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Sandy Ridge Elementary

Q: Is Sandy Ridge Elementary a good school?

Sandy Ridge Elementary ranks 835 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

835^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Sandy Ridge Elementary is a PK–5 school in Durham, NC, serving 589 students within Durham Public Schools, where nearly all students (99.5%) come from low-income households. The school has earned a 2-star rating for the 2025–2026 school year, ranking in the 44th percentile statewide, but its recent history shows dramatic swings: from a 73rd-percentile, 4-star performance in 2023–2024, to a 27th-percentile 1-star rating the next year, before recovering to its current mid-pack standing.

Despite the overall volatility, Sandy Ridge shows genuine strengths in upper elementary grades. In 2025–2026, 5th-grade reading (60.8% proficient) and science (72.2% proficient) both outperformed district and state averages, while 5th-grade math essentially matched the state. Yet 3rd and 4th grade reading and math lag behind district and state norms, suggesting that earlier gaps are not being closed by the time students reach 5th grade. The school also performs relatively well for African American, Hispanic, low-income, and gifted students, but special education outcomes are a persistent concern, ranking in the 18th percentile statewide in 2025–2026 after three straight years of bottom-quartile results. Chronic absenteeism is high at 37.0%, and the student–teacher ratio of 17.8:1 is the highest among nearby elementary schools, likely limiting individualized support.

Sandy Ridge’s strong 5th-grade results prove that high poverty does not preclude academic success, especially when compared to nearby high-poverty schools like Hillandale Elementary and Holt Elementary, which rank far lower statewide. At the same time, schools like Easley Elementary and George Watts Elementary demonstrate that similar poverty levels can be paired with much lower absenteeism and far stronger ratings. The most promising focus areas for Sandy Ridge are reducing chronic absenteeism, improving outcomes for students with disabilities, and providing earlier reading and math interventions so that the impressive gains seen by 5th grade begin sooner.

589

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

1417 Old Oxford Highway
Durham, NC 27704

(919) 560-2695

District: Durham Public Schools

Students who attend Sandy Ridge Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lucas Middle
High:	Northern High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.6%

Hispanic:

31.9%

White:

7.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Sandy Ridge Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 73rd percentile in 2024 → 44th in 2026

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped from its 73rd-percentile peak (2024) to 44th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

835^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 44% (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	44.5	835 of 1492	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.3	1086 of 1490	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	69.7	411 of 1505	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	58.8	603 of 1502	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.8	866 of 1514	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.6	1281 of 1489	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.7	1056 of 1473	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.9	939 of 1434	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	26.1	1137 of 1429	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.4	1086 of 1425	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.7	1258 of 1440	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.0	1103 of 1390	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.0	292 of 903	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.8	442 of 918	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	83.6	81 of 924	91.2%	★★★★★
2023	72.2	185 of 933	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	62.4	261 of 927	71.8%	★★★★☆
2021	28.0	683 of 896	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.5	378 of 949	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.8	212 of 927	77.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	29.4	480 of 634	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	780 of 878	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	322 of 519	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.5	457 of 563	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	83.9	47 of 533	91.2%	★★★★★
2023	83.7	42 of 514	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	57.3	135 of 485	72.2%	★★★★☆
2021	25.6	326 of 385	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.1	266 of 497	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	307 of 421	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.5	729 of 1447	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.4	1003 of 1451	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	73.4	310 of 1455	78.7%	★★★★☆
2023	64.1	489 of 1459	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.2	798 of 1458	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.6	1181 of 1440	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.2	905 of 1424	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.5	865 of 1405	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	127 of 743	82.9%	★★★★☆
2025	47.7	527 of 710	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	49.9	471 of 669	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.5	484 of 582	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	56.1	282 of 500	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	1.1	489 of 494	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	44.2	505 of 612	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.3	397 of 981	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.1	590 of 961	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	82.0	104 of 951	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	83.0	86 of 915	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	58.8	294 of 893	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.9	565 of 843	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.7	364 of 865	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.9	535 of 851	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	514 of 1434	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.5	925 of 1437	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	81.1	141 of 1450	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	75.2	234 of 1437	83.7%	★★★★☆
2022	59.6	457 of 1366	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.2	991 of 1329	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.5	965 of 1361	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.4	817 of 1332	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.4	888 of 1451	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.2	1098 of 1450	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	60.1	563 of 1464	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	759 of 1461	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	907 of 1464	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.2	1251 of 1444	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	1154 of 1430	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	1018 of 1413	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	670 of 815	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.2	714 of 821	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	720 of 801	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.4	234 of 1146	79.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)83rd percentile+39 vs school

