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Northwest Elementary

Q: Is Northwest Elementary a good school?

Northwest Elementary ranks 710 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

710^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Northwest Elementary is a K–5 public school in Kinston, NC, serving 504 students in the Lenoir County Public Schools district, where 99.4% of students come from low-income households. Given that high-poverty profile, the school's steady climb is especially noteworthy: it has gone from a 1-star, bottom-quartile rating in 2015-16 to a 3-star, 52nd-percentile statewide ranking in 2025-26, gaining roughly 389 rank positions since 2022-23.

Among nearby elementary schools serving nearly identical student populations, Northwest now outperforms Contentnea-Savannah School, La Grange Elementary, Northeast Elementary, and Southeast Elementary, trailing only Moss Hill Elementary and Banks Elementary. When measured against schools statewide serving similar low-income students, Northwest ranks in the 76th percentile — well above its overall 52nd-percentile standing — and its African American students rank even higher, at the 82nd percentile. Fifth grade is the school's strongest year: 86.5% of 5th-graders scored proficient in science, the highest rate among all nearby elementary schools, and 5th-grade math scores rival the area's best. Girls outperform boys in school-effectiveness rankings, sitting at the 70th percentile statewide compared with the 40th percentile for boys.

Attendance is another bright spot: chronic absenteeism fell from roughly 30% in recent years to 19.7% in 2024-25, below both the district rate of 26.5% and the statewide rate of 24.2%. The clearest academic weaknesses are in the early grades — 3rd-grade reading (44% proficient versus 55.6% statewide) and 4th-grade math (47.2% versus 61.4% statewide) — which suggests the school's strongest teaching strategies are not yet reaching the youngest students. Northwest achieves these results while spending less per student ($8,808) than any other elementary school in the comparison group. If it can raise its early-grade performance to match its 5th-grade results and narrow the gender gap, Northwest has the momentum to become one of the top elementary schools in the Lenoir County area.

504

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1701 Old Well Rd
Kinston, NC 28504

(252) 527-5143

District: Lenoir County Public Schools

Students who attend Northwest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rochelle Middle
High:	Kinston High
	Lenoir County Early College High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

74.2%

Hispanic:

8.1%

White:

6.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Northwest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2016 → 52nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 36 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (52nd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg57%

North Carolina avg61%

710^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 36 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to top 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

163^rd of 246Lenoir 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	51.3	710 of 1492	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.1	845 of 1490	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	807 of 1505	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	1099 of 1502	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.4	927 of 1514	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.5	1218 of 1489	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.1	1233 of 1473	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	1151 of 1434	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.7	1160 of 1429	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.7	1193 of 1425	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.3	1245 of 1440	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.0	1204 of 1390	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	34.7	952 of 1403	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.4	792 of 1388	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.2	901 of 1381	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.4	818 of 1363	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	61.5	579 of 1354	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	53.5	656 of 1324	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.7	493 of 1293	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	69.4	349 of 1276	72.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.8	166 of 903	81.6%	★★★★☆
2025	63.3	258 of 918	71.9%	★★★★☆
2024	73.5	157 of 924	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	49.3	441 of 933	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.5	259 of 927	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	48.0	382 of 896	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.2	452 of 949	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.8	489 of 927	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	39.9	341 of 634	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.6	631 of 646	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	42.5	485 of 878	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.0	719 of 897	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	431 of 1447	70.2%	★★★★☆
2025	53.3	671 of 1451	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.1	682 of 1455	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.2	1077 of 1459	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.2	799 of 1458	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.0	1094 of 1440	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.6	1228 of 1424	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.7	1071 of 1405	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★★
2025	25.2	671 of 710	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	640 of 669	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.2	551 of 582	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.9	462 of 500	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	467 of 494	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.8	348 of 1434	75.7%	★★★★☆
2025	59.9	485 of 1437	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.5	493 of 1450	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.1	890 of 1437	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.7	553 of 1366	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.4	881 of 1329	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.8	1023 of 1361	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.9	901 of 1332	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	874 of 1451	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.7	916 of 1450	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.5	899 of 1464	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	1084 of 1461	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.5	1008 of 1464	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.7	1239 of 1444	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	1168 of 1430	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.9	1193 of 1413	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.7	484 of 815	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.1	493 of 801	38.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)96th percentile+43 vs school

African American (2026)82nd percentile+29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)76th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)70th percentile+18 vs school

