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Y E Smith Elementary

Q: Is Y E Smith Elementary a good school?

Y E Smith Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Y E Smith Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 358 students attended Y E Smith Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Y E Smith Elementary?

Students at Y E Smith Elementary are 51% Hispanic, 41% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% White, 1% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Y E Smith Elementary attend?

Students who attend Y E Smith Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Neal Middle Middle : Rogers-Herr Middle High : Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1430^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Y E Smith Elementary is a PK-5 school in Durham Public Schools serving 358 students at 2410 E Main Street in Durham, NC, where nearly all students (99%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has historically ranked near the very bottom of North Carolina elementary schools — its 2025-26 ranking places it at 1,430 out of 1,492 schools (4th percentile, 0 stars), and it has never ranked above the 12th percentile over the past decade. Among nearby schools, Y E Smith is the lowest ranked: Burton Elementary, also in Durham Public Schools and serving a nearly identical share of students in poverty, ranks in the 69th percentile.

Test results reveal a pattern that worsens as students move through the grades. In 3rd grade math, Y E Smith students are close to district proficiency (58.1% vs. 60.8%), but by 5th grade only 19.1% are proficient in math, 8.5% in reading, and 14.9% in science — roughly 37, 43, and 48 points below the district average, respectively. Year-to-year changes are also uneven: 3rd and 4th grade scores improved substantially between 2024-25 and 2025-26, while 5th grade reading fell from 28.6% to 8.5%. This suggests recent gains are concentrated in specific grades or cohorts rather than reflecting a schoolwide turnaround.

Chronic absenteeism is likely a core barrier: 45.1% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25, nearly double the statewide rate (24.2%) and well above the district's own 36.1%. Per-student spending ($17,541) exceeds nearby DPS schools such as Merrick-Moore Elementary and R N Harris Elementary, yet academic outcomes lag. There is one relative bright spot: English Learner students ranked in the 35th percentile statewide in 2025-26 (2 stars), notably stronger than the school's overall ranking. Nearby high-poverty schools like Burton demonstrate that similar levels of disadvantage can produce far stronger results, which points to attendance and instructional programming — not poverty alone — as the key levers for improvement.

358

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2410 E Main Street
Durham, NC 27703-3600

(919) 560-3900

District: Durham Public Schools

Students who attend Y E Smith Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Neal Middle
	Rogers-Herr Middle
High:	Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.8%

African American:

40.5%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Y E Smith Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2016 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (29% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

1,430^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▬ steady since 2016

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	9.1	1430 of 1492	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.4	1482 of 1490	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.2	1470 of 1505	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.5	1445 of 1502	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	1327 of 1514	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	4.5	1472 of 1489	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	1377 of 1473	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.2	1414 of 1434	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.1	1379 of 1429	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.7	1365 of 1425	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.0	1412 of 1440	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.5	1315 of 1390	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.4	1298 of 1403	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	20.3	1211 of 1388	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	5.6	1351 of 1381	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.9	1345 of 1363	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.3	1285 of 1354	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.3	1306 of 1324	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	8.3	1247 of 1293	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	10.4	1215 of 1276	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.1	812 of 903	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	868 of 918	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	872 of 924	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	857 of 933	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	782 of 927	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	861 of 896	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.4	784 of 949	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	906 of 927	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.2	339 of 519	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	10.4	556 of 563	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	35.4	353 of 533	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.6	462 of 514	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.5	314 of 485	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	14.5	382 of 385	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	40.3	288 of 497	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.0	388 of 421	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	2.2	1442 of 1447	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.7	1437 of 1451	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.9	1431 of 1455	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	1323 of 1459	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	1239 of 1458	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.1	1437 of 1440	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	1381 of 1424	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	1384 of 1405	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	869 of 981	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.2	943 of 961	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	833 of 951	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	863 of 915	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	39.2	560 of 893	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	9.5	835 of 843	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	796 of 865	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.9	837 of 851	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.8	1351 of 1434	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.4	1386 of 1437	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	1353 of 1450	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	1330 of 1437	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	1162 of 1366	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.1	1283 of 1329	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	1189 of 1361	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	1311 of 1332	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.2	1244 of 1451	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	4.5	1441 of 1450	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	1410 of 1464	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.9	1433 of 1461	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	1266 of 1464	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	4.8	1427 of 1444	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	1282 of 1430	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	1396 of 1413	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)35th percentile+31 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)11th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2026)10th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)<1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics38%-25 vs state