White (2026)80th percentile+36 vs school

African American (2026)68th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)50th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)39th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)38th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)24th percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2026)18th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science72%+4 vs state

Mathematics57%-7 vs state

Reading52%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sandy Ridge 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Sandy Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1417 Old Oxford Highway	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-2695	589	33	17.8	—	43 (7.3%)	310 (52.6%)	188 (31.9%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.3%)	44.5	835^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.0%		30.3	1086^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.1%	251	62.2	48.6	62.0				47.6	47.6	60.8				72.2		$11,793	$1,182	$10,611
Holt Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4019 Holt School Road	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3928	587	42	13.8	—	23 (3.9%)	144 (24.5%)	344 (58.6%)	42 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.8%)	17.9	1318^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.7%		22.4	1237^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.0%	81	43.8	44.3	40.2				41.3	46.6	36.1				51.5		$11,913	$1,480	$10,433
Glenn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2415 E Geer Street	Durham	27704	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3920	455	44	10.3	—	30 (6.6%)	134 (29.5%)	265 (58.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.8%)	60.8	567^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.0%		38.5	945^th of 1490 public elementary schools	36.6%	378	87.7	71.4	68.3				54.8	58.7	41.5				72.0		$12,627	$1,574	$11,053
Little River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2315 Snow Hill Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3940	326	29	11.3	—	127 (39.0%)	74 (22.7%)	87 (26.7%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (10.4%)	48.9	747^th of 1492 public elementary schools	49.9%		52.3	706^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.6%	41	56.1	60.0	53.1				53.7	67.5	53.1				65.6		$12,393	$773	$11,620
Eno Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	117 Milton Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3915	440	34	13.0	—	32 (7.3%)	215 (48.9%)	154 (35.0%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.8%)	36.5	970^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.0%		22.2	1240^th of 1490 public elementary schools	16.8%	270	62.1	45.5	59.0				53.4	45.5	52.5				54.8		$11,447	$1,613	$9,835
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	—	141 (38.7%)	73 (20.1%)	128 (35.2%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.2%)	31.1	1072^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	28.2%		51.6	717^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.9%	355	50.8	51.8	47.0				41.5	64.3	48.2				53.0		$12,570	$1,172	$11,398
Easley Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	302 Lebanon Circle	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3913	490	38	12.8	—	202 (41.2%)	93 (19.0%)	153 (31.2%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.3%)	74.9	325^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.2%		83.5	194^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.0%	131	71.8	60.2	72.9				72.9	62.4	78.6				90.0		$12,062	$830	$11,231
Hillandale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2730 Hillandale Road	Durham	27705	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3924	586	40	14.7	—	99 (16.9%)	185 (31.6%)	235 (40.1%)	21 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.7%)	13.9	1377^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.7%		13.4	1375^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.7%	2	51.1	30.6	40.9				34.1	32.9	37.0				53.8		$11,529	$1,010	$10,519
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	—	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
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%)	40.5	898^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.8%		55.6	642^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	56.9%	256	54.4	53.2	48.4	41.8	49.2	51.9	52.9	66.1	50.8	58.2	61.3	70.4	57.4	75.9

Frequently Asked Questions about Sandy Ridge Elementary

Is Sandy Ridge Elementary a good school?

Sandy Ridge Elementary ranks 835^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sandy Ridge Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 589 students attended Sandy Ridge Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sandy Ridge Elementary?

Students at Sandy Ridge Elementary are 53% African American, 32% Hispanic, 7% White, 7% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Sandy Ridge Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sandy Ridge Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lucas Middle
High : Northern High

What district is Sandy Ridge Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

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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.