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Gibson Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1373^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Gibson Elementary is a midsized PK–5 school in Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools serving 589 students from a very high-poverty area, where 99.5% of children qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has spent years near the very bottom of North Carolina's elementary rankings, placing in the 1st percentile in 2024–2025 and improving slightly to the 8th percentile in 2025–2026. State test scores still trail district and state averages in nearly every subject and grade.

There are signs of progress worth noticing. Between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, Gibson improved in every grade and subject tested, with the most dramatic gain in 3rd-grade reading — jumping from 23.2% proficient to 53.8%, nearly matching the state average. English Learner students also emerged as a genuine bright spot, ranking at the 44th percentile statewide, up from the 15th percentile the prior year. However, upper grades still lag far behind: only 28% of 4th graders and 22.6% of 5th graders read proficiently, and 5th-grade science proficiency (29%) trails the district by roughly 35 points. Special education outcomes are a serious concern, with that subgroup scoring at the 4th percentile statewide.

The comparison with nearby schools shows what is possible. Jefferson Elementary (4.7 miles away) and Old Richmond Elementary (4.5 miles away) serve nearly identical low-income populations — both above 99% free/reduced lunch — yet they rank at the 87th and 73rd percentiles statewide, with roughly three times Gibson's 5th-grade science proficiency and far lower chronic absenteeism (12–16% versus Gibson's 41.6%). Gibson actually spends more per student ($11,207) and has smaller class sizes than those higher-performing schools, suggesting that attendance and instructional strategy — not resources alone — are key levers. For parents, the takeaway is cautious optimism: Gibson's recent gains, especially in 3rd grade, are real, but the school still has substantial work ahead to lift upper-grade achievement and bring chronic absenteeism down to the level of its more successful neighbors.

589

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2020 Walker Road
Winston Salem, NC 27106

(336) 703-4212

District: Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

Students who attend Gibson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Northwest Middle
High:	Early College of Forsyth County
	Middle College of Forsyth County
	North Forsyth Magnet High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

48.9%

Hispanic:

37.4%

White:

6.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Gibson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (37% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg61%

1,373^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 8% (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	14.2	1373 of 1492	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.5	1481 of 1490	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.7	1476 of 1505	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	1408 of 1502	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	1432 of 1514	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.4	1421 of 1489	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.8	1269 of 1473	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.0	1396 of 1434	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.5	1409 of 1429	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.3	1413 of 1425	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.1	1391 of 1440	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.5	1336 of 1390	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.5	1312 of 1403	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	18.1	1236 of 1388	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	18.1	1226 of 1381	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.8	1125 of 1363	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.2	1063 of 1354	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	19.0	1146 of 1324	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.9	1011 of 1293	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.7	1049 of 1276	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	788 of 903	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.3	907 of 918	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	891 of 924	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	800 of 933	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	719 of 927	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.2	746 of 896	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.5	482 of 949	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.1	822 of 927	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	66.6	184 of 878	79.0%	★★★★☆
2018	36.5	591 of 897	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	290 of 519	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.2	479 of 563	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.7	397 of 533	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.1	242 of 514	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.4	381 of 485	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.3	354 of 385	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	57.9	145 of 497	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	26.5	348 of 421	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.9	1314 of 1447	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.3	1439 of 1451	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	1409 of 1455	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.1	1374 of 1459	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.0	1400 of 1458	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.9	1428 of 1440	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	1300 of 1424	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.8	1361 of 1405	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	845 of 981	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.5	939 of 961	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	779 of 951	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	721 of 915	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	796 of 893	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	770 of 843	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	604 of 865	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	13.8	815 of 851	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.5	1288 of 1434	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	5.6	1428 of 1437	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.2	1421 of 1450	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	1324 of 1437	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.1	1200 of 1366	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	1258 of 1329	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.8	957 of 1361	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	1252 of 1332	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.1	1352 of 1451	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.8	1430 of 1450	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.6	1444 of 1464	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	1360 of 1461	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	1334 of 1464	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.2	1272 of 1444	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.6	1117 of 1430	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	1366 of 1413	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.5	785 of 815	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	744 of 821	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	721 of 801	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2019)79th percentile+65 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)44th percentile+36 vs school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2026)13th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile~ school

Female (2026)9th percentile~ school

Male (2026)7th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics43%-21 vs state

Reading34%-22 vs state

Science29%-39 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, August 12, 2018

