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West Smithfield Elementary

Q: Is West Smithfield Elementary a good school?

West Smithfield Elementary ranks 1103 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1103^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

West Smithfield Elementary is a PK–5 public school in Smithfield, NC, serving about 494 students in Johnston County Public Schools. In 2025-26, the school ranked 1,103rd out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools — the 26th percentile, earning a 1-star rating. That places it in the lower tier of nearby Johnston County schools, below Cleveland Elementary (86th percentile), Powhatan Elementary (85th), and Pine Level Elementary (77th), and closer to Selma Elementary (23rd), South Smithfield Elementary (20th), and Wilson's Mills Elementary (14th). The school's poverty rate is similarly high to those of its top-performing neighbors — roughly 97–99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — so poverty alone does not explain the gap.

Academically, West Smithfield Elementary trails state and district averages in nearly every grade and subject. Reading is a particular concern: 3rd-grade reading proficiency was 40.7% in 2025-26 versus 55.6% statewide, and 4th- and 5th-grade reading also trail by double digits. Math is closer to state averages in 3rd grade but falls further behind by 4th and 5th. Encouragingly, the school improved its overall percentile ranking from 15% in 2024-25 to 26% in 2025-26, with strong gains in 3rd-grade math (42.4% to 62.7%) and 3rd-grade reading (24.2% to 40.7%). Given past year-to-year volatility, these gains must be sustained before signaling a stable turnaround.

The most distinctive concern is attendance. The school's chronic absenteeism rate hit 38.7% in 2024-25 — nearly double the district rate of 21.8% and far above the state's 24.2%. It is more than four times the rate at Cleveland Elementary (8.9%) and Powhatan Elementary (9.6%), and it has risen every year since 2022-23. The school spends more per student ($11,944) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (13.1) than several schools that outperform it, so resources are not the limiting factor. For parents, the bottom line is this: West Smithfield Elementary faces serious challenges, especially in early literacy and attendance, but the 2025-26 gains show the school can improve. Improving attendance is the most actionable step toward helping students get back on track.

494

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

97.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2665 Galilee Road
Smithfield, NC 27577-4463

(919) 989-6418

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend West Smithfield Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Smithfield Middle
High:	Smithfield-Selma High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

53.4%

African American:

25.7%

White:

14.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare West Smithfield Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 37th percentile in 2023 → 26th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (50% vs 61% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped from its 37th-percentile peak (2023) to 26th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

1,103^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 26% (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	29.5	1103 of 1492	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.0	1260 of 1490	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	1135 of 1505	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.9	953 of 1502	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.1	1244 of 1514	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.7	1375 of 1489	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.9	1440 of 1473	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.1	1358 of 1434	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.7	1295 of 1429	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	17.2	1243 of 1425	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.5	1281 of 1440	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	10.6	1284 of 1390	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.2	1303 of 1403	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	27.0	1126 of 1388	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.4	1063 of 1381	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.6	1075 of 1363	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	37.6	945 of 1354	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	27.2	1048 of 1324	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.7	1050 of 1293	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.3	1035 of 1276	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	359 of 903	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	22.0	799 of 918	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.5	597 of 924	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.8	684 of 933	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	791 of 927	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.3	835 of 896	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.6	929 of 949	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	885 of 927	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	28.5	699 of 878	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.8	823 of 897	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	330 of 519	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.7	465 of 563	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.4	322 of 533	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	72.1	81 of 514	84.2%	★★★★☆
2022	47.6	216 of 485	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.2	221 of 385	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.4	456 of 497	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	352 of 421	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	1174 of 1447	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.2	1150 of 1451	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	1157 of 1455	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.4	929 of 1459	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.8	1224 of 1458	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.6	1353 of 1440	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.9	1402 of 1424	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	1350 of 1405	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	696 of 743	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.2	636 of 981	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.8	565 of 961	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.5	560 of 951	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.0	259 of 915	71.7%	★★★★☆
2022	40.5	539 of 893	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.8	724 of 843	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	849 of 865	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	784 of 851	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.9	836 of 1434	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.0	1131 of 1437	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.2	964 of 1450	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.5	840 of 1437	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.4	1134 of 1366	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.2	1280 of 1329	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.1	1330 of 1361	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	1192 of 1332	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.5	944 of 1451	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	18.9	1274 of 1450	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	1050 of 1464	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	892 of 1461	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.7	1198 of 1464	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.5	1297 of 1444	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.3	1359 of 1430	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	1335 of 1413	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.7	578 of 815	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.8	755 of 821	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	38.9	467 of 801	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.0	1061 of 1146	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	1125 of 1172	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	41.9	727 of 1183	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	1.6	1180 of 1183	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	1048 of 1178	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)60th percentile+34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)42nd percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)36th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)35th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)35th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2026)29th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2019)20th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2026)19th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)7th percentile-19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)6th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science59%-8 vs state

Mathematics53%-11 vs state

Reading44%-13 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, February 28, 2014

My son loves his caring teacher and the staff of West Smithfield Elementary. They do everything to help him and other students achieve. Close Quote

Schools Near West Smithfield 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
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
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
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	640^th of 1492 public elementary schools	57.1%		56.1	635^th of 1490 public elementary schools	57.4%	5	57.0	68.1	67.7	44.2	62.0	62.3	71.9	$10,186	$1,319	$8,867
Swift Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4188 Cleveland Road	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(919) 912-9960	0																		(n/a)	57.1	71.8	79.0	53.1	64.1	79.0	80.0
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
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
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
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
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
Cleveland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10225 Cleveland Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 550-2700	851	45	18.9	98.6%	429 (50.4%)	164 (19.3%)	177 (20.8%)	16 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	64 (7.5%)	82.1	216^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.5%		88.9	124^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.7%	92	77.8	67.8	84.3	71.5	69.9	70.7	82.9	$8,300	$357	$7,943

Frequently Asked Questions about West Smithfield Elementary

What district is West Smithfield Elementary in?

Johnston County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of West Smithfield Elementary attend?

Students who attend West Smithfield Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Smithfield Middle
High : Smithfield-Selma High

What is the racial makeup of West Smithfield Elementary?

Students at West Smithfield Elementary are 53% Hispanic, 26% African American, 15% White, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend West Smithfield Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 494 students attended West Smithfield Elementary.

Is West Smithfield Elementary a good school?

West Smithfield Elementary ranks 1103^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate West Smithfield 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.