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River Dell Elementary

Q: Is River Dell Elementary a good school?

River Dell Elementary ranks 324 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

324^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 78% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

River Dell Elementary is a large PK–5 school in Clayton, North Carolina, serving 981 students within Johnston County Public Schools. The school holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the 78th percentile statewide (#324 of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools), placing it comfortably above its district average and in the top quarter of elementary schools statewide for the past five consecutive years.

Academically, River Dell exceeds district and state proficiency rates in nearly every tested subject and grade level. Standout results include 5th-grade science (86% proficient vs. 67.7% statewide) and 5th-grade math (78.5% proficient vs. 62.9% statewide), while 3rd-grade reading has climbed sharply from 53.8% to 67.3% over the last three testing cycles. Statewide subgroup rankings are notably strong, with multiracial students placing 4th, gifted students placing 14th, African American students ranking in the 91st percentile, and Hispanic students ranking in the 84th percentile. Attendance is another bright spot: chronic absenteeism sits at 12.2%, far below the district rate of 21.8% and the state rate of 24.2%.

Compared with nearby schools, River Dell is the third-highest-ranked elementary in its immediate cluster, behind Riverwood Elementary and Powhatan Elementary, but well ahead of East Clayton Elementary, West Clayton Elementary, Cooper Academy, and Wilson's Mills Elementary. It achieves these results while spending less per student than most of those schools in the most recent data available, and with a higher student-teacher ratio (17.5) than the 13.6–16.2 range typical of its neighbors. Two items are worth watching: the special education subgroup's ranking has swung from the 60th to the 27th to the 73rd percentile over three years, suggesting a small population with variable year-to-year results, and 4th-grade scores, while above district and state averages, are the school's relative soft spot compared with its larger advantages in 3rd and 5th grades.

981

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

93.5%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 1.4% (any vaccine)

12100 Buffalo Road
Clayton, NC 27527

(919) 553-1977

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend River Dell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Archer Lodge Middle
High:	Corinth Holders High

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.7%

African American:

22.4%

Hispanic:

19.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare River Dell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 74th percentile in 2016 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (71% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

