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Smithfield-Selma High

Q: Is Smithfield-Selma High a good school?

Smithfield-Selma High ranks 469 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

469^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 29% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Smithfield-Selma High is a large traditional public high school in Smithfield, NC, serving roughly 1,548 students in grades 9–12 as part of Johnston County Public Schools. The school currently ranks in the bottom third of North Carolina high schools (469th out of 662, a 1-star rating), and it is the lowest-ranked comprehensive high school in its district — well behind nearby schools like Corinth Holders High and Cleveland High, which both earn 3 stars and rank near the state's 60th percentile. Nearly all students (99.81%) qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, reflecting a very high-poverty population similar to other Johnston County comprehensive high schools.

The school's most urgent academic concern is English II proficiency, where just 45.7% of students scored proficient — roughly 18 points below the district and state averages, and lower than every nearby traditional high school. Math III proficiency (58.5%) also trails the district and state by about 10 points, though it has improved steadily over the past several years, and Math I proficiency recently caught up to the state average. Chronic absenteeism stands at 41.5%, meaning two out of every five students are chronically absent — nearly double the state rate and far higher than demographically similar nearby schools such as South Johnston High and North Johnston High. Attendance is likely the single biggest barrier to stronger academic outcomes.

There are meaningful bright spots. The graduation rate is 89.3%, essentially matching the state average and improving steadily over the last four years. The school also earned standout subgroup results in the most recent year, ranking in the 80th percentile for special education students and the 74th percentile for multi-racial students. With a lower student-teacher ratio (17.9) than most neighboring high schools and above-average per-student spending, the school has resources in place — but reducing chronic absenteeism will likely be the most important lever for raising achievement across the board.

1,548

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,069

Per pupil spending ?

99.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

700 M. Durwood Stephenson Park
Smithfield, NC 27577-1497

(919) 934-5191

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Smithfield-Selma High:

Elementary:	South Smithfield Elementary
	West Smithfield Elementary
	Wilson's Mills Elementary
Middle:	Smithfield Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.2%

African American:

25.7%

White:

18.7%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Smithfield-Selma High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 33rd percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (50% vs 60% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 24% North Carolina)

!English II scores 19 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg60%

469^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 33% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Johnston County Public Schools

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	31.6	469 of 662	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	479 of 641	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.3	458 of 640	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	485 of 626	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	513 of 621	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.7	440 of 594	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.9	427 of 514	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	371 of 469	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.7	326 of 476	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	26.7	339 of 507	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	21.7	387 of 531	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	14.1	384 of 451	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	18.2	399 of 505	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	57.4	171 of 502	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	39.6	364 of 506	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.6	352 of 499	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	47.2	278 of 490	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	50.1	244 of 477	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.6	284 of 453	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.6	226 of 431	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	268 of 450	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.5	279 of 440	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.6	280 of 437	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.0	240 of 434	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.9	317 of 430	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.9	202 of 364	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.5	341 of 369	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	297 of 359	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.9	278 of 330	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.6	305 of 364	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.6	180 of 349	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	162 of 289	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.3	180 of 273	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.6	122 of 262	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	21.6	206 of 226	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	136 of 147	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	423 of 629	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.6	459 of 610	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.9	394 of 602	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.2	430 of 588	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	468 of 594	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	338 of 475	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.6	404 of 475	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	369 of 449	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	248 of 407	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	72.5	119 of 412	71.1%	★★★★☆
2024	74.9	75 of 403	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	72.1	107 of 403	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	59.5	192 of 398	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.8	181 of 337	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.4	146 of 325	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.0	324 of 474	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.3	354 of 462	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	317 of 454	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.1	384 of 449	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	410 of 436	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	287 of 370	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	330 of 354	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	309 of 340	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.6	382 of 620	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.0	475 of 606	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	459 of 613	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	461 of 597	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	453 of 544	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.4	232 of 432	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.3	386 of 446	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	345 of 424	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.5	493 of 624	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.8	479 of 601	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	487 of 607	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	510 of 602	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	531 of 585	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	363 of 481	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.0	434 of 488	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	385 of 463	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	69 of 265	74.0%	★★★★☆
2025	34.3	183 of 253	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	213 of 249	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	174 of 226	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.4	144 of 199	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.2	110 of 195	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.4	147 of 185	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.4	76 of 372	79.6%	★★★★☆
2025	24.9	288 of 352	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.1	162 of 349	53.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.9	250 of 551	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.2	273 of 542	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.5	230 of 553	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.1	272 of 537	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	293 of 534	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.0	146 of 439	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.8	281 of 444	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	199 of 427	53.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)80th percentile+50 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)74th percentile+45 vs school

White (2026)55th percentile+25 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)44th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2026)40th percentile+11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)39th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)33rd percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)32nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)21st percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)16th percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III58%-10 vs state

Biology51%-8 vs state

English II46%-19 vs state

Math I42%~ state avg

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, January 9, 2017

My son use to attend this school and Smithfield middle they never could get IEPs right at all. The school management is terrible they treat us like scum face down earth. Close Quote

