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Bolton Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1165^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Bolton Elementary is a PK–5 public school in Winston Salem, NC, serving 380 students in the Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools district. About 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks 1,165th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools — though it has climbed dramatically from the bottom of state rankings a decade ago, reaching the 31st percentile as recently as 2023–2024.

The school’s strongest early signal is literacy. In 2025–2026, 3rd-grade reading proficiency jumped 14 points to 53.4%, essentially matching the district average (54.0%) and coming close to the state (55.6%). Third-grade math is similarly close to district and state levels. The school also stands out for its outcomes with African American students: that group ranked in the 71st percentile statewide, far above the school’s overall standing. Low-income students and special education students also scored near the middle of the pack last year.

The more significant concern is upper elementary. By 5th grade, only 27.9% of students were proficient in reading — roughly half the district and state rates — and math proficiency also fell well behind. Chronic absenteeism affects 35.1% of students, above the district (33.6%) and state (24.2%) averages and possibly one factor in that slide. Comparisons with nearby schools are instructive: Diggs-Latham Elementary (40th percentile) and Brunson Elementary (42nd percentile) serve similar poverty levels yet post stronger results, while South Fork Elementary (7th percentile) and Cook Literacy Model School (1st percentile) fall below. Moore Magnet Elementary, with equally high poverty, has much lower chronic absenteeism at 21.1%. Despite spending roughly $12,700 per student, the school has not consistently converted those resources into stronger upper-grade results. Its best strategies — early literacy and support for African American students — may hold the key to improving outcomes across all grades.

380

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

1250 Bolton Street
Winston Salem, NC 27103-4225

(336) 703-4247

District: Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

Students who attend Bolton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wiley Magnet Middle
High:	Early College of Forsyth County
	Middle College of Forsyth County

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.9%

Hispanic:

30.5%

White:

8.2%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2016 → 22nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (47% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg61%

1,165^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

159^th of 246Winston Salem / Forsyth County 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	26.3	1165 of 1492	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.6	1080 of 1490	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.3	1041 of 1505	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.6	1200 of 1502	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	1277 of 1514	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.4	1133 of 1489	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.7	1271 of 1473	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	1329 of 1434	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.3	1306 of 1429	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.5	1310 of 1425	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	26.3	1137 of 1440	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.5	1045 of 1390	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.0	1096 of 1403	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.1	1087 of 1388	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	34.1	1005 of 1381	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	32.2	1031 of 1363	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.7	1057 of 1354	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	29.2	1021 of 1324	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	34.5	969 of 1293	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	33.8	957 of 1276	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.9	265 of 903	70.7%	★★★★☆
2025	60.3	281 of 918	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	237 of 924	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	38.6	582 of 933	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	561 of 927	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.6	374 of 896	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.1	619 of 949	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.8	736 of 927	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	26.2	520 of 634	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.5	456 of 878	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.2	681 of 897	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.6	332 of 519	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.9	508 of 563	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	404 of 533	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.1	282 of 485	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.2	321 of 385	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	394 of 497	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	365 of 421	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.8	1017 of 1447	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.6	937 of 1451	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.3	1080 of 1455	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	1302 of 1459	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	1351 of 1458	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.8	1044 of 1440	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.8	977 of 1424	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	15.2	1276 of 1405	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.6	833 of 981	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.4	779 of 961	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.4	618 of 951	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.4	509 of 915	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	444 of 893	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	29.0	648 of 843	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.9	631 of 865	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.1	740 of 851	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	789 of 1434	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.4	655 of 1437	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	676 of 1450	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.3	1039 of 1437	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.7	978 of 1366	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.6	852 of 1329	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.3	1119 of 1361	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	1215 of 1332	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	1230 of 1451	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.8	1168 of 1450	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.5	934 of 1464	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	971 of 1461	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	980 of 1464	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.9	1184 of 1444	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	1336 of 1430	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	1321 of 1413	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	422 of 815	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	16.4	798 of 821	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)71st percentile+49 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile+23 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)36th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)30th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)18th percentile~ school

Male (2026)15th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)15th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science54%-14 vs state

Mathematics50%-13 vs state

Reading42%-15 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, September 2, 2015

My daughter just started kindergarten at Bolton and I am very concerned about her education. The school is lacking in technology and it is very dimly lit, making it hard to see how run down the school truly is. We are a middle class family and were told lunch was free, no application needed. I fear for her education as many students are not proficiently English speaking. We are trying very hard to transfer her to a school with higher performance scores only to be denied the transfer. I called the county student assignment office and the receptionist told me that test score aren't that important. I beg to differ!! Close Quote

