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Brunson Elementary

Q: Is Brunson Elementary a good school?

Brunson Elementary ranks 866 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

866^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Brunson Elementary is a PK-5 school serving 355 students in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina, operating within the Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools district. Nearly all of its students (99%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it one of the highest-poverty schools in the area. The school currently holds a 2-star rating and ranks at the 42nd percentile of North Carolina elementary schools (866th out of 1,492), a modest drop from the previous two years when it sat in the low-50s percentile and earned 3 stars.

What makes Brunson stand out is its performance in upper grades. While 3rd grade test scores lag well behind district and state averages, its 5th graders meet or exceed those benchmarks. In 2025-2026, 64.4% of Brunson 5th graders scored proficient in math (vs. 62.9% statewide), and 69.9% were proficient in science, a figure that tops both the state and several higher-ranked nearby schools, including The Downtown School (68.9%). Brunson is the strongest performer among the traditional high-poverty elementary schools in its immediate area, outranking Diggs-Latham Elementary, Bolton Elementary, Moore Magnet Elementary, Kimberley Park Elementary, and Cook Literacy Model School — all of which serve similarly high-poverty populations but rank below Brunson statewide.

The school also has notable contrasts. Chronic absenteeism affects 28.5% of students, better than the district rate of 33.6% and far lower than peers like Cook Literacy Model School (52.7%) and Bolton Elementary (35.1%), though still above the state figure of 24.2%. Brunson spends less per student ($9,861) than its closest high-poverty neighbors yet achieves stronger results. Subgroup outcomes vary widely: gifted students rank at the 96th percentile statewide and special education students at the 86th, but Hispanic and female students rank at just the 9th and 27th percentiles. The recent decline in overall ranking and the steep drop in Hispanic student performance suggest that progress is fragile, even as upper-grade results show what the school can accomplish.

355

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

155 N Hawthorne Road
Winston Salem, NC 27104-4349

(336) 703-4206

District: Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

Students who attend Brunson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wiley Magnet Middle
High:	Early College of Forsyth County
	Middle College of Forsyth County
	R J Reynolds High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

41.4%

White:

30.1%

Hispanic:

20.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Brunson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 74th percentile in 2016 → 42nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (55% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school55%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg61%

866^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▼ down 32 pts since 2016

From top 26% (2016) to bottom 42% (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	42.6	866 of 1492	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.6	701 of 1490	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	723 of 1505	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.6	821 of 1502	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.5	891 of 1514	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.4	592 of 1489	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.4	538 of 1473	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.4	738 of 1434	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	67.2	456 of 1429	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	71.6	368 of 1425	74.2%	★★★★☆
2015	76.1	300 of 1440	79.2%	★★★★☆
2014	85.4	163 of 1390	88.3%	★★★★☆
2013	89.2	113 of 1403	91.9%	★★★★★
2012	65.8	484 of 1388	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	58.7	637 of 1381	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.9	556 of 1363	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.4	522 of 1354	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	79.4	194 of 1324	85.3%	★★★★☆
2007	65.3	435 of 1293	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	75.5	240 of 1276	81.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.2	554 of 903	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.2	454 of 918	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.2	480 of 924	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	696 of 933	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	750 of 927	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.9	593 of 896	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.8	492 of 949	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.2	664 of 927	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	30.7	477 of 646	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.0	189 of 878	78.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.1	73 of 897	91.9%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	19.0	476 of 514	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	484 of 485	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	469 of 497	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.5	413 of 421	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	1058 of 1447	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.1	931 of 1451	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	792 of 1455	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	1063 of 1459	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.6	857 of 1458	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.3	603 of 1440	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.9	763 of 1424	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.1	905 of 1405	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★☆
2025	66.4	194 of 710	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.2	62 of 669	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	60.8	262 of 582	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.7	257 of 500	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.5	265 of 494	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.9	218 of 612	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.9	893 of 981	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	35.5	652 of 961	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.5	760 of 951	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.1	750 of 915	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	827 of 893	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	36.2	543 of 843	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.9	786 of 865	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.7	803 of 851	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.0	1144 of 1434	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.1	952 of 1437	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.4	1129 of 1450	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.7	1263 of 1437	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	1240 of 1366	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.9	1067 of 1329	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	1311 of 1361	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.1	1301 of 1332	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.5	627 of 1451	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.7	447 of 1450	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.7	639 of 1464	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.2	559 of 1461	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.3	875 of 1464	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.3	527 of 1444	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.0	342 of 1430	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	58.3	588 of 1413	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.2	112 of 821	86.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.7	292 of 1146	74.5%	★★★★☆
2025	80.9	174 of 1172	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	67.8	347 of 1166	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.7	186 of 1183	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	219 of 1194	81.7%	★★★★☆
2021	89.2	69 of 1172	94.1%	★★★★★
2019	86.4	97 of 1183	91.8%	★★★★★
2018	87.8	75 of 1178	93.6%	★★★★★

