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South Smithfield Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1234^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

South Smithfield Elementary is a public elementary school in Smithfield, North Carolina, serving 463 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Johnston County Public Schools district. Despite being part of a district ranked 94 out of 242 in the state, South Smithfield Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of North Carolina elementary schools over the past several years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger indicating it is among the lowest-performing schools in the state.

The school's academic performance is a significant concern, with proficiency rates consistently falling below state and district averages in Mathematics, Reading, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 3rd-grade Mathematics proficiency rate was 59.7%, compared to 67.5% for the district and 64.1% for the state. This performance has been declining over the years, with proficiency rates dropping from the mid-40% range in 2020-2021 to the low-to-mid 30% range in more recent years. The school also struggles to support the academic achievement of various student subgroups, ranking in the bottom half or bottom quarter of North Carolina schools for most subgroups.

Interestingly, the nearby Princeton Elementary, Powhatan Elementary, and Pine Level Elementary schools generally outperform South Smithfield Elementary in academic achievement, with higher proficiency rates and better statewide rankings. These schools serve student populations with lower percentages of free/reduced-price lunch recipients, suggesting that socioeconomic factors may play a significant role in the academic performance of schools in this area. Targeted interventions and support, such as increased funding, additional teacher training, and community partnerships, could potentially help improve academic outcomes at South Smithfield Elementary.

450

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,484

Per pupil spending ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

201 W Sanders St
Smithfield, NC 27577-3717

(919) 934-8979

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend South Smithfield Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Smithfield Middle
High:	Smithfield-Selma High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.0%

African American:

33.8%

White:

17.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare South Smithfield Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 30th percentile in 2015 → 17th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (42% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg57%

1,234^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 30% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd 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	22.5	1234 of 1490	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	1283 of 1505	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	1324 of 1502	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	1166 of 1514	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.5	1151 of 1489	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.5	1403 of 1473	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	1221 of 1434	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	36.1	983 of 1429	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.0	970 of 1425	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.9	1004 of 1440	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	23.8	1106 of 1390	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.8	1007 of 1403	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	34.6	1015 of 1388	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	50.0	792 of 1381	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.7	749 of 1363	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	53.8	717 of 1354	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.9	755 of 1324	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.2	962 of 1293	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	52.0	685 of 1276	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.7	713 of 918	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	690 of 924	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.4	755 of 933	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	632 of 927	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.7	697 of 896	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.6	928 of 949	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.9	794 of 927	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	25.7	524 of 634	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	612 of 646	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	667 of 878	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.0	615 of 897	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.2	269 of 563	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.3	324 of 533	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	366 of 514	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.3	303 of 485	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.6	310 of 385	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	460 of 497	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	43.4	216 of 421	48.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.0	1122 of 1451	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	1189 of 1455	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	1279 of 1459	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.3	1098 of 1458	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	1114 of 1440	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.3	1390 of 1424	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.4	1212 of 1405	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	699 of 961	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	737 of 951	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.5	708 of 915	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.4	540 of 893	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.8	567 of 843	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.1	844 of 865	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	29.5	675 of 851	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	1216 of 1437	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	1128 of 1450	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	1260 of 1437	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.9	1189 of 1366	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	1186 of 1329	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.4	1316 of 1361	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.2	1051 of 1332	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	1258 of 1450	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	1269 of 1464	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	1302 of 1461	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	1138 of 1464	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	1143 of 1444	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	1312 of 1430	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	1204 of 1413	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	613 of 821	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	548 of 801	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.7	831 of 1172	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.9	927 of 1166	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	1047 of 1183	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	902 of 1194	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.1	677 of 1172	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.3	902 of 1183	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.0	835 of 1178	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)52nd percentile+35 vs school

White (2025)29th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)27th percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2025)25th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)23rd percentile+5 vs school

African American (2025)22nd percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2022)17th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)15th percentile~ school

Male (2025)13th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science46%-16 vs state

Mathematics44%-17 vs state

Reading38%-14 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, June 22, 2018

I adore our school. My daughter had a fabulous year in Kindergarten! Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, May 11, 2017

This school is NOT in a great location. I was NOT pleased with the management how they kept teachers that is in tenure. Close Quote

Schools Near South Smithfield 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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Polenta Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	105 Josephine Road	Garner	27529	Johnston 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%)	59.9	566^th of 1490 public elementary schools	62.0%		64.2	503^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	66.6%	63	56.3	71.5	58.7	46.7	73.8	58.1	58.1	$8,530	$528	$8,002
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

Frequently Asked Questions about South Smithfield Elementary

What is the racial makeup of South Smithfield Elementary?

Students at South Smithfield Elementary are 42% Hispanic, 34% African American, 18% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is South Smithfield Elementary a good school?

South Smithfield Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of South Smithfield Elementary attend?

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

Middle : Smithfield Middle
High : Smithfield-Selma High

How many students attend South Smithfield Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 450 students attended South Smithfield Elementary.

What district is South Smithfield Elementary in?

Johnston County Public Schools

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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.