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East Clayton Elementary

Q: Is East Clayton Elementary a good school?

East Clayton Elementary ranks 723 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

723^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

East Clayton Elementary, in Clayton, NC — a growing community in Johnston County just southeast of Raleigh — serves 524 students in grades PK–5 as part of Johnston County Public Schools, a district ranked in the 60th percentile statewide. After a difficult 2023-24 school year that put it in the 28th percentile, the school has climbed to the 52nd percentile (3 stars), placing it solidly in the middle of the pack among North Carolina elementary schools.

The local context makes this rebound notable. Several schools within a few miles serve nearly identical student populations yet post much higher rankings: Riverwood Elementary (93rd percentile), Powhatan Elementary (85th), River Dell Elementary (78th), and Thanksgiving Elementary (75th), all with free/reduced lunch rates above 99%. The clearest operational difference is attendance: chronic absenteeism at East Clayton Elementary is 23.6%, over twice the rates at Thanksgiving (9.0%), Powhatan (9.6%), Riverwood (10.5%), and River Dell (12.2%). Academically, the school exceeds the state in 3rd-grade reading (62% proficient) and matches the district in 4th-grade math, but 5th-grade scores in math, reading, and science trail district averages by roughly 5 to 7 points.

There is real momentum to highlight. Proficiency has climbed sharply over two years: 3rd-grade reading jumped from 40% to 62% and 5th-grade math from roughly 40% to 60%. African American and Hispanic students now perform in the 69th and 67th percentiles statewide, both above the school's overall standing. Special education remains the biggest concern, with outcomes dipping to the 21st percentile, while attendance and 5th-grade growth are clear opportunities. For families weighing school options in Clayton, East Clayton Elementary looks like a school on an upward path, and the success of nearby schools facing similar economic challenges suggests higher achievement is well within reach.

524

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2075 NC Highway 42 East
Clayton, NC 27527-9114

(919) 550-5311

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend East Clayton Elementary usually attend:

High:

Clayton High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

38.9%

White:

27.3%

Hispanic:

22.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare East Clayton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 28th percentile in 2024 → 52nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 52nd (2026) from a 28th-percentile low (2024)

✓Above the North Carolina median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

723^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to top 48% (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	50.3	723 of 1492	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.9	851 of 1490	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.9	1083 of 1505	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.5	945 of 1502	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.2	686 of 1514	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.5	529 of 1489	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.8	823 of 1473	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	953 of 1434	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.1	697 of 1429	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.5	536 of 1425	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.4	314 of 1440	78.2%	★★★★☆
2014	75.2	308 of 1390	77.8%	★★★★☆
2013	67.8	396 of 1403	71.8%	★★★★☆
2012	79.9	212 of 1388	84.7%	★★★★☆
2011	77.0	249 of 1381	82.0%	★★★★☆
2010	81.2	174 of 1363	87.2%	★★★★☆
2009	81.0	185 of 1354	86.3%	★★★★☆
2008	81.4	159 of 1324	88.0%	★★★★☆
2007	83.6	111 of 1293	91.4%	★★★★★
2006	76.6	220 of 1276	82.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.0	280 of 903	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	467 of 918	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	635 of 924	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.9	667 of 933	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.8	499 of 927	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	73.9	127 of 896	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	53.8	387 of 949	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.1	473 of 927	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	36.8	381 of 634	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.4	264 of 646	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.9	634 of 878	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.1	768 of 897	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	34.4	363 of 533	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	294 of 514	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.6	173 of 385	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.4	730 of 1447	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.8	958 of 1451	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.0	1088 of 1455	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.1	787 of 1459	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.1	530 of 1458	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.7	551 of 1440	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.5	838 of 1424	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.0	708 of 1405	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	493 of 743	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.1	325 of 710	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.7	529 of 582	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	54.6	290 of 494	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.2	361 of 612	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.2	321 of 981	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.8	387 of 961	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.7	482 of 951	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.9	516 of 915	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.4	433 of 893	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.1	346 of 843	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.8	352 of 865	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.3	403 of 851	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.4	872 of 1434	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.7	921 of 1437	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.0	1207 of 1450	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	999 of 1437	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.0	480 of 1366	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.9	324 of 1329	75.6%	★★★★☆
2019	33.5	1000 of 1361	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	977 of 1332	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.0	719 of 1451	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.5	692 of 1450	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.0	1023 of 1464	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.1	997 of 1461	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.5	856 of 1464	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.3	506 of 1444	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.0	764 of 1430	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.3	1078 of 1413	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.1	646 of 815	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.6	548 of 821	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.6	641 of 801	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.7	553 of 1146	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.9	537 of 1172	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.8	884 of 1166	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	56.1	524 of 1183	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.4	376 of 1194	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.9	453 of 1172	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.1	834 of 1183	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	1052 of 1178	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)69th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)67th percentile+16 vs school