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)96th percentile+54 vs school

Special Education (2025)86th percentile+33 vs school

White (2026)75th percentile+33 vs school

Male (2026)57th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2026)39th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)27th percentile-15 vs school

Disabled (2021)26th percentile-34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile-22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)9th percentile-33 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)7th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science70%~ state avg

Mathematics52%-11 vs state

Reading52%-4 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, February 27, 2020

This school has some major issues in my opinion. if your child has any kind of special needs I would recommend going somewhere else. This is all just my opinion but I would not recommend this school at all. Close Quote

Schools Near Brunson 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
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
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
Cook Literacy Model School	Public	PK, KG-5	920 11th Street NW	Winston Salem	27105	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4201	228	20	11.4	—	6 (2.6%)	168 (73.7%)	47 (20.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.1%)	3.5	1479^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.9%		25.1	1182^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	20.7%	297	13.0	31.7	30.6				8.7	29.3	27.8				22.2		$15,706	$2,747	$12,959
The Downtown School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	601 N Cherry Street	Winston Salem	27101	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(336) 703-4125	453	35	13.0	24.9%	211 (46.6%)	154 (34.0%)	41 (9.1%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.9%)	76.5	295^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.2%		84.7	180^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.9%	115	75.6	81.8	66.7	63.6	81.8	74.4	80.0	77.3	55.6	95.4	84.1	67.4	68.9	76.7	$11,387	$620	$10,767
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
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
The Arts Based School	Public, Charter	K-8	1380 Martin Luther King Jr Dr	Winston Salem	27101	Forsyth County	Arts Based School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(336) 748-4116	663	49	13.5	—	408 (61.5%)	135 (20.4%)	58 (8.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (8.9%)	53.6	673^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	54.9%		64.1	497^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.6%	176	59.0	41.0	62.3	67.3	63.3	77.6	61.0	57.0	67.2	71.7	75.5	91.8	67.2	97.9
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
Kimberley Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1701 N.Cherry Street	Winston Salem	27105	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-6731	332	29	11.3	—	8 (2.4%)	254 (76.5%)	57 (17.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.9%)	18.6	1306^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.5%		22.3	1239^th of 1490 public elementary schools	16.8%	67	57.9	30.8	31.7				50.0	38.5	36.6				51.2		$14,902	$3,465	$11,437
Childrens Center	Public	PK, KG-5	2315 Coliseum Drive	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 727-2440	83	13	6.1	96.4%	22 (26.5%)	34 (41.0%)	23 (27.7%)	2 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)								(n/a)															$38,700	$4,652	$34,048

Frequently Asked Questions about Brunson Elementary

Is Brunson Elementary a good school?

Brunson Elementary ranks 866^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Brunson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 355 students attended Brunson Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Brunson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Brunson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wiley Magnet Middle
High : Early College of Forsyth County
High : Middle College of Forsyth County
High : R J Reynolds High

What is the racial makeup of Brunson Elementary?

Students at Brunson Elementary are 41% African American, 30% White, 20% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Brunson Elementary in?

Winston Salem / Forsyth County 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.