	63.9	356 of 1329	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.6	382 of 1361	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	70.5	303 of 1332	77.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.3	519 of 1451	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	76.4	278 of 1450	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	82.2	198 of 1464	86.5%	★★★★☆
2023	90.7	90 of 1461	93.8%	★★★★★
2022	94.6	48 of 1464	96.7%	★★★★★
2021	90.9	92 of 1444	93.6%	★★★★★
2019	87.7	122 of 1430	91.5%	★★★★★
2018	84.7	160 of 1413	88.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.1	50 of 181	72.4%	★★★★☆
2025	88.0	12 of 175	93.1%	★★★★★
2024	91.2	6 of 159	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	92.4	8 of 154	94.8%	★★★★★
2022	95.0	3 of 133	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	99.0	1 of 97	99.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.8	189 of 815	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	57.9	240 of 821	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	64.4	174 of 801	78.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.6	47 of 1146	95.9%	★★★★★
2025	91.1	37 of 1172	96.8%	★★★★★
2024	91.7	37 of 1166	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	94.3	9 of 1183	99.2%	★★★★★
2022	97.2	2 of 1194	99.8%	★★★★★
2021	96.0	8 of 1172	99.3%	★★★★★
2019	92.5	28 of 1183	97.6%	★★★★★
2018	90.2	50 of 1178	95.8%	★★★★★

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 (2026)96th percentile+21 vs school

Disabled (2022)93rd percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)81st percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2026)77th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)72nd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)67th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2026)65th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2026)64th percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)55th percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile-57 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science73%+5 vs state

Reading72%+16 vs state

Mathematics66%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pearsontown 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 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
Pearsontown Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4915 Barbee Road	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3964	765	56	13.5	99.6%	276 (36.1%)	272 (35.6%)	112 (14.6%)	19 (2.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (11.1%)	72.4	369^th of 1492 public elementary schools	75.3%		80.8	237^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.1%	132	70.1	61.7	67.8				70.9	70.8	73.7				72.9		$11,050	$680	$10,370
Southwest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2320 Cook Road	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3972	639	45	14.2	99.5%	203 (31.8%)	204 (31.9%)	166 (26.0%)	12 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.3%)	71.6	387^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.1%		64.4	491^st of 1490 public elementary schools	67.0%	104	75.6	63.6	76.1				61.1	54.5	71.6				83.5		$11,711	$1,168	$10,542
Murray-Massenburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3901 S Roxboro St	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(919) 560-3749	517	30	17.1	99.4%	129 (25.0%)	213 (41.2%)	111 (21.5%)	12 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.9%)	27.4	1151^st of 1492 public elementary schools	22.9%					(n/a)	58.0	36.3	50.0				45.4	41.2	48.3				63.8
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%)	32.6	1047^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.8%		35.8	986^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.8%	61	68.4	34.9	48.6				63.2	41.9	48.6				45.7		$14,391	$3,740	$10,650
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%)	22.5	1236^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.2%		19.8	1284^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.8%	48	45.5	41.5	50.0				36.4	31.7	47.6				61.9		$12,761	$2,103	$10,658
Kestrel Heights School	Public, Charter	K-8	4700 South Alston Ave.	Durham	27713	Durham County	Kestrel Heights School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 484-1300	421	29	14.4	56.3%	29 (6.9%)	244 (58.0%)	86 (20.4%)	29 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	38.7	924^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.1%		36.3	976^th of 1490 public elementary schools	34.5%	52	64.9	65.2	56.4	48.2	41.5	18.9	39.5	56.5	53.8	46.4	48.1	53.7	56.4	64.8
Parkwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5207 Revere Road	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3962	491	35	13.8	99.4%	57 (11.6%)	271 (55.2%)	98 (20.0%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (11.4%)	10.1	1420^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.8%		12.5	1383^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	7.2%	37	31.0	23.3	31.3				34.5	33.3	40.0				52.3		$11,377	$1,372	$10,005
Hope Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-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%)	26.1	1168^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.7%		28.3	1112^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.4%	56	47.4	53.7	44.2				51.1	49.5	42.4				42.4		$12,023	$1,391	$10,632
R N Harris Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1520 Cooper Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3967	313	22	14.5	99.0%	11 (3.5%)	146 (46.6%)	136 (43.5%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	37.4	954^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.1%		25.1	1183^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	20.6%	229	54.1	44.7	67.3				41.5	34.0	45.3				78.4		$14,110	$1,680	$12,430
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%)	33.9	1029^th of 1492 public elementary schools	31.0%		26	1156^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.4%	127	59.5	48.5	80.8				40.5	24.2	38.5				69.2		$16,448	$4,879	$11,568

Frequently Asked Questions about Pearsontown Elementary

How many students attend Pearsontown Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 765 students attended Pearsontown Elementary.

What district is Pearsontown Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Pearsontown Elementary?

Students at Pearsontown Elementary are 36% White, 36% African American, 15% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Pearsontown Elementary a good school?

Pearsontown Elementary ranks 369^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Pearsontown 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.