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Cooper Academy

Q: Is Cooper Academy a good school?

Cooper Academy ranks 922 nd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

922^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Cooper Academy is an elementary school in Clayton, NC, serving 447 students in grades PK–5 within Johnston County Public Schools - a smaller student body than most nearby elementary schools, with 98.88% of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. In 2025-26, Cooper ranked in the 38th percentile statewide (2 stars), placing it below the Johnston County district profile, which earns 3 stars and sits at the 60th percentile. The school has proven it can improve dramatically: it climbed from the 4th percentile in 2018-19 to the 56th percentile in 2022-23, though it has slipped backward in each of the three years since.

Academically, the picture is mixed. Cooper's 4th-grade reading results are a genuine highlight, with 65.4% of students proficient - better than both the district (60.3%) and the state (57.7%). But math proficiency trails the district by 10 to 14 points in every tested grade, and 5th-grade science lags nearly 17 points behind the district average. This subject-specific pattern points more toward curriculum and instructional challenges in math and science than to broader issues with student engagement, especially since attendance is a relative strength: Cooper's chronic absenteeism rate of 16.3% is well below the district's 21.8% and the state's 24.2%.

Cooper's results also stand out when viewed alongside nearby schools serving similar student populations. Riverwood Elementary, only 2.9 miles away, ranks in the 93rd percentile statewide; Powhatan Elementary (3.9 miles) ranks in the 85th; and River Dell Elementary (5.7 miles) ranks in the 78th - all with free/reduced-price lunch rates near 98-99%, essentially identical to Cooper's. West Clayton Elementary, the closest school at 1.4 miles away, ranks at the 43rd percentile, just above Cooper. Cooper also enjoys a favorable 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio, lower than most of these comparable schools. Given that neighboring high-poverty schools produce much stronger results, the data suggests Cooper has meaningful room for growth - and it has a track record from earlier this decade demonstrating that improvement is achievable.

447

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

849 North Mial St
Clayton, NC 27520-1828

(919) 553-0256

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend Cooper Academy usually attend:

Middle:	Riverwood Middle
High:	Clayton High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

36.0%

Hispanic:

29.5%

White:

24.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Cooper Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 56th percentile in 2023 → 38th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (54% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 56th-percentile peak (2023) to 38th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

922^nd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 26 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

98^th of 246Johnston County Public 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	38.8	922 of 1492	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.4	861 of 1490	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.1	760 of 1505	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.4	662 of 1502	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.5	851 of 1514	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.4	1222 of 1489	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.3	1407 of 1473	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	1355 of 1434	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	16.1	1259 of 1429	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.5	1250 of 1425	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.6	1009 of 1440	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.9	952 of 1390	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.0	845 of 1403	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.1	599 of 1388	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.4	530 of 1381	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.9	509 of 1363	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	52.4	737 of 1354	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.2	751 of 1324	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.7	898 of 1293	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.3	800 of 1276	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.5	399 of 903	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.2	437 of 918	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.4	178 of 924	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	64.6	254 of 933	72.8%	★★★★☆
2022	47.7	436 of 927	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	24.5	740 of 896	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	904 of 949	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	884 of 927	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	31.4	439 of 634	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.7	368 of 646	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.4	776 of 878	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.9	739 of 897	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.3	430 of 519	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.3	235 of 563	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.0	166 of 533	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.2	73 of 514	85.8%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	62 of 485	87.2%	★★★★☆
2021	38.7	219 of 385	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.6	445 of 497	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	412 of 421	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.7	911 of 1447	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.5	903 of 1451	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.5	739 of 1455	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.9	662 of 1459	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.6	739 of 1458	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.6	1124 of 1440	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.6	1384 of 1424	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.4	1356 of 1405	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.7	297 of 743	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.0	307 of 710	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.2	508 of 582	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.2	503 of 612	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.5	736 of 981	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	51.1	461 of 961	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	454 of 951	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.1	320 of 915	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.2	347 of 893	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.5	589 of 843	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.0	854 of 865	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.1	810 of 851	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.0	1024 of 1434	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	50.4	680 of 1437	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.8	461 of 1450	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.9	376 of 1437	73.8%	★★★★☆
2022	57.8	504 of 1366	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.5	1040 of 1329	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	1299 of 1361	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	1286 of 1332	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.7	924 of 1451	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.8	771 of 1450	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.5	771 of 1464	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.5	635 of 1461	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.5	925 of 1464	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.8	1238 of 1444	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	1286 of 1430	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.0	1309 of 1413	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.0	633 of 815	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.0	337 of 1146	70.6%	★★★★☆
2025	55.0	523 of 1172	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.5	540 of 1166	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.2	330 of 1183	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	57.9	484 of 1194	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.1	1028 of 1172	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.5	1071 of 1183	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	1035 of 1178	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

White (2026)71st percentile+32 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)60th percentile+22 vs school

African American (2026)56th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2026)37th percentile~ school