Reading24%-32 vs state

Science15%-53 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 19, 2020

YE smith is a great school in 2006 i previously was enrolled here and never had an issue, the teachers long ago educated us students well and my father raised me just perfectly but we taught and learned to the fullest .. thanks Close Quote

Schools Near Y E Smith 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
Y E Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2410 E Main Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3900	358	23	15.6	99.2%	11 (3.1%)	145 (40.5%)	182 (50.8%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	9.1	1430^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.2%		3.4	1482^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	0.5%	52	58.1	39.1	19.1				30.2	34.8	8.5				14.9		$17,541	$3,182	$14,359
Maureen Joy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	107 South Driver Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Maureen Joy Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 908-1600	631	54	11.6	99.2%	15 (2.4%)	158 (25.0%)	425 (67.4%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	38.6	931^st of 1492 public elementary schools	37.6%		37.2	959^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.6%	28	67.2	67.7	40.0	69.1	81.9	68.1	45.3	54.8	41.4	42.6	56.9	71.0	50.0	79.7
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%)	22.9	1226^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.8%		17.1	1327^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.9%	101	73.2	60.4	51.7				31.7	26.4	24.1				36.2		$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%)	10.7	1409^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.6%		19.2	1289^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.5%	120	57.9	28.9		36.1	66.1	52.4	21.1	24.4		22.2	33.9	38.1		57.5
Burton Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1500 Mathison Avenue	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3908	293	27	10.7	99.0%	25 (8.5%)	136 (46.4%)	112 (38.2%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (5.1%)	67.6	459^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.2%		63.9	501^st of 1490 public elementary schools	66.4%	42	54.3	63.4	75.6				62.9	61.0	75.6				78.0		$14,102	$1,610	$12,492
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
Reaching All Minds Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2703 Holloway St.	Durham	27703	Durham County	Reaching All Minds Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 596-1899	391	36	10.9		45 (11.5%)	52 (13.3%)	289 (73.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	45.7	809^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.8%		52.1	710^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.3%	99	70.0	62.5	72.7	35.3	48.8	46.3	34.0	57.5	54.5	41.2	46.5	41.5	77.3	36.6
Global Scholars Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1305 W Club Blvd	Durham	27705	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%)	18.7	1302^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	12.7%		16.8	1328^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.9%	26	50.0	64.0	55.0	42.9	46.7	60.0	16.7	28.0	15.0	28.6	33.3	50.0	40.0	90.0
Merrick-Moore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2325 Cheek Road	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3952	445	35	12.6	99.3%	17 (3.8%)	175 (39.3%)	232 (52.1%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.6%)	41.7	884^th of 1492 public elementary schools	40.8%		36.3	977^th of 1490 public elementary schools	34.4%	93	60.0	63.1	62.3				36.4	40.0	48.1				71.4		$13,272	$3,313	$9,959
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 Y E Smith Elementary

What schools do graduates of Y E Smith Elementary attend?

Students who attend Y E Smith Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Neal Middle
Middle : Rogers-Herr Middle
High : Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi

How many students attend Y E Smith Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 358 students attended Y E Smith Elementary.

What district is Y E Smith Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

Is Y E Smith Elementary a good school?

Y E Smith Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Y E Smith Elementary?

Students at Y E Smith Elementary are 51% Hispanic, 41% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% White, 1% Asian.

Rate Y E Smith Elementary!

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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.