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Selma Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1159^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Selma Elementary is a public elementary school in Selma, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 766 students. The school is part of the Johnston County Public Schools district, which is ranked 94 out of 242 districts in the state.

Selma Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of North Carolina elementary schools over the past decade, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is among the lowest-performing schools in the state. The school's proficiency rates in mathematics, reading, and science are significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 26.9% of 3rd graders at Selma Elementary were proficient in reading, compared to 51.2% in the district and 46.7% statewide. Despite higher per-student spending and a relatively low student-teacher ratio, the school's performance has been consistently poor.

The challenges faced by Selma Elementary may be related to its student demographics, with over 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a higher proportion of minority students compared to the district and state. While nearby schools like River Dell Elementary, Powhatan Elementary, and Pine Level Elementary have significantly higher academic performance and rankings, addressing the persistent challenges at Selma Elementary will likely require a comprehensive, targeted approach that goes beyond simply increasing per-student spending or reducing the student-teacher ratio.

794

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,423

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

311 W Richardson St
Selma, NC 27576-2548

(919) 965-3361

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend Selma Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Selma Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

62.0%

African American:

25.3%

White:

7.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Selma Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 28th percentile in 2022 → 22nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (44% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 28th-percentile peak (2022) to 22nd (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg57%

1,159^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st 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	25.9	1159 of 1490	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	1172 of 1505	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	1222 of 1502	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	1090 of 1514	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	1235 of 1489	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.3	1301 of 1473	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.3	1390 of 1434	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.0	1272 of 1429	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.9	1165 of 1425	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.0	1271 of 1440	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	8.6	1313 of 1390	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.9	1278 of 1403	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	42.4	901 of 1388	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.3	818 of 1381	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.0	862 of 1363	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	26.7	1074 of 1354	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.3	1106 of 1324	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.6	1015 of 1293	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.8	1029 of 1276	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	567 of 918	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.1	658 of 924	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.7	612 of 933	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	647 of 927	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.9	753 of 896	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	876 of 949	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	898 of 927	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	31.3	447 of 634	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	642 of 646	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	821 of 878	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.4	286 of 563	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.4	205 of 533	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.1	251 of 514	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.3	218 of 485	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.3	271 of 385	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	348 of 497	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.6	345 of 421	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	1157 of 1451	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	1125 of 1455	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	1134 of 1459	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.7	957 of 1458	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.8	1155 of 1440	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	1219 of 1424	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.6	1355 of 1405	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.4	518 of 710	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	46.2	519 of 961	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.6	514 of 951	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	602 of 915	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	500 of 893	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.2	574 of 843	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.0	578 of 865	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	16.6	796 of 851	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.9	804 of 1437	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.6	847 of 1450	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	959 of 1437	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	870 of 1366	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.9	1163 of 1329	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.0	1170 of 1361	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	1249 of 1332	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.5	1109 of 1450	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	1149 of 1464	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	1232 of 1461	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.2	1145 of 1464	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.2	1231 of 1444	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.5	1324 of 1430	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.0	1371 of 1413	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.8	745 of 821	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	706 of 801	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	11.5	1124 of 1166	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.8	844 of 1183	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	56.5	517 of 1194	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	7.8	1155 of 1183	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.4	1162 of 1178	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)49th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile+22 vs school

African American (2025)38th percentile+16 vs school

Disabled (2022)29th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)27th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)24th percentile~ school

Female (2025)20th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)9th percentile-13 vs school

White (2024)4th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science50%-12 vs state

Mathematics48%-13 vs state

Reading38%-14 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, February 14, 2019

Selma Elementary School has a great staff. Their dual language program is fantastic! Close Quote

by a teacher
Wednesday, April 25, 2018

A true community- I love working at S.E.S. Our kids are compassionate, hardworking, and respectful members of the community. Our team is the best and we share the same passion for our students. Close Quote

Schools Near Selma 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 (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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Selma Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	311 W Richardson St	Selma	27576	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 965-3361	794	63	12.5	99.6%	60 (7.6%)	201 (25.3%)	492 (62.0%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.3%)	25.9	1159^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.2%		26.4	1172^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	22.1%	13	53.7	40.6	50.4	26.9	42.7	46.1	50.4	$12,423	$1,727	$10,696
Pine Level Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	304 West Blanche Street	Pine Level	27568	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 965-3323	341	27	12.8	98.8%	188 (55.1%)	15 (4.4%)	122 (35.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.7%)	79.3	254^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.0%		71.9	371^st of 1505 public elementary schools	75.3%	117	83.6	58.5	93.7	67.3	53.7	61.9	81.0	$11,201	$884	$10,317
Micro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 E Main St	Micro	27555	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 588-4300	404	29	13.8	99.3%	177 (43.8%)	39 (9.7%)	160 (39.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (6.2%)	54.6	658^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.8%		57.2	630^th of 1505 public elementary schools	58.1%	28	55.6	50.7	75.0	49.2	47.9	55.9	74.6	$11,862	$1,093	$10,769
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%)	38.7	942^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	36.8%		37.9	969^th of 1505 public elementary schools	35.6%	27	50.5	45.5	65.2	35.1	40.9	51.1	64.1	$11,582	$1,639	$9,943
South Smithfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 W Sanders St	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 934-8979	450	36	12.4	99.3%	79 (17.6%)	152 (33.8%)	189 (42.0%)	6 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.9%)	22.5	1234^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.2%		20.1	1283^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	14.8%	49	59.7	39.2	34.3	35.8	39.2	40.0	45.7	$11,484	$1,732	$9,751
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
Princeton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	650 Holt's Pond Rd	Princeton	27569	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 936-0755	770	50	15.4	99.6%	464 (60.3%)	63 (8.2%)	196 (25.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (5.7%)	67.1	444^th of 1490 public elementary schools	70.2%		70.7	389^th of 1505 public elementary schools	74.2%	55	67.2	68.3	68.8	50.4	61.2	56.7	71.6	$9,600	$584	$9,016
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%)	74.8	317^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.7%		70.7	391^st of 1505 public elementary schools	74.0%	74	58.2	72.8	73.4	54.9	74.1	64.7	79.9
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%)	81.9	218^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.4%		78.9	260^th of 1505 public elementary schools	82.7%	42	68.6	83.2	73.0	57.6	85.3	73.0	73.9	$9,061	$544	$8,517
Glendale-Kenly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 Bay Valley Rd	Kenly	27542	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 284-2821	433	30	14.4	99.3%	217 (50.1%)	53 (12.2%)	135 (31.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.2%)	48.3	773^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	48.1%		55.2	657^th of 1505 public elementary schools	56.3%	116	76.5	52.9	44.2	49.4	64.7	46.3	53.7	$10,347	$1,266	$9,081

Frequently Asked Questions about Selma Elementary

What schools do graduates of Selma Elementary attend?

Students who attend Selma Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Selma Middle School

Is Selma Elementary a good school?

Selma Elementary ranks in the bottom 22.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Selma Elementary?

Students at Selma Elementary are 62% Hispanic, 25% African American, 8% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Selma Elementary in?

Johnston County Public Schools

How many students attend Selma Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 794 students attended Selma Elementary.

Rate Selma Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

2023–24 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 4, 2024

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.