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Spring Valley Elementary

Q: Is Spring Valley Elementary a good school?

Spring Valley Elementary ranks 764 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

764^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Spring Valley Elementary is a PK–5 public school in Durham Public Schools serving 543 students in Durham, NC. In 2025-2026 it ranked around the 49th percentile statewide — squarely in the middle of nearly 1,500 North Carolina elementary schools — but that makes it one of the strongest high-poverty schools in its immediate area. Spring Valley outranks nearby Y E Smith Elementary, Bethesda Elementary, R N Harris Elementary, and Merrick-Moore Elementary, as well as local charters Reaching All Minds Academy, Maureen Joy Charter School, and Research Triangle Charter, plus Brier Creek Elementary from Wake County. Only Oak Grove Elementary ranks higher among its Durham-area neighbors.

Attendance looks like a big reason Spring Valley stands out. Its chronic absenteeism rate was 21.7% in 2024-2025, far better than the Durham district rate of 36.1% and slightly better than the state rate of 24.2%. Several neighboring schools report rates around 40%. Academically, 3rd graders shine: 72.1% scored proficient in math and 60.3% in reading, clearing both district and state averages. Reading and math results in grades 4 and 5 also beat district averages. Spring Valley achieves this on roughly $11,287 in spending per pupil — thousands less than Y E Smith Elementary ($17,541) and R N Harris Elementary ($14,110), both of which score lower.

Still, there is room to grow. Science trails the school's other results: 59.8% of 5th graders were proficient, below district and state averages. Spring Valley also shows a recurring pattern of strong 3rd-grade scores fading by 4th and 5th grade, suggesting early gains do not always carry through upper elementary. Outcomes also vary by student group. African American students, white students, and gifted students perform well compared with similar students across the state, but Hispanic students (31st percentile), economically disadvantaged students (38th percentile), and students with disabilities (17th percentile) do not fare as well. Overall, the trend is positive — the school has climbed from the bottom quarter of North Carolina elementary schools into the middle — and its strong attendance makes it a genuine bright spot in Durham.

543

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2051 Northern Durham Prky
Durham, NC 27703

(919) 560-2890

District: Durham Public Schools

Students who attend Spring Valley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Neal Middle
High:	Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.3%

Hispanic:

24.7%

White:

14.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Spring Valley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 31st percentile in 2016 → 49th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

764^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 18 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to bottom 49% (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	48.1	764 of 1492	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.0	818 of 1490	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	1009 of 1505	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.4	840 of 1502	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.4	787 of 1514	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.3	1100 of 1489	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.5	1119 of 1473	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.6	981 of 1434	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	32.1	1045 of 1429	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	36.2	980 of 1425	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.9	988 of 1440	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	29.3	1019 of 1390	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.7	1131 of 1403	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	34.4	1019 of 1388	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	22.5	1170 of 1381	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	5.4	1333 of 1363	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.1	1267 of 1354	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.9	241 of 903	73.3%	★★★★☆
2025	60.5	279 of 918	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.0	333 of 924	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.0	195 of 933	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.0	113 of 927	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	51.9	326 of 896	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.5	393 of 949	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.9	301 of 927	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	52.5	229 of 646	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.8	418 of 878	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.5	636 of 897	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.6	215 of 563	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.0	335 of 533	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.5	201 of 514	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.7	311 of 485	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.0	103 of 385	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	36.5	331 of 497	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.8	176 of 421	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.7	727 of 1447	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.7	799 of 1451	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	708 of 1455	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.9	778 of 1459	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.0	546 of 1458	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.9	896 of 1440	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.5	1030 of 1424	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.0	1027 of 1405	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.7	119 of 743	84.0%	★★★★☆
2025	48.4	515 of 710	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	61.2	286 of 669	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.4	315 of 582	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	431 of 500	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.0	674 of 981	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.0	523 of 961	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.8	613 of 951	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.8	441 of 915	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.3	492 of 893	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.1	545 of 843	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.8	572 of 865	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.6	339 of 851	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	888 of 1434	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.0	1080 of 1437	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.7	1002 of 1450	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.2	789 of 1437	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.3	560 of 1366	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.6	875 of 1329	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.2	1047 of 1361	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.4	799 of 1332	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	787 of 1451	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.2	792 of 1450	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.1	1200 of 1464	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.6	876 of 1461	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	1036 of 1464	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.6	1220 of 1444	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.4	1158 of 1430	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.2	892 of 1413	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.8	680 of 815	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.9	592 of 821	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	696 of 801	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.2	345 of 1146	69.9%	★★★★☆
2024	28.6	922 of 1166	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.6	635 of 1183	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	698 of 1194	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.5	835 of 1172	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	992 of 1178	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)84th percentile+35 vs school

African American (2026)73rd percentile+25 vs school

White (2026)70th percentile+21 vs school

Disabled (2021)65th percentile+38 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)62nd percentile+17 vs school

Female (2026)50th percentile~ school

Male (2026)46th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)31st percentile-17 vs school

Special Education (2026)17th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics61%~ state avg

Science60%-8 vs state

Reading55%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Spring Valley 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
Spring Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2051 Northern Durham Prky	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-2890	543	33	16.5	99.3%	81 (14.9%)	273 (50.3%)	134 (24.7%)	17 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.8%)	48.1	764^th of 1492 public elementary schools	48.8%		46	818^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.1%	54	72.1	54.7	57.3				60.3	53.1	52.4				59.8		$11,287	$1,274	$10,013
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3810 Wake Forest Road	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3960	395	34	11.6	99.2%	34 (8.6%)	164 (41.5%)	169 (42.8%)	7 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.3%)	59.1	599^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.9%		59.1	580^th of 1490 public elementary schools	61.1%	19	68.9	70.6	56.1				63.9	52.9	52.6				77.2		$12,244	$1,497	$10,747
Bethesda Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2009 S Miami Boulevard	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3904	442	32	13.8	99.3%	33 (7.5%)	209 (47.3%)	171 (38.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.9%)	24.2	1203^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	19.4%		25.5	1169^th of 1490 public elementary schools	21.5%	34	40.6	49.4	44.9				44.9	52.5	42.3				50.6		$10,668	$1,389	$9,280
North Oak Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	2201 E Geer St	Durham	27704	Durham County	North Oak Academy	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(919) 695-9900																			(n/a)	49.2	44.7	37.8				35.4	46.1	31.1				44.4
Research Triangle Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	2418 Ellis Road	Durham	27703	Durham County	Research Triangle Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 957-7108	710	33	21.8	99.6%	23 (3.2%)	459 (64.6%)	170 (23.9%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (7.2%)	27.1	1157^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.5%		18.1	1314^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.8%	157	30.9	45.8	37.1	33.3	50.0	55.6	36.2	62.5	54.8	40.5	52.5	50.8	66.1	50.0
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
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
Brier Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9801 Brier Creek Parkway	Raleigh	27617	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 484-4747	642	48	13.4	63.9%	146 (22.7%)	299 (46.6%)	138 (21.5%)	36 (5.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.1%)	16.7	1339^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.3%		30.3	1085^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.2%	254	45.1	41.6	49.5				39.3	36.6	34.6				52.3		$9,431	$337	$9,094
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Spring Valley Elementary

What district is Spring Valley Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

How many students attend Spring Valley Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 543 students attended Spring Valley Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Spring Valley Elementary attend?

Students who attend Spring Valley Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Neal Middle
High : Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi

Is Spring Valley Elementary a good school?

Spring Valley Elementary ranks 764^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Spring Valley Elementary?

Students at Spring Valley Elementary are 50% African American, 25% Hispanic, 15% White, 7% Two or more races, 3% 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.