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Erwin Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1199^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Erwin Elementary is a PK–5 school in Erwin, North Carolina, serving 637 students in Harnett County Schools. The school serves a very high-poverty population — 97.8% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025 — with a student-teacher ratio of 14.6 to 1. After years of academic decline, Erwin showed its strongest improvement in over a decade during 2025–2026.

Erwin's statewide ranking climbed from the 6th percentile (0 stars) in 2024–2025 to the 20th percentile (1 star) in 2025–2026, a meaningful rebound even though the school remains below the state median. Test scores rose across nearly every subject and grade: 3rd grade math went from 41.7% to 57.7% proficient, 3rd grade reading from 27.1% to 49.5%, and 5th grade science from 36.9% to 53.2%. The one glaring exception is 4th grade reading, which stayed flat at 33% proficiency — roughly 16 points below the Harnett County Schools average and 25 points below the state average of 57.7%. That grade and subject is the school's most urgent academic priority.

Attendance has improved dramatically, with chronic absenteeism falling from 49.6% in 2021–2022 to 24.0% in 2024–2025 — now below the Harnett County district average of 26.9% and essentially matching the statewide rate. Subgroup gains in 2025–2026 were broad: English learners, low-income students, African American students, and White students all moved sharply upward in statewide rankings. Special education students, however, slipped to the 12th percentile and remain the clearest equity gap. Within the county, Erwin now outperforms Coats Elementary in most subjects and posts lower chronic absenteeism than Dunn Elementary. The school still trails high-poverty neighbors such as Benson Elementary and Plain View Elementary — both in the 61st percentile while serving nearly identical poverty levels — showing that strong results are achievable with the same student population and providing a useful model for Erwin's continued turnaround.

637

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

97.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.9%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

405 Denim Dr.
Erwin, NC 28339

(910) 897-7178

District: Harnett County Schools

Students who attend Erwin Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Coats-Erwin Middle
High:	Triton High

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.3%

Hispanic:

27.0%

African American:

22.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Erwin Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 6th percentile in 2025 → 20th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 20th (2026) from a 6th-percentile low (2025)

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Reading scores 15 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg54%

North Carolina avg61%

1,199^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 41 pts since 2016

From top 39% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

173^rd of 246Harnett 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	24.2	1199 of 1492	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.3	1402 of 1490	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	1371 of 1505	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	1307 of 1502	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	1401 of 1514	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.7	1275 of 1489	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.6	1153 of 1473	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.4	719 of 1434	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.7	767 of 1429	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	60.0	556 of 1425	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	39.6	923 of 1440	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	31.7	987 of 1390	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	39.1	866 of 1403	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	15.5	1269 of 1388	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	14.0	1273 of 1381	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	29.1	1070 of 1363	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	36.3	960 of 1354	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	34.4	942 of 1324	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	37.7	926 of 1293	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.3	1090 of 1276	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.3	644 of 903	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	841 of 918	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	785 of 924	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	711 of 933	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	822 of 927	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.9	684 of 896	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.8	686 of 949	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.1	361 of 927	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	15.6	636 of 646	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	47.7	400 of 878	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.4	189 of 897	78.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.8	354 of 519	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	21.5	503 of 563	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	442 of 533	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.6	311 of 514	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.4	278 of 485	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	213 of 421	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.7	1125 of 1447	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.3	1373 of 1451	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	1356 of 1455	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	1321 of 1459	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	1274 of 1458	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.4	1184 of 1440	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	1118 of 1424	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.7	716 of 1405	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	44.2	506 of 612	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	839 of 981	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.0	901 of 961	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	843 of 951	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	792 of 915	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	845 of 893	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	738 of 843	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	734 of 865	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.1	490 of 851	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.5	1094 of 1434	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.4	1406 of 1437	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	1310 of 1450	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	1191 of 1437	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	1311 of 1366	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.5	1194 of 1329	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	1032 of 1361	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	54.6	594 of 1332	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.7	1216 of 1451	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.2	1356 of 1450	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	1278 of 1464	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	1201 of 1461	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	1414 of 1464	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	1286 of 1444	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	1131 of 1430	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.2	704 of 1413	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.6	719 of 815	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.5	640 of 821	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	717 of 801	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	974 of 1146	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	5.6	1158 of 1172	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.7	1141 of 1166	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	1116 of 1183	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	1164 of 1194	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.3	1144 of 1172	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	996 of 1183	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.7	527 of 1178	55.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)32nd percentile+12 vs school

African American (2026)29th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)17th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)16th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)12th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2021)2nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science53%-14 vs state