Schools Near Bolton 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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bolton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1250 Bolton Street	Winston Salem	27103	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4247	380	32	12.0	—	31 (8.2%)	201 (52.9%)	116 (30.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	26 (6.8%)	26.3	1165^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.9%		30.6	1080^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.5%	85	63.8	40.8	45.0	53.4	44.9	27.9	54.1	$12,762	$2,058	$10,705
Moore Magnet Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	451 Knollwood Street	Winston Salem	27103	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 727-2860	450	34	13.3	—	93 (20.7%)	247 (54.9%)	65 (14.4%)	9 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.6%)	25.2	1184^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.6%		35.4	991^st of 1490 public elementary schools	33.5%	193	62.4	37.3	39.1	63.5	40.0	37.0	42.4	$10,512	$1,383	$9,128
Diggs-Latham Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	986 Hutton Street	Winston Salem	27101	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 703-4102	385	37	10.4	—	31 (8.1%)	154 (40.0%)	186 (48.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.6%)	41.3	889^th of 1492 public elementary schools	40.4%		37.9	951^st of 1490 public elementary schools	36.2%	62	64.7	52.9	58.0	52.9	45.1	50.0	64.0	$13,182	$2,117	$11,065
South Fork Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4332 Country Club Road	Winston Salem	27104	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4231	503	41	12.4	—	53 (10.5%)	220 (43.7%)	145 (28.8%)	48 (9.5%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (6.6%)	13	1386^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.1%		14.2	1360^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.7%	26	45.2	48.1	35.1	39.7	32.5	28.4	47.3	$12,604	$2,133	$10,471
Brunson Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	155 N Hawthorne Road	Winston Salem	27104	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 703-4206	355	29	12.3	—	107 (30.1%)	147 (41.4%)	71 (20.0%)	7 (2.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.2%)	42.6	866^th of 1492 public elementary schools	42.0%		52.6	701^st of 1490 public elementary schools	53.0%	165	38.3	52.2	64.4	45.0	52.2	57.5	69.9	$9,861	$976	$8,885
Whitaker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Buena Vista Road	Winston Salem	27104	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 703-6740	490	32	15.1	25.5%	350 (71.4%)	76 (15.5%)	37 (7.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.1%)	87	157^th of 1492 public elementary schools	89.5%		93.1	72^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	95.2%	85	81.7	77.6	81.5	77.5	77.6	71.7	80.4	$9,221	$473	$8,748
Sherwood Forest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1055 Yorkshire Road	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 774-4646	670	44	15.2	19.0%	511 (76.3%)	42 (6.3%)	44 (6.6%)	27 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (6.9%)	94.6	49^th of 1492 public elementary schools	96.7%		96.5	32^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	97.9%	17	88.3	86.6	91.7	80.2	83.0	85.7	90.5	$10,301	$903	$9,398
Griffith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1385 W Clemmonsville Road	Winston Salem	27127	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4245	621	44	14.1	—	58 (9.3%)	257 (41.4%)	259 (41.7%)	11 (1.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.3%)	34.7	1015^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.0%		32.3	1054^th of 1490 public elementary schools	29.3%	39	62.5	56.8	53.8	45.5	47.3	38.5	62.6	$10,374	$1,739	$8,635
Anderson Academy	Public, Charter	K-4	1001 Reynolda Road	Winston Salem	27104	Forsyth County	Anderson Academy	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(336) 703-9292	0			—															(n/a)	35.7	15.4		57.1	38.5
Konnoak Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3200 Renon Road	Winston Salem	27127	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 703-4163	600	45	13.3	—	40 (6.7%)	188 (31.3%)	355 (59.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.5%)	22	1246^th of 1492 public elementary schools	16.5%		22.6	1229^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.5%	17	48.1	50.0	54.9	34.0	40.0	45.1	51.2	$10,429	$1,736	$8,693

Frequently Asked Questions about Bolton Elementary

What district is Bolton Elementary in?

Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

Is Bolton Elementary a good school?

Bolton Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.9% of North Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Bolton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 380 students attended Bolton Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bolton Elementary?

Students at Bolton Elementary are 53% African American, 31% Hispanic, 8% White, 7% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Bolton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bolton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wiley Magnet Middle
High : Early College of Forsyth County
High : Middle College of Forsyth County

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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.