Male (2026)36th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)31st percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)29th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)25th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2026)22nd percentile-16 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)17th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science56%-12 vs state

Reading54%~ state avg

Mathematics54%-9 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, November 7, 2019

Absolutely horrible. Place feels like a prison. New principal is a joke. No leadership. Do not attend this school if one of the local charter schools works for you. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, December 29, 2018

Teachers are too busy trying to make friends with each other and the parents instead of teach the children. They care to much about what everyone thinks about them personally. If they put that much effort into teaching the students the rating for the school would go up and the kids would do better. They treat it like a popularity contest Close Quote

Schools Near Cooper Academy

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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
Cooper Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	849 North Mial St	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 553-0256	447	31	14.5	98.9%	111 (24.8%)	161 (36.0%)	132 (29.5%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.7%)	38.8	922^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	38.2%		43.4	861^st of 1490 public elementary schools	42.2%	61	58.7	50.6	52.7				54.3	65.4	45.5				55.5		$10,146	$817	$9,330
West Clayton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1012 S Lombard St	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-7113	742	50	14.8	98.5%	245 (33.0%)	158 (21.3%)	266 (35.8%)	20 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (7.0%)	44	844^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.4%		49.1	759^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.1%	85	62.3	59.8	58.2				50.9	61.6	46.8				58.9		$9,685	$477	$9,208
Johnston Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	40 Scholar Drive	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 879-8190	677	35	19.4	50.5%	269 (39.7%)	206 (30.4%)	116 (17.1%)	17 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (10.2%)	75.9	304^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.6%		66.2	463^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	68.9%	159	80.2	75.6	65.4	61.1	50.0	59.4	67.9	69.5	61.5	65.3	67.9	69.6	87.2	88.2
East Clayton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2075 NC Highway 42 East	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 550-5311	524	32	16.2	98.3%	143 (27.3%)	204 (38.9%)	117 (22.3%)	8 (1.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.4%)	50.3	723^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	51.5%		43.9	851^st of 1490 public elementary schools	42.9%	128	61.3	64.0	60.0				62.0	52.0	51.3				65.0		$9,338	$524	$8,814
Riverwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	108 Athletic Club Blvd	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 359-6300	728	45	16.2	99.6%	365 (50.1%)	122 (16.8%)	170 (23.4%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (8.5%)	90.1	111^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.6%		88	139^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.7%	28	82.5	79.5	87.5				80.8	70.9	78.1				90.6		$8,213	$432	$7,780
Powhatan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3145 Vinson Rd	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-3259	656	38	17.4	99.5%	345 (52.6%)	132 (20.1%)	118 (18.0%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (7.9%)	81.2	226^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.9%		81.9	218^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.4%	8	77.9	74.6	75.2				64.0	69.3	73.3				84.2		$9,061	$544	$8,517
River Dell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12100 Buffalo Road	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-1977	981	56	17.5	99.7%	478 (48.7%)	220 (22.4%)	192 (19.6%)	20 (2.0%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (6.9%)	74.9	324^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.3%		75.8	307^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.4%	17	70.1	65.9	78.5				67.3	64.2	64.0				86.0		$8,530	$614	$7,917
Polenta Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	105 Josephine Road	Garner	27529	Wake County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 989-6039	1,010	63	15.9	98.0%	481 (47.6%)	178 (17.6%)	282 (27.9%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (6.3%)	70.6	401^st of 1492 public elementary schools	73.1%		59.9	566^th of 1490 public elementary schools	62.0%	165	76.7	61.9	68.8				68.9	60.7	61.3				79.6		$8,530	$528	$8,002
Thanksgiving Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1161 Lynch Rd	Selma	27576	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(984) 400-7300	870	50	17.4	99.5%	460 (52.9%)	151 (17.4%)	193 (22.2%)	14 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (6.0%)	72.7	366^th of 1492 public elementary schools	75.5%		74.8	317^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.7%	49	73.4	61.4	74.5				66.4	66.7	61.4				82.4
Wilson's Mills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4654 Wilson's Mills Rd	Wilsons Mills	27593	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 934-2978	496	36	13.6	99.2%	80 (16.1%)	121 (24.4%)	248 (50.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (8.9%)	19.8	1282^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	14.1%		38.7	942^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	36.8%	340	53.2	29.5	41.9				54.3	40.0	30.1				53.8		$11,582	$1,639	$9,943

Frequently Asked Questions about Cooper Academy

What schools do graduates of Cooper Academy attend?

Students who attend Cooper Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : Riverwood Middle
High : Clayton High

What district is Cooper Academy in?

Johnston County Public Schools

Is Cooper Academy a good school?

Cooper Academy ranks 922^nd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cooper Academy?

Students at Cooper Academy are 36% African American, 30% Hispanic, 25% White, 9% Two or more races.

How many students attend Cooper Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 447 students attended Cooper Academy.

Rate Cooper Academy!

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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.