White (2026)52nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)50th percentile~ school

Female (2026)50th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)40th percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)34th percentile-18 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)32nd percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2026)21st percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science65%-3 vs state

Mathematics62%~ state avg

Reading55%~ state avg

3.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

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3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, July 9, 2019

teachers care and number of students in classroom is great Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, July 9, 2019

great school Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, September 8, 2016

School is a total disappointment. Bought a house in this district because it is supposed to be the best. They can't even get their car line together much less anything else. They don't know what class your in the day before school starts. Just an all around disaster! New principal doesn't have a clue and likely never done this before in her life. Close Quote

Schools Near East Clayton 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 Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Clayton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2075 NC Highway 42 East	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 550-5311	524	32	16.2	98.3%	143 (27.3%)	204 (38.9%)	117 (22.3%)	8 (1.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.4%)	50.3	723^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	51.5%		43.9	851^st of 1490 public elementary schools	42.9%	128	61.3	64.0	60.0				62.0	52.0	51.3				65.0		$9,338	$524	$8,814
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
Cooper Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	849 North Mial St	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 553-0256	447	31	14.5	98.9%	111 (24.8%)	161 (36.0%)	132 (29.5%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.7%)	38.8	922^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	38.2%		43.4	861^st of 1490 public elementary schools	42.2%	61	58.7	50.6	52.7				54.3	65.4	45.5				55.5		$10,146	$817	$9,330
River Dell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12100 Buffalo Road	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-1977	981	56	17.5	99.7%	478 (48.7%)	220 (22.4%)	192 (19.6%)	20 (2.0%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (6.9%)	74.9	324^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.3%		75.8	307^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.4%	17	70.1	65.9	78.5				67.3	64.2	64.0				86.0		$8,530	$614	$7,917
Riverwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	108 Athletic Club Blvd	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 359-6300	728	45	16.2	99.6%	365 (50.1%)	122 (16.8%)	170 (23.4%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (8.5%)	90.1	111^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.6%		88	139^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.7%	28	82.5	79.5	87.5				80.8	70.9	78.1				90.6		$8,213	$432	$7,780
West Clayton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1012 S Lombard St	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-7113	742	50	14.8	98.5%	245 (33.0%)	158 (21.3%)	266 (35.8%)	20 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (7.0%)	44	844^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.4%		49.1	759^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.1%	85	62.3	59.8	58.2				50.9	61.6	46.8				58.9		$9,685	$477	$9,208
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
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
Johnston Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	40 Scholar Drive	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 879-8190	677	35	19.4	50.5%	269 (39.7%)	206 (30.4%)	116 (17.1%)	17 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (10.2%)	75.9	304^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.6%		66.2	463^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	68.9%	159	80.2	75.6	65.4	61.1	50.0	59.4	67.9	69.5	61.5	65.3	67.9	69.6	87.2	88.2
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

Frequently Asked Questions about East Clayton Elementary

What is the racial makeup of East Clayton Elementary?

Students at East Clayton Elementary are 39% African American, 27% White, 22% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of East Clayton Elementary attend?

Students who attend East Clayton Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Clayton High

What district is East Clayton Elementary in?

Johnston County Public Schools

How many students attend East Clayton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 524 students attended East Clayton Elementary.

Is East Clayton Elementary a good school?

East Clayton Elementary ranks 723^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate East Clayton 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.