Disabled (2022)46th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)41st percentile-12 vs school

Male (2026)40th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science87%+19 vs state

Mathematics61%-3 vs state

Reading51%-6 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Northwest has provided a great education for my daughter and I am happy to be a part of the Northwest School family! Close Quote

Schools Near Northwest 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
Northwest Elementary	Public	K-5	1701 Old Well Rd	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-5143	504	31	16.2	99.4%	35 (6.9%)	374 (74.2%)	41 (8.1%)	19 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.9%)	51.3	710^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.4%		44.1	845^th of 1490 public elementary schools	43.3%	135	65.3	47.2	68.9				44.0	51.4	56.8				86.5		$8,808	$1,369	$7,440
Southeast Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 McDaniels Street	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-4210	326	24	13.5	96.9%	24 (7.4%)	269 (82.5%)	17 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.9%)	17.3	1329^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.9%		18.8	1298^th of 1490 public elementary schools	12.9%	31	13.5	48.5	29.2				24.3	39.4	58.3				54.2		$12,465	$2,728	$9,737
Northeast Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1002 E Highland Ave	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-4166	465	27	17.2	99.4%	11 (2.4%)	412 (88.6%)	23 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.9%)	17.7	1324^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.3%		15.3	1345^th of 1490 public elementary schools	9.7%	21	49.2	25.3	48.9				38.1	22.8	36.2				72.3		$9,018	$1,456	$7,563
Banks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2148 Falling Creek Rd	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-9470	436	32	13.5	99.3%	167 (38.3%)	151 (34.6%)	87 (20.0%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.7%)	64.2	515^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.5%		63.3	507^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.0%	8	72.1	60.7	70.3				55.9	62.3	57.8				78.1		$9,503	$1,056	$8,446
Contentnea-Savannah School	Public	PK, KG-8	3400 Ferrell Road	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-8591	789	55	14.2	99.6%	249 (31.6%)	362 (45.9%)	144 (18.3%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (3.5%)	42	877^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.2%		39.5	927^th of 1490 public elementary schools	37.8%	50	60.0	59.5	57.5	46.8	27.5	31.6	46.3	55.4	46.6	48.6	38.2	43.2	75.3	57.9	$9,328	$1,658	$7,670
Moss Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	6040 Hwy 55 West	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 569-5071	371	28	13.2	99.2%	214 (57.7%)	64 (17.3%)	74 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.1%)	79.4	249^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.3%		84.3	186^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.5%	63	73.3	89.8	68.7				65.0	78.0	62.7				83.6		$9,954	$1,536	$8,418
La Grange Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	402 W Railroad St	La Grange	28551	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 566-4036	547	32	17.1	99.5%	130 (23.8%)	236 (43.1%)	144 (26.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.2%)	36.5	968^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.1%		33.5	1027^th of 1490 public elementary schools	31.1%	59	68.3	46.9	59.8				54.0	51.0	42.5				54.0		$9,939	$1,422	$8,517
Grifton	Public	PK, KG-8	513 E McCrae St	Grifton	28530	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 524-5141	395	30	12.9	97.5%	106 (26.8%)	174 (44.1%)	87 (22.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.8%)	40.3	901^st of 1492 public elementary schools	39.6%		34.7	1008^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.3%	107	71.8	43.9	59.5	41.3	48.8	41.5	65.0	43.9	50.0	23.9	46.3	43.4	76.2	60.4	$10,793	$1,896	$8,897
Snow Hill Primary	Public	K-1	502 SE 2nd Street	Snow Hill	28580	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 747-8113	403	32	12.5	99.3%	114 (28.3%)	135 (33.5%)	141 (35.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)								(n/a)															$14,827	$3,208	$11,619
West Greene Elementary	Public	2-3	303 Kingold Boulevard	Snow Hill	28580	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 747-3955	402	32	12.5	99.3%	96 (23.9%)	138 (34.3%)	151 (37.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (4.0%)								(n/a)	35.6						31.8								$10,810	$1,815	$8,995

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwest Elementary

Is Northwest Elementary a good school?

Northwest Elementary ranks 710^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Northwest Elementary?

Students at Northwest Elementary are 74% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% White, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Northwest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Northwest Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rochelle Middle
High : Kinston High
High : Lenoir County Early College High

How many students attend Northwest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 504 students attended Northwest Elementary.

What district is Northwest Elementary in?

Lenoir County Public Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.