Horrible school Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, July 26, 2010

this school, care for there estudents and make life easy, on them to grow with this hard times, and they make sure the all there need are are met Close Quote

Schools Near Gibson 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
Gibson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2020 Walker Road	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4212	589	48	12.3	99.5%	38 (6.5%)	288 (48.9%)	220 (37.4%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.9%)	14.2	1373^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	8.0%		3.5	1481^st of 1490 public elementary schools	0.6%	108	50.0	33.3	44.1				53.8	28.0	22.6				29.0		$11,207	$1,880	$9,327
Forsyth Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	5426 Shattalon Drive	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Forsyth Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(336) 922-1121	729	36	20.0	99.5%	48 (6.6%)	319 (43.8%)	303 (41.6%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	51 (7.0%)	13.5	1382^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	7.4%		18	1316^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.7%	66	36.4	32.5	40.9	33.3	48.2	28.8	31.2	42.5	33.3	46.4	48.2	46.6	47.0	61.6
Old Town Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3930 Reynolda Road	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4283	617	45	13.8	99.5%	25 (4.1%)	203 (32.9%)	338 (54.8%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.3%)	31 (5.0%)	11.2	1404^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.9%		8.9	1437^th of 1490 public elementary schools	3.6%	33	54.7	43.0	36.3				35.8	29.0	24.5				38.2		$11,107	$1,932	$9,175
The Special Children's School	Public	PK, KG-5	4505 Shattalon Dr	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 703-4191	98	13	7.7	96.9%	34 (34.7%)	40 (40.8%)	18 (18.4%)	2 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.1%)								(n/a)															$85,793	$18,643	$67,150
Rural Hall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	275 College Street	Rural Hall	27045	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-6789	491	33	15.0	98.8%	178 (36.3%)	107 (21.8%)	162 (33.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.1%)	22.2	1241^st of 1492 public elementary schools	16.8%		30.7	1079^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.6%	162	47.8	60.3	45.7				34.3	50.8	36.6				43.7		$10,048	$1,056	$8,992
Speas Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2000 W Polo Road	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 703-4135	793	52	15.3	99.6%	198 (25.0%)	258 (32.5%)	282 (35.6%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (6.2%)	45.3	818^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.2%		56.9	612^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.9%	206	63.9	56.2	60.3				50.4	54.7	51.6				63.1		$9,845	$1,244	$8,601
North Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	340 Alspaugh Drive	Winston Salem	27105	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4176	453	31	14.6	99.3%	15 (3.3%)	210 (46.4%)	209 (46.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (3.3%)	3.5	1481^st of 1492 public elementary schools	0.7%		2.8	1484^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.4%	3	29.5	21.5	32.8				23.1	18.5	27.0				41.9		$10,453	$1,752	$8,701
Old Richmond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6315 Tobaccoville Road	Tobaccoville	27050	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4287	408	29	14.2	99.3%	217 (53.2%)	91 (22.3%)	67 (16.4%)	5 (1.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.1%)	71	396^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.5%		74.6	321^st of 1490 public elementary schools	78.5%	75	73.7	69.1	85.7				59.7	58.8	63.3				79.6		$9,989	$654	$9,335
Jefferson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4000 Jefferson School Lane	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 703-4215	560	41	13.7	99.5%	257 (45.9%)	145 (25.9%)	78 (13.9%)	26 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (9.6%)	83.4	201^st of 1492 public elementary schools	86.5%		88.6	128^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.4%	73	77.4	72.4	81.3				71.7	71.4	71.9				83.3		$9,794	$605	$9,190
Mineral Springs Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4527 Ogburn Avenue	Winston Salem	27105	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(336) 703-6788	545	46	11.7	99.4%	34 (6.2%)	167 (30.6%)	317 (58.2%)	6 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.7%)	26.9	1158^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.4%		20.9	1262^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	15.3%	104	48.2	58.8	56.3				35.3	40.8	40.0				58.2		$10,648	$1,665	$8,983

Frequently Asked Questions about Gibson Elementary

How many students attend Gibson Elementary?

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

What schools do graduates of Gibson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gibson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Northwest Middle
High : Early College of Forsyth County
High : Middle College of Forsyth County
High : North Forsyth Magnet High

Is Gibson Elementary a good school?

Gibson Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.0% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Gibson Elementary?

Students at Gibson Elementary are 49% African American, 37% Hispanic, 6% White, 6% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Gibson 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.