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Benson Elementary

Q: Is Benson Elementary a good school?

Benson Elementary ranks 407 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

407^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Benson Elementary is a public elementary school serving 603 students in grades PK-4 in Benson, North Carolina, which is part of the Johnston County Public Schools district. This high-performing school consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic achievement, particularly in mathematics.

Benson Elementary's academic performance is exceptional, with 75.7% of 3rd graders proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 67.5% for the district and 64.1% for the state. The school's performance is especially strong in mathematics, with 4th and 5th grade scores well above the district and state averages. Benson Elementary also performs exceptionally well for its Hispanic and English Language Learner (ELL) student populations, ranking in the top 25% of North Carolina elementary schools for these subgroups. The school maintains strong performance for its African American, White, and Multi-racial student populations as well, ranking in the top 50% of the state.

Despite its consistent academic performance, Benson Elementary's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, ranging from 407 out of 1,490 North Carolina elementary schools in the 2024-2025 school year, placing it in the top 27% of the state. The school's relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.4 to 14.4 students per teacher, and its higher-than-average per-student spending of $10,116 in the 2018-2019 school year, suggest the school is providing a quality education to its diverse student body.

719

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,116

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2040 Hwy 50 N
Benson, NC 27504-6570

(919) 894-4233

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend Benson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Benson Middle
High:	South Johnston High

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.1%

Hispanic:

36.0%

African American:

17.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Benson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 23rd percentile in 2015 → 73rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (64% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 50 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the North Carolina median (73rd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg57%

407^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 50 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to top 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 23Elementary Schools in the Johnston County Public Schools

94^th of 242Johnston 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
2025	69.1	407 of 1490	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	72.1	369 of 1505	75.5%	★★★★☆
2023	56.5	648 of 1502	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.3	684 of 1514	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.6	1092 of 1489	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.7	1324 of 1473	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.9	1354 of 1434	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	25.8	1146 of 1429	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	37.0	971 of 1425	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.8	1112 of 1440	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	43.7	794 of 1390	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.6	934 of 1403	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	56.9	663 of 1388	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.3	719 of 1381	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.4	623 of 1363	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	47.5	804 of 1354	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	61.5	522 of 1324	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.9	370 of 1293	71.4%	★★★★☆
2006	62.2	497 of 1276	61.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.5	350 of 918	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	417 of 924	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	467 of 933	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.9	219 of 927	76.4%	★★★★☆
2021	17.4	851 of 896	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	868 of 949	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	911 of 927	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	57.4	183 of 634	71.1%	★★★★☆
2021	34.0	437 of 646	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	66.4	107 of 563	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	89.7	33 of 533	93.8%	★★★★★
2023	60.3	131 of 514	74.5%	★★★★☆
2022	42.3	262 of 485	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	63.7	72 of 385	81.3%	★★★★☆
2019	25.0	436 of 497	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	410 of 421	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	65.5	442 of 1451	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.7	389 of 1455	73.3%	★★★★☆
2023	59.2	572 of 1459	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.4	563 of 1458	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.9	1118 of 1440	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	1278 of 1424	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	1290 of 1405	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	65.1	217 of 710	69.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	79.1	112 of 961	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.4	107 of 951	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	70.1	187 of 915	79.6%	★★★★☆
2022	62.7	247 of 893	72.3%	★★★★☆
2021	43.3	445 of 843	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.5	820 of 865	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	830 of 851	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	79.7	158 of 1437	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	83.2	115 of 1450	92.1%	★★★★★
2023	65.5	402 of 1437	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	69.2	290 of 1366	78.8%	★★★★☆
2021	38.2	816 of 1329	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.9	1257 of 1361	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.8	1231 of 1332	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	385 of 1450	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	72.3	348 of 1464	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	53.4	679 of 1461	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.7	786 of 1464	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.9	1007 of 1444	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.2	1314 of 1430	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.3	1370 of 1413	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.0	69 of 175	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.1	133 of 821	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	65.0	169 of 801	78.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.2	356 of 1172	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.1	258 of 1166	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	57.9	497 of 1183	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.3	739 of 1194	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	14.1	1104 of 1172	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.8	1149 of 1183	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.6	1147 of 1178	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)88th percentile+16 vs school

