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The Downtown School

Q: Is The Downtown School a good school?

The Downtown School ranks 295 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-8

295^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

The Downtown School is a PK-8 public school in downtown Winston-Salem, NC, serving 453 students, about 25% of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. It is a clear standout within its home district, Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools, which is rated just 2 stars and ranks in the 35th percentile of North Carolina districts. The Downtown School itself ranks 295th out of 1,492 schools statewide — the 80th percentile with a 4-star rating. This strength has been remarkably consistent: the school's statewide percentile has ranged from 76th to 91st over the past decade, with four-star ratings in nearly every year.

Academically, the school beats its district average in every grade and subject on North Carolina's most recent assessments, and it meets or exceeds the state average nearly everywhere. The middle grades are especially impressive: 6th grade reading proficiency is 95.4% versus 49.8% districtwide, 7th grade math is 81.8% versus 46.0%, and 8th grade science is 76.7% versus 58.7%. Chronic absenteeism, meanwhile, is just 5.9%, far below the district's 33.6% and the state's 24.2%, a sign that students are in class consistently and ready to learn. One relative soft spot worth monitoring is 5th grade reading (55.6% proficient), which dipped close to the state average this past year; the school's own 6th grade reading rate of 95.4% suggests this was more likely a single-cohort anomaly than a schoolwide problem.

For families comparing nearby schools, only Whitaker Elementary ranks higher, at the 89th percentile statewide. The Arts Based School, the other downtown K-8 option, trails at the 55th percentile overall, though it posted stronger 8th grade reading (91.8% vs. 67.4%) and 8th grade science (97.9% vs. 76.7%) proficiency than The Downtown School. By contrast, Ashley Academy, Cook Literacy Model School, Kimberley Park Elementary, and Moore Magnet Elementary all rank in the bottom fifth of North Carolina schools. Families who want an unbroken, consistently strong school from kindergarten through 8th grade will find few downtown options that match this record.

453

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

24.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

601 N Cherry Street
Winston Salem, NC 27101-2939

(336) 703-4125

District: Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.6%

African American:

34.0%

Hispanic:

9.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare The Downtown School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2016 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (75% vs 59% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school75%

District avg54%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

295^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 9% (2016) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