Mathematics50%-14 vs state

Reading42%-15 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Wonderful Staff who truly care about the children's education. They work hard to ensure the students achieve the best. Close Quote

Schools Near Erwin 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Erwin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	405 Denim Dr.	Erwin	28339	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 897-7178	637	43	14.6	97.8%	276 (43.3%)	146 (22.9%)	172 (27.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.2%)	24.2	1199^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.6%		11.3	1402^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	5.9%	203	57.7	44.3	46.8				49.5	33.0	40.9				53.2		97.9%	0%	$10,032	$1,452	$8,580
Dunn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 W Harnett St	Dunn	28334	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 892-0126	813	58	13.9	—	144 (17.7%)	353 (43.4%)	253 (31.1%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (6.5%)	23.9	1210^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.9%		19.9	1281^st of 1490 public elementary schools	14.0%	71	48.7	63.6	48.2				37.8	43.9	35.1				45.6		95.2%	1%	$10,796	$1,629	$9,166
Coats Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	585 Brick Mill Road	Coats	27521	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 897-8353	633	46	13.6	96.7%	256 (40.4%)	97 (15.3%)	253 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.3%)	8.7	1435^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.8%		13.7	1369^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.1%	66	44.4	33.6	38.5				28.3	34.5	36.3				34.1				$9,628	$1,127	$8,501
Buies Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	340 Main Street	Buies Creek	27506	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 893-3505	267	16	16.7	57.7%	127 (47.6%)	52 (19.5%)	56 (21.0%)	7 (2.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.0%)	29.1	1112^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.5%		32.9	1037^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.4%	75	65.1	29.8	58.1				51.2	27.7	41.9				60.5		85%	0%	$10,852	$1,195	$9,657
Benson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2040 Hwy 50 N	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 894-4233	719	45	15.8	—	281 (39.1%)	122 (17.0%)	259 (36.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (7.8%)	59.9	581^st of 1492 public elementary schools	61.1%		69.1	407^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.7%	174	76.1	71.7	60.8				57.0	65.1	47.2				64.5		94.9%	2.6%	$10,116	$1,002	$9,114
Plain View Elementary	Public	K-5	4140 Plain View Hwy	Dunn	28334	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 891-4354	362	20	17.6	—	214 (59.1%)	26 (7.2%)	99 (27.3%)	3 (0.8%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.1%)	59.8	585^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.8%		52.5	703^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	52.8%	118	50.0	67.9	75.0				52.3	55.1	63.3				75.0		87.5%	3.6%	$9,947	$1,248	$8,699
Lillington-Shawtown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	855 Old US 421	Lillington	27546	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 893-3483	695	46	15.0	—	256 (36.8%)	216 (31.1%)	170 (24.5%)	8 (1.2%)	4 (0.6%)	4 (0.6%)	37 (5.3%)	29.2	1110^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.6%		25.8	1162^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	22.0%	52	69.7	39.1	48.0				49.5	36.4	47.1				54.9		90.4%	1.5%	$11,024	$1,970	$9,053
Raleigh Road Elementary	Public	K-1	8330 Ramsey Street	Linden	28356	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 488-0850	208	12	18.0	97.6%	85 (40.9%)	49 (23.6%)	46 (22.1%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (12.0%)								(n/a)															91.9%	4.7%	$10,751	$1,016	$9,736
Meadow School	Public	PK, KG-8	7507 NC Hwy 50 S	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 894-4226	646	43	15.0	—	421 (65.2%)	22 (3.4%)	182 (28.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.6%)	59.2	597^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.0%		63.7	502^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	66.3%	95	71.8	66.7	75.0	56.4	87.7	76.1	62.8	52.2	56.3	50.0	66.7	72.7	71.9	84.1	96.6%	0%	$10,525	$841	$9,683
North Harnett Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	282 N Harnett School Rd	Angier	27501	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 639-4480	329	24	13.4	—	81 (24.6%)	68 (20.7%)	162 (49.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.2%)								(n/a)															97%	1.5%	$11,314	$1,568	$9,747

Frequently Asked Questions about Erwin Elementary

What district is Erwin Elementary in?

Harnett County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Erwin Elementary?

Students at Erwin Elementary are 43% White, 27% Hispanic, 23% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Erwin Elementary attend?

Students who attend Erwin Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Coats-Erwin Middle
High : Triton High

Is Erwin Elementary a good school?

Erwin Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.6% of North Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Erwin Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 637 students attended Erwin Elementary.

Rate Erwin Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.