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Polenta Elementary

Q: Is Polenta Elementary a good school?

Polenta Elementary ranks 566 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

566^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Polenta Elementary is a public elementary school located in Garner, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 993 students. The school is part of the Johnston County Public Schools district, which is ranked 94 out of 242 districts in the state.

Polenta Elementary has maintained a consistent 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 499 to 974 out of around 1,500 North Carolina elementary schools. The school has performed particularly well with its African American, Hispanic, and Multi-racial student subgroups, ranking in the top 40-50% of the state. However, the school's performance with English Language Learners and Special Education students has been relatively weaker, ranking in the bottom 50%. Polenta Elementary's test scores in Mathematics and Reading are generally on par with or slightly below the district and state averages, but the school's 5th-grade Science proficiency rates have been consistently higher than the district and state.

Interestingly, Polenta Elementary has seen a significant increase in its free and reduced lunch rates, from 27.2% in 2021-2022 to 99.7% in 2023-2024, indicating a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. The school has maintained a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 14.6 to 14.9 students per teacher over the past few years, which is lower than the district and state averages. When compared to nearby schools, such as West Smithfield Elementary, Powhatan Elementary, and Cleveland Elementary, Polenta Elementary exhibits a relatively consistent 3-star performance, while the nearby schools show a wider range of performance.

1,010

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,530

Per pupil spending ?

98%

Free/discounted lunch ?

105 Josephine Road
Garner, NC 27529-9618

(919) 989-6039

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend Polenta Elementary usually attend:

High:

Cleveland High

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.6%

Hispanic:

27.9%

African American:

17.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Polenta Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 46th percentile in 2015 → 62nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the North Carolina median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg57%

566^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 46% (2015) to top 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th 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	59.9	566 of 1490	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.2	503 of 1505	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.5	609 of 1502	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.0	538 of 1514	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.0	499 of 1489	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.8	974 of 1473	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.0	800 of 1434	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	58.3	602 of 1429	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.0	576 of 1425	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	48.2	779 of 1440	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	51.7	673 of 1390	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	36.8	906 of 1403	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	73.6	329 of 1388	76.3%	★★★★☆
2011	74.6	305 of 1381	77.9%	★★★★☆
2010	81.9	165 of 1363	87.9%	★★★★☆
2009	74.7	301 of 1354	77.8%	★★★★☆
2008	72.4	305 of 1324	77.0%	★★★★☆
2007	62.2	504 of 1293	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.6	486 of 1276	61.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.1	418 of 918	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.3	370 of 924	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	297 of 933	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.0	290 of 927	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.3	244 of 896	72.8%	★★★★☆
2019	26.3	787 of 949	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.0	511 of 927	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	39.2	352 of 634	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.3	373 of 646	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	585 of 878	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	412 of 897	54.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	152 of 563	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	30.2	420 of 533	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.9	286 of 514	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.0	199 of 485	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.0	217 of 385	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	310 of 497	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	289 of 421	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	555 of 1451	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.9	560 of 1455	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	665 of 1459	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.1	543 of 1458	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.4	426 of 1440	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	34.9	996 of 1424	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.5	836 of 1405	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.8	173 of 710	75.6%	★★★★☆
2024	58.8	334 of 669	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.1	234 of 582	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.6	4 of 500	99.2%	★★★★★
2021	59.4	247 of 494	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	19.6	603 of 612	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	57.2	362 of 961	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	385 of 951	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	392 of 915	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.9	331 of 893	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.7	320 of 843	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.0	616 of 865	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	599 of 851	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.0	694 of 1437	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.4	523 of 1450	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.7	560 of 1437	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.0	406 of 1366	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	66.5	314 of 1329	76.4%	★★★★☆
2019	29.2	1069 of 1361	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.4	726 of 1332	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.7	569 of 1450	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.3	429 of 1464	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	61.5	537 of 1461	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.7	497 of 1464	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.6	536 of 1444	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.2	892 of 1430	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.6	761 of 1413	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	83 of 175	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.6	52 of 159	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.2	60 of 154	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	22.7	76 of 86	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.9	634 of 821	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.6	516 of 801	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.2	458 of 1172	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.6	459 of 1166	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.5	619 of 1183	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.6	512 of 1194	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.6	418 of 1172	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.3	954 of 1183	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.5	762 of 1178	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2025)76th percentile+14 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)73rd percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)62nd percentile~ school

White (2025)61st percentile~ school

Male (2025)61st percentile~ school

African American (2025)54th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)53rd percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)52nd percentile-10 vs school

Disabled (2022)44th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics62%~ state avg

Reading60%+7 vs state

Science58%-4 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, August 24, 2014

I have been extremely disappointed with this school since transferring to Johnston County almost 3 years ago. Both Principals ( a new one was brought in last year) seem t have very little concern for the student's wellbeing. Bulling is a HUGE problem and little is done to discourage it. Parents receive mixed messages about their child's performance in the classroom. Academics is not enforced or valued. Its a "get them in and pass them along" attitude. If you are a parent with a child here, you have to be extra vigilant with their education and make sure they are learning. Close Quote

Schools Near Polenta 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 (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 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
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
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%)	88.9	124^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.7%		89.4	122^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	91.9%	2	83.0	74.3	82.1				72.6	74.3	77.2				77.9		$8,300	$357	$7,943
West View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11755 Cleveland Road	Garner	27529	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 661-6184	969	60	16.2	98.5%	376 (38.8%)	274 (28.3%)	230 (23.7%)	25 (2.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (6.4%)	70.2	388^th of 1490 public elementary schools	74.0%		62.9	526^th of 1505 public elementary schools	65.0%	138	83.4	70.1	55.6				64.2	68.8	55.0				65.5		$8,744	$427	$8,317
Dixon Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	835 Dixon Road	Willow Spring	27592	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-7771	644	38	16.7	99.5%	364 (56.5%)	40 (6.2%)	200 (31.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.6%)	74.9	316^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.8%		80.4	237^th of 1505 public elementary schools	84.3%	79	80.6	76.0	62.4				65.0	67.7	55.9				66.7		$9,295	$634	$8,661
McGee's Crossroads Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10330 NC Hwy 50 North	Angier	27501	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-7161	950	54	17.5	99.7%	501 (52.7%)	97 (10.2%)	271 (28.5%)	7 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	71 (7.5%)	61.8	534^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.2%		64.1	505^th of 1505 public elementary schools	66.4%	29	63.8	63.0	64.0				52.5	63.7	57.1				62.4		$8,802	$528	$8,274
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%)	49.1	759^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.1%		43.6	862^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	42.7%	103	70.8	42.6	57.7				55.8	47.3	48.5				65.4		$9,685	$477	$9,208
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%)	66.2	463^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	68.9%		61.9	546^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.7%	83	72.7	54.3	58.8	53.1	52.7	58.3	66.2	58.0	60.0	63.0	60.8	61.7	86.1	71.7
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%)	43.4	861^st of 1490 public elementary schools	42.2%		49.1	760^th of 1505 public elementary schools	49.5%	101	65.2	49.4	60.5				42.0	51.7	51.3				50.0		$10,146	$817	$9,330
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Polenta Elementary

How many students attend Polenta Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,010 students attended Polenta Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Polenta Elementary?

Students at Polenta Elementary are 48% White, 28% Hispanic, 18% African American, 6% Two or more races.

Is Polenta Elementary a good school?

Polenta Elementary ranks 566^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Polenta Elementary attend?

Students who attend Polenta Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Cleveland High

What district is Polenta Elementary in?

Johnston County Public Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

2023–24 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 4, 2024

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.