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

E K Powe Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
884th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 41% of North Carolina elementary schools
Summary

E K Powe Elementary is a public elementary school in Durham Public Schools serving 409 students in grades PK-5. The school's academic performance has been mixed, with proficiency rates in Mathematics and Reading generally lower than state averages, but higher in 5th grade Science. Compared to nearby schools, E K Powe Elementary generally outperforms some traditional public schools like C C Spaulding Elementary and Eastway Elementary, but lags behind higher-performing magnet schools like George Watts Elementary and Morehead Montessori.

The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with White students consistently ranking among the top 5% of elementary schools in the state, while African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students, as well as students with disabilities and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking in the bottom 10-20% or 30-50% of schools. This suggests the need for targeted interventions and support to address these disparities.

E K Powe Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 39.19% to 54.28%, which is higher than the state average and indicates a significant population of students from low-income families. The school's student-teacher ratio has remained relatively low, which may be beneficial for providing more individualized attention. Overall, the school's performance and ranking have fluctuated over the years, highlighting the need for continuous improvement efforts to enhance the academic outcomes for all students.

454
Students ?
12.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$12,287
Per pupil spending ?
99.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 913 9th Street
       Durham, NC  27705-4104

(919) 560-3963

District: Durham Public Schools


Students who attend E K Powe Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Brogden Middle
    Rogers-Herr Middle
High:    Riverside High
Racial breakdown:

White:
37.4%
Hispanic:
35.5%
African American:
17.8%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare E K Powe Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 52nd percentile in 2022 → 41st in 2025
Worth a look
!Test scores below the North Carolina average (52% vs 57% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped from its 52nd-percentile peak (2022) to 41st (2025)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school52%
District avg50%
North Carolina avg57%
884th of 1,490
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Bottom 41%▲ up 23 pts since 2015
From bottom 17% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
12th of 30Elementary Schools in the Durham Public Schools
163rd 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202541.8884 of 149040.7%★★☆☆☆
202450.5736 of 150551.1%★★★☆☆
202347.4809 of 150246.1%★★☆☆☆
202250.9728 of 151451.9%★★★☆☆
202147.4746 of 148949.9%★★☆☆☆
201939.7921 of 147337.5%★★☆☆☆
201838.9940 of 143434.4%★★☆☆☆
201737.5958 of 142933.0%★★☆☆☆
201621.91191 of 142516.4%★☆☆☆☆
201521.61191 of 144017.3%★☆☆☆☆
201421.31138 of 139018.1%★☆☆☆☆
201320.31180 of 140315.9%★☆☆☆☆
201220.71209 of 138812.9%★☆☆☆☆
201116.51248 of 13819.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201011.61269 of 13636.9%☆☆☆☆☆
200920.91140 of 135415.8%★☆☆☆☆
200813.31211 of 13248.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20073.61281 of 12930.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20066.31250 of 12762.0%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202516.4853 of 9187.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202424.0789 of 92414.6%★☆☆☆☆
202337.0607 of 93334.9%★★☆☆☆
202234.2635 of 92731.5%★★☆☆☆
202117.8845 of 8965.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201928.4759 of 94920.0%★☆☆☆☆
201829.7716 of 92722.8%★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
201930.0673 of 87823.3%★☆☆☆☆
201833.2639 of 89728.8%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202514.3546 of 5633.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202419.0496 of 5336.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202320.6463 of 5149.9%★☆☆☆☆
202221.7438 of 4859.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201920.2466 of 4976.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201826.6347 of 42117.6%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202563.3484 of 145166.6%★★★☆☆
202458.2575 of 145560.5%★★★☆☆
202347.6780 of 145946.5%★★☆☆☆
202247.2759 of 145847.9%★★☆☆☆
202131.6978 of 144032.1%★★☆☆☆
201946.7798 of 142444.0%★★☆☆☆
201845.7817 of 140541.9%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202544.5559 of 71021.3%★☆☆☆☆
202460.0306 of 66954.3%★★★☆☆
202339.1509 of 58212.5%★☆☆☆☆
202241.5420 of 50016.0%★☆☆☆☆
202130.3429 of 49413.2%★☆☆☆☆
201932.8572 of 6126.5%☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202515.1899 of 9616.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202415.3898 of 9515.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202318.2839 of 9158.3%☆☆☆☆☆
202226.6751 of 89315.9%★☆☆☆☆
202118.0776 of 8437.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201911.0852 of 8651.5%☆☆☆☆☆
201813.0820 of 8513.6%☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
20259.61402 of 14372.4%☆☆☆☆☆
202416.61337 of 14507.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202326.41152 of 143719.8%★☆☆☆☆
202223.91159 of 136615.2%★☆☆☆☆
202114.11261 of 13295.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201912.51295 of 13614.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201812.71273 of 13324.4%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202522.31213 of 145016.3%★☆☆☆☆
202441.2886 of 146439.5%★★☆☆☆
202345.9821 of 146143.8%★★☆☆☆
202255.8628 of 146457.1%★★★☆☆
202160.5541 of 144462.5%★★★☆☆
201933.01058 of 143026.0%★☆☆☆☆
201833.51034 of 141326.8%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202541.6447 of 82145.6%★★☆☆☆
202451.4306 of 80161.8%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202591.140 of 117296.6%★★★★★
202490.256 of 116695.2%★★★★★
202385.2118 of 118390.0%★★★★★
202292.427 of 119497.7%★★★★★
202192.041 of 117296.5%★★★★★
201987.384 of 118392.9%★★★★★
201882.7146 of 117887.6%★★★★☆
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+56 vs school
Female (2025)67th percentile+26 vs school
Special Education (2025)46th percentile+5 vs school
Disabled (2019)23rd percentile-14 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2025)21st percentile-19 vs school
Male (2025)16th percentile-24 vs school
African American (2025)7th percentile-34 vs school
Hispanic (2025)6th percentile-34 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)3rd percentile-38 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile-38 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?
Science55%-7 vs state
Mathematics52%-8 vs state
Reading50%-3 vs state

5.0
2 ratings · 1 written review
52
40
30
20
10
Rate E K Powe 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
What people are saying
by a parent
Thursday, June 11, 2015

Open Quote My son goes to Powe. I love the community of progressive, engaged parents there. Close Quote





Schools Near E K Powe Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about E K Powe Elementary

Students who attend E K Powe Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Brogden Middle
Middle : Rogers-Herr Middle
High : Riverside High

In the 2024-25 school year, 454 students attended E K Powe Elementary.

Students at E K Powe Elementary are 37% White, 35% Hispanic, 18% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

E K Powe Elementary ranks 884th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


Rate E K Powe Elementary!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for E K Powe 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.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 60 milliseconds.