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Selma Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1145^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Selma Elementary is a PK–5 school in Selma, NC, serving 794 students within the Johnston County Public Schools district. Despite the district ranking solidly mid-tier statewide (98th of 246 districts), Selma Elementary sits well below the district profile. In the 2025-26 state ranking, Selma ranked 1,145th out of 1,492 elementary schools, placing it in the 23rd percentile with a 1-star rating. The school serves a very high-poverty population, with 99.6% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch.

This performance gap is especially striking when compared to nearby schools. Several elementary schools just a few miles away—such as Pine Level Elementary, Thanksgiving Elementary, Powhatan Elementary, and Princeton Elementary—serve nearly identical poverty levels but achieve dramatically stronger results. These neighboring schools rank in the 68th–85th percentile statewide, while Selma remains in the bottom quarter. Selma’s math and reading proficiency trail district and state averages by roughly 12 to 17 points, and nearby high-poverty schools outperform Selma by 20–25 percentage points in these subjects. Notably, Selma has a lower student-teacher ratio (12.5) and higher per-pupil spending than many higher-performing neighbors. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 19.7% is better than the district (21.8%) and state (24.2%) averages.

There are some emerging bright spots. Selma serves its English Learner population relatively well, ranking in the 53rd percentile statewide for this group. Academically, 3rd-grade reading proficiency jumped from 26.9% to 39.7% this past year, and 5th-grade math (61.9%) now approaches the state average (62.9%). Special Education students, however, remain a persistent challenge, ranking in the 9th–15th percentile over the last three years. Overall, Selma is a low-performing school with the resources, staffing, and attendance profile needed to improve. The clearest opportunities lie in boosting core reading and math proficiency and learning from the high-poverty, high-performing schools just minutes away.

794

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

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: Improving — 18th percentile in 2016 → 23rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (49% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

1,145^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 18% (2016) to bottom 23% (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	27.7	1145 of 1492	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	31.8	676 of 903	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	46.8	244 of 519	53.0%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	22.7	1207 of 1447	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	59.5	346 of 743	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.4	518 of 710	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	550 of 981	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	41.7	864 of 1434	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	36.9	939 of 1451	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	23.3	696 of 815	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)53rd percentile+30 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)53rd percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)40th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)35th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2022)29th percentile~ school

African American (2026)25th percentile~ school

Female (2026)17th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)15th percentile-9 vs school

White (2024)4th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science55%-13 vs state

Mathematics55%-9 vs state

Reading41%-15 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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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 (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 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%)	27.7	1145^th of 1492 public elementary schools	23.3%		25.9	1159^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.2%	14	55.1	46.2	61.9	39.7	37.9	46.0	54.7	$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%)	73.7	350^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.5%		79.3	254^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.0%	96	85.5	64.8	79.5	76.4	68.5	47.7	72.7	$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%)	49.9	730^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.1%		54.6	658^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.8%	72	55.7	69.0	63.1	51.4	67.2	36.9	72.3	$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%)	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
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%)	24.2	1200^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.6%		22.5	1234^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.2%	34	59.5	53.2	36.4	45.9	50.0	37.7	44.2	$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%)	29.5	1103^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	26.1%		21	1260^th of 1490 public elementary schools	15.4%	157	62.7	48.4	48.7	40.7	48.4	42.1	59.2	$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%)	66.4	479^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.9%		67.1	444^th of 1490 public elementary schools	70.2%	35	76.6	65.9	67.6	66.9	58.5	53.2	77.7	$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%)	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
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
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%)	53.2	678^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.6%		48.3	773^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	48.1%	95	81.8	54.8	51.5	68.2	40.5	52.9	82.4	$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 23.3% 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 »

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.