Schools Near Smithfield-Selma High

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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)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	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	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Smithfield-Selma High	Public	9-12	700 M. Durwood Stephenson Park	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 934-5191	1,548	86	17.9	99.8%	290 (18.7%)	398 (25.7%)	793 (51.2%)	13 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (3.2%)	31.6	469^th of 662 public high schools	29.2%		27.3	479^th of 641 public high schools	25.3%	10	50.6	45.7	42.4	58.5								$10,069	$868	$9,200
Johnston County Schools Career Technical	Public	9-12	245 College Road	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 464-2303	241	6	41.1	98.8%	101 (41.9%)	31 (12.9%)	98 (40.7%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.5%)	93.7	19^th of 662 public high schools	97.1%		95.5	17^th of 641 public high schools	97.3%	2	99.9	95.8		100.0								$7,440	$137	$7,303
Johnston County Early College Academy	Public	9-12	245 College Rd	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 464-2314	251	7	34.9	98.8%	142 (56.6%)	22 (8.8%)	72 (28.7%)	5 (2.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	93	33^rd of 662 public high schools	95.0%		94.1	34^th of 641 public high schools	94.7%	1	100.0	100.0		96.5								$6,903	$137	$6,766
North Johnston High	Public	9-12	5915 US Hwy 301 N	Kenly	27542	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 284-2031	788	40	19.8	98.2%	376 (47.7%)	75 (9.5%)	316 (40.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.7%)	43.3	380^th of 662 public high schools	42.6%		40	376^th of 641 public high schools	41.3%	4	47.9	62.2	41.4	74.6								$10,995	$811	$10,184
Cleveland High	Public	9-12	1892 Polenta Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-2455	1,889	80	23.5	98.7%	933 (49.4%)	369 (19.5%)	464 (24.6%)	28 (1.5%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	91 (4.8%)	55.6	283^rd of 662 public high schools	57.3%		52.4	277^th of 641 public high schools	56.8%	6	51.2	66.6	65.7	78.0								$7,646	$466	$7,180
Princeton High	Public	6-12	101 Dr Donnie H Jones Jr Blvd	Princeton	27569	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 936-5011	988	52	19.1	99.2%	626 (63.4%)	90 (9.1%)	223 (22.6%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (4.6%)	44.6	372^nd of 662 public high schools	43.8%		47.8	319^th of 641 public high schools	50.2%	53	50.9	53.6	53.0	71.9	65.8	61.9	60.0	57.0	55.1	54.8	71.1	$9,669	$525	$9,144
Clayton High	Public	9-12	600 S Fayetteville St	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-4064	1,929	82	23.4	99.6%	722 (37.4%)	568 (29.4%)	502 (26.0%)	25 (1.3%)	5 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	106 (5.5%)	47.5	345^th of 662 public high schools	47.9%		43.4	347^th of 641 public high schools	45.9%	2	59.8	65.2	45.2	64.3								$7,541	$374	$7,166
West Johnston High	Public	9-12	5935 Raleigh Road	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-7333	1,563	66	23.6	99.2%	797 (51.0%)	209 (13.4%)	458 (29.3%)	13 (0.8%)	10 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (4.9%)	46.7	351^st of 662 public high schools	47.0%		41.7	365^th of 641 public high schools	43.1%	14	61.7	66.7	35.7	65.4								$8,533	$535	$7,999
South Johnston High	Public	9-12	10381 US Hwy 301 S	Four Oaks	27524	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-3146	1,355	60	22.5	99.8%	642 (47.4%)	167 (12.3%)	485 (35.8%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (3.8%)	38.4	414^th of 662 public high schools	37.5%		39.4	382^nd of 641 public high schools	40.4%	32	41.7	61.8	41.6	70.2								$9,204	$547	$8,657
Corinth Holders High	Public	9-12	6875 Applewhite Rd	Wendell	27591	Wake County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 365-4306	2,187	94	23.2	99.0%	1,198 (54.8%)	366 (16.7%)	491 (22.5%)	32 (1.5%)	9 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	89 (4.1%)	58.7	263^rd of 662 public high schools	60.3%		55.3	260^th of 641 public high schools	59.4%	3	69.6	69.6	43.1	74.1								$7,404	$393	$7,011

Frequently Asked Questions about Smithfield-Selma High

How many students attend Smithfield-Selma High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,548 students attended Smithfield-Selma High.

What district is Smithfield-Selma High in?

Johnston County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Smithfield-Selma High?

Students at Smithfield-Selma High are 51% Hispanic, 26% African American, 19% White, 3% Two or more races.

Is Smithfield-Selma High a good school?

Smithfield-Selma High ranks 469^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools feed into Smithfield-Selma High?

Smithfield-Selma High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : South Smithfield Elementary
Elementary : West Smithfield Elementary
Elementary : Wilson's Mills Elementary
Middle : Smithfield Middle

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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.