324^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From top 26% (2016) to top 22% (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	74.9	324 of 1492	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	75.8	307 of 1490	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	75.9	311 of 1505	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	78.6	262 of 1502	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	83.5	199 of 1514	86.9%	★★★★☆
2021	68.0	426 of 1489	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	68.7	425 of 1473	71.1%	★★★★☆
2018	62.5	543 of 1434	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	65.0	494 of 1429	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	71.6	366 of 1425	74.3%	★★★★☆
2015	70.8	400 of 1440	72.2%	★★★★☆
2014	87.1	137 of 1390	90.1%	★★★★★
2013	80.7	219 of 1403	84.4%	★★★★☆
2012	85.5	103 of 1388	92.6%	★★★★★
2011	88.0	72 of 1381	94.8%	★★★★★
2010	85.0	119 of 1363	91.3%	★★★★★
2009	84.4	134 of 1354	90.1%	★★★★★
2008	78.5	213 of 1324	83.9%	★★★★☆
2007	80.8	162 of 1293	87.5%	★★★★☆
2006	81.0	160 of 1276	87.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.6	78 of 903	91.4%	★★★★★
2025	73.5	166 of 918	81.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.3	196 of 924	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	80.7	104 of 933	88.9%	★★★★☆
2022	91.3	37 of 927	96.0%	★★★★★
2021	64.3	204 of 896	77.2%	★★★★☆
2019	46.9	491 of 949	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.0	547 of 927	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	45.2	286 of 634	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.3	293 of 646	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.7	249 of 878	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	33.8	630 of 897	29.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.1	335 of 1447	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	75.9	273 of 1451	81.2%	★★★★☆
2024	76.7	262 of 1455	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	79.6	222 of 1459	84.8%	★★★★☆
2022	83.7	177 of 1458	87.9%	★★★★☆
2021	67.9	392 of 1440	72.8%	★★★★☆
2019	70.3	381 of 1424	73.2%	★★★★☆
2018	64.7	488 of 1405	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.8	14 of 743	98.1%	★★★★★
2025	64.2	229 of 710	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.3	51 of 669	92.4%	★★★★★
2023	69.0	17 of 582	97.1%	★★★★★
2022	65.3	156 of 500	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.0	121 of 494	75.5%	★★★★☆
2019	62.8	266 of 612	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.8	154 of 981	84.3%	★★★★☆
2025	79.9	111 of 961	88.4%	★★★★☆
2024	87.0	66 of 951	93.1%	★★★★★
2023	81.2	96 of 915	89.5%	★★★★☆
2022	86.8	62 of 893	93.1%	★★★★★
2021	59.5	262 of 843	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.9	407 of 865	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.7	337 of 851	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	457 of 1434	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.5	357 of 1437	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	65.0	401 of 1450	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	79.4	167 of 1437	88.4%	★★★★☆
2022	80.2	141 of 1366	89.7%	★★★★☆
2021	56.5	470 of 1329	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.6	714 of 1361	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	1057 of 1332	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.9	306 of 1451	78.9%	★★★★☆
2025	73.3	332 of 1450	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	72.4	347 of 1464	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	75.0	297 of 1461	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	80.4	225 of 1464	84.6%	★★★★☆
2021	65.4	460 of 1444	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.6	461 of 1430	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.1	577 of 1413	59.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.5	4 of 181	97.8%	★★★★★
2025	81.6	23 of 175	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	74.6	30 of 159	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	63.6	45 of 154	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	58.4	48 of 133	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.8	37 of 97	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.0	218 of 815	73.3%	★★★★☆
2025	31.3	603 of 821	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	49.4	323 of 801	59.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.2	465 of 1146	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.0	376 of 1172	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.2	408 of 1166	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.2	340 of 1183	71.3%	★★★★☆
2022	71.6	305 of 1194	74.5%	★★★★☆
2021	60.2	434 of 1172	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.4	504 of 1183	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.0	653 of 1178	44.6%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2026)98th percentile+20 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)98th percentile+20 vs school

African American (2026)91st percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)84th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)79th percentile~ school

Female (2026)77th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)73rd percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)68th percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)59th percentile-19 vs school

Disabled (2022)55th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science86%+18 vs state

Mathematics71%+8 vs state

Reading65%+9 vs state

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Schools Near River Dell 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	—	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	93.5%	1.4%	$8,530	$614	$7,917
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	—	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	96%	3.3%
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	—	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	96.6%	2.3%	$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	—	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	91%	4.5%	$9,061	$544	$8,517
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	—	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	97.1%	2.9%	$8,213	$432	$7,780
Corinth-Holders Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3976 Nc 231	Zebulon	27597	Wake County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 365-7560	585	36	16.2	—	252 (43.1%)	81 (13.8%)	210 (35.9%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.3%)	55.8	642^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	57.0%		57	608^th of 1490 public elementary schools	59.2%	34	77.2	61.8	68.8	50.5	51.8	49.1	74.1	93.6%	2.6%	$9,379	$977	$8,402
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	—	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	93.1%	1%	$10,146	$817	$9,330
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	—	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	90.8%	0%	$11,582	$1,639	$9,943
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	—	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	96.3%	0.9%	$9,685	$477	$9,208
Lake Myra Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Elk Falls Rd	Wendell	27591	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 365-8990	722	54	13.3	55.4%	242 (33.5%)	216 (29.9%)	207 (28.7%)	12 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (6.1%)	31.5	1067^th of 1492 public elementary schools	28.5%		42.3	875^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.3%	192	57.6	51.2	47.8	45.5	52.0	46.0	56.1			$10,121	$996	$9,125

Frequently Asked Questions about River Dell Elementary

What schools do graduates of River Dell Elementary attend?

Students who attend River Dell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Archer Lodge Middle
High : Corinth Holders High

Is River Dell Elementary a good school?

River Dell Elementary ranks 324^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend River Dell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 981 students attended River Dell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of River Dell Elementary?

Students at River Dell Elementary are 49% White, 22% African American, 20% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is River Dell Elementary in?

Johnston County Public Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.