Special Education (2025)84th percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)81st percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)73rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)71st percentile+16 vs school

White (2025)70th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)70th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)69th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)62nd percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)61st percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics71%+10 vs state

Science66%+4 vs state

Reading57%+5 vs state

2.0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Monday, September 11, 2017

Why is Benson Elementary rated 19th among 22 ranked elementary schools in Johnston Co.??? Close Quote

Schools Near Benson Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
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	99.6%	281 (39.1%)	122 (17.0%)	259 (36.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (7.8%)	69.1	407^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.7%		72.1	369^th of 1505 public elementary schools	75.5%	38	75.7	72.2	65.6				52.9	63.0	57.0				65.6		$10,116	$1,002	$9,114
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	99.5%	144 (17.7%)	353 (43.4%)	253 (31.1%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (6.5%)	19.9	1281^st of 1490 public elementary schools	14.0%		15.7	1352^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	10.2%	71	55.4	44.7	41.4				29.2	38.2	33.8				43.3		$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%)	13.7	1369^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.1%		16	1344^th of 1505 public elementary schools	10.7%	25	42.7	33.3	36.4				33.3	36.7	32.7				37.4		$9,628	$1,127	$8,501
Four Oaks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	180 Hatcher St	Four Oaks	27524	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 963-2165	1,051	65	16.2	99.7%	536 (51.0%)	119 (11.3%)	333 (31.7%)	7 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (5.2%)	56.1	635^th of 1490 public elementary schools	57.4%		45.2	832^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	44.7%	197	66.1	62.1	53.5				50.0	65.7	50.8				60.3		$10,186	$1,319	$8,867
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	98.3%	421 (65.2%)	22 (3.4%)	182 (28.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.6%)	63.7	502^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	66.3%		72.6	363^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	75.9%	139	57.4	75.8	61.8	76.3	81.2	70.3	45.6	64.5	53.9	67.8	71.8	70.3	61.8	68.8	$10,525	$841	$9,683
McGee's Crossroads Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10330 NC Hwy 50 North	Angier	27501	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-7161	950	54	17.5	99.7%	501 (52.7%)	97 (10.2%)	271 (28.5%)	7 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	71 (7.5%)	61.8	534^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.2%		64.1	505^th of 1505 public elementary schools	66.4%	29	63.8	63.0	64.0				52.5	63.7	57.1				62.4		$8,802	$528	$8,274
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%)	11.3	1402^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	5.9%		14.4	1371^st of 1505 public elementary schools	8.9%	31	41.7	36.0	39.8				27.1	33.0	26.2				36.9		$10,032	$1,452	$8,580
Dixon Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	835 Dixon Road	Willow Spring	27592	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-7771	644	38	16.7	99.5%	364 (56.5%)	40 (6.2%)	200 (31.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.6%)	74.9	316^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.8%		80.4	237^th of 1505 public elementary schools	84.3%	79	80.6	76.0	62.4				65.0	67.7	55.9				66.7		$9,295	$634	$8,661
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%)	32.9	1037^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.4%		45.7	823^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	45.3%	214	55.1	31.0	57.9				22.4	47.6	50.0				65.8		$10,852	$1,195	$9,657
West Smithfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2665 Galilee Road	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 989-6418	494	38	13.1	97.4%	72 (14.6%)	127 (25.7%)	264 (53.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.7%)	21	1260^th of 1490 public elementary schools	15.4%		28.2	1135^th of 1505 public elementary schools	24.6%	125	42.4	41.1	44.2				24.2	41.1	45.5				48.1		$11,944	$1,669	$10,274

Frequently Asked Questions about Benson Elementary

Is Benson Elementary a good school?

Benson Elementary ranks 407^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Benson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 719 students attended Benson Elementary.

What district is Benson Elementary in?

Johnston County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Benson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Benson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Benson Middle
High : South Johnston High

What is the racial makeup of Benson Elementary?

Students at Benson Elementary are 39% White, 36% Hispanic, 17% African American, 8% Two or more races.

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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.