99^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 13%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From top 4% (2016) to top 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.5	295 of 1492	80.2%	★★★★☆
2025	84.7	180 of 1490	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	80.2	239 of 1505	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	84.8	169 of 1502	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	76.5	307 of 1514	79.7%	★★★★☆
2021	72.9	354 of 1489	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	83.7	182 of 1473	87.6%	★★★★☆
2018	74.1	325 of 1434	77.3%	★★★★☆
2017	78.4	253 of 1429	82.3%	★★★★☆
2016	86.9	129 of 1425	90.9%	★★★★★
2015	93.4	45 of 1440	96.9%	★★★★★
2014	91.7	80 of 1390	94.2%	★★★★★
2013	87.6	132 of 1403	90.6%	★★★★★
2012	85.0	110 of 1388	92.1%	★★★★★
2011	86.6	101 of 1381	92.7%	★★★★★
2010	86.9	92 of 1363	93.3%	★★★★★
2009	85.2	124 of 1354	90.8%	★★★★★
2008	88.8	77 of 1324	94.2%	★★★★★
2007	86.0	81 of 1293	93.7%	★★★★★
2006	87.6	71 of 1276	94.4%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.2	141 of 903	84.4%	★★★★☆
2025	85.6	66 of 918	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	73.1	160 of 924	82.7%	★★★★☆
2023	75.0	155 of 933	83.4%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	108 of 927	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	69.5	152 of 896	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	79.3	110 of 949	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	63.1	272 of 927	70.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.2	211 of 1447	85.4%	★★★★☆
2025	81.3	198 of 1451	86.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.1	214 of 1455	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	214 of 1459	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	346 of 1458	76.3%	★★★★☆
2021	65.4	424 of 1440	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	79.3	222 of 1424	84.4%	★★★★☆
2018	74.5	311 of 1405	77.9%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	367 of 743	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.6	476 of 710	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.7	407 of 669	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.3	47 of 582	91.9%	★★★★★
2019	56.6	357 of 612	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.1	41 of 69	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.8	573 of 1434	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	77.1	201 of 1437	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	64.2	413 of 1450	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	84.9	94 of 1437	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	60.7	434 of 1366	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	87.3	78 of 1361	94.3%	★★★★★
2018	53.6	609 of 1332	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	421 of 1451	71.0%	★★★★☆
2025	82.3	199 of 1450	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	75.5	294 of 1464	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.0	152 of 1461	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	77.3	274 of 1464	81.3%	★★★★☆
2021	78.7	255 of 1444	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	84.8	163 of 1430	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	71.7	361 of 1413	74.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.4	122 of 1146	89.4%	★★★★☆
2025	81.6	166 of 1172	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	213 of 1166	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	78.7	199 of 1183	83.2%	★★★★☆
2022	74.6	263 of 1194	78.0%	★★★★☆
2021	74.8	254 of 1172	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	84.7	117 of 1183	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	75.5	260 of 1178	77.9%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	83.9	99 of 778	87.3%	★★★★☆
2025	84.6	99 of 773	87.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.2	151 of 793	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	90.3	64 of 784	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	87.9	80 of 786	89.8%	★★★★☆
2021	85.7	80 of 741	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	90.0	47 of 737	93.6%	★★★★★
2018	84.1	80 of 691	88.4%	★★★★☆
2017	93.5	26 of 694	96.3%	★★★★★
2016	94.0	27 of 692	96.1%	★★★★★
2015	91.0	42 of 705	94.0%	★★★★★
2014	98.3	8 of 627	98.7%	★★★★★
2013	94.1	32 of 673	95.2%	★★★★★
2012	84.4	48 of 662	92.7%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.3	76 of 553	86.3%	★★★★☆
2025	75.1	90 of 546	83.5%	★★★★☆
2024	74.6	95 of 560	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	86.8	47 of 559	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	86.6	51 of 550	90.7%	★★★★★
2021	79.8	56 of 533	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	92.1	30 of 519	94.2%	★★★★★
2018	86.3	39 of 494	92.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.9	94 of 731	87.1%	★★★★☆
2025	87.7	62 of 733	91.5%	★★★★★
2024	75.2	153 of 738	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	89.0	61 of 731	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	85.0	86 of 733	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	83.9	82 of 706	88.4%	★★★★☆
2019	85.5	65 of 684	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	87.0	55 of 656	91.6%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.2	8 of 465	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	76.7	22 of 452	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	70.7	70 of 450	84.4%	★★★★☆
2021	60.3	208 of 448	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.6	151 of 416	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.2	91 of 127	28.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.4	146 of 725	79.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.5	102 of 729	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	67.2	179 of 743	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	84.9	56 of 735	92.4%	★★★★★
2022	88.0	38 of 689	94.5%	★★★★★
2019	90.0	27 of 639	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	71.4	120 of 604	80.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.6	99 of 736	86.5%	★★★★☆
2025	80.6	122 of 733	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	76.5	151 of 751	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	88.1	73 of 747	90.2%	★★★★★
2022	89.2	66 of 748	91.2%	★★★★★
2021	85.2	79 of 711	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	92.6	34 of 697	95.1%	★★★★★
2018	76.7	126 of 665	81.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	114 of 500	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	47.8	189 of 473	60.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	79.4	115 of 644	82.1%	★★★★☆
2025	86.1	77 of 649	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.3	145 of 652	77.8%	★★★★☆
2023	92.6	26 of 656	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	93.2	29 of 658	95.6%	★★★★★
2021	85.6	77 of 632	87.8%	★★★★☆
2019	92.9	24 of 624	96.2%	★★★★★
2018	81.2	86 of 596	85.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

White (2026)89th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)85th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2026)84th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)71st percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile-20 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)51st percentile-30 vs school

Middle school

Gifted and Talented (2026)98th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)87th percentile~ school

Male (2026)87th percentile~ school

African American (2026)86th percentile~ school

White (2026)82nd percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)77th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Reading77%+21 vs state

Mathematics74%+14 vs state

Science73%+5 vs state

★

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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Ashley Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1647 Ashley School Circle	Winston Salem	27105	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 703-4203	348	30	11.6	—	6 (1.7%)	133 (38.2%)	203 (58.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	3.6	1477^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.0%		8.9	1436^th of 1490 public elementary schools	3.6%	41	22.1	23.7	36.1				25.4	18.6	20.0				42.4		$12,584	$2,585	$10,000
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about The Downtown School

How many students attend The Downtown School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 453 students attended The Downtown School.

What is the racial makeup of The Downtown School?

Students at The Downtown School are 47% White, 34% African American, 9% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is The Downtown School a good school?

The Downtown School ranks 295^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is The Downtown School 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.