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John J Blair Elementary

Q: Is John J Blair Elementary a good school?

John J Blair Elementary ranks 1017 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1017^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

John J Blair Elementary is a Pre-K through 5th grade public school in Wilmington, North Carolina, serving 451 students as part of New Hanover County Schools, with nearly all students (about 99%) qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Currently, Blair ranks in the 32nd percentile of North Carolina elementary schools with a 2-star rating, placing it in the lower third of the state. That marks a clear drop from recent years, when the school ranked at the 65th percentile in 2022-23 and the 76th percentile in 2017-18. Proficiency rates trail both the district and state in nearly every subject and grade, with the widest gaps in 3rd grade math and 5th grade reading, where only about 40% of Blair 5th graders met the reading benchmark. Upper-grade reading has been a persistent weakness, and the school's most recent subgroup results for boys, Hispanic students, English learners, students with disabilities, and gifted students all fall well below state averages. Nearby comparisons sharpen the picture: Dr Hubert Eaton Senior Elementary, less than a mile away, ranks at the 93rd percentile, while Ogden Elementary and Wrightsville Beach Elementary sit near the top of the state.

What makes Blair's current rating most frustrating is that poverty alone does not explain it. Schools like Murrayville Elementary and Winter Park Model Elementary serve similarly high-poverty populations yet outperform Blair in most subjects, with Murrayville posting 5th grade reading proficiency above 64% compared with Blair's 39.7%. Meanwhile, College Park Elementary and R Freeman School of Engineering rank far below Blair, meaning this small corner of Wilmington contains an unusually wide range of school outcomes.

There are genuine positives to weigh. Blair has dramatically reduced chronic absenteeism from 37.1% in 2020-21 to 15.8% in 2024-25 — a rate now better than the district average of 23.8% and the statewide average of 24.2%. That improvement shows the school can make meaningful operational progress, and its history of reaching the 65th percentile as recently as 2022-23 suggests the current dip is not a fixed ceiling. Still, the academic picture — particularly literacy in grades 4 and 5, plus support for boys and other subgroups that have slipped — is the central challenge families should ask about.

451

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

88.2%

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

Exemptions: 2% (any vaccine)

6510 Market Street
Wilmington, NC 28405

(910) 350-2045

District: New Hanover County Schools

Students who attend John J Blair Elementary usually attend:

High:

New Hanover High

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.8%

Hispanic:

30.6%

African American:

12.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare John J Blair Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2016 → 32nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (52% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg61%

1,017^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 26 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

84^th of 246New Hanover County 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	34.6	1017 of 1492	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.3	995 of 1490	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.9	701 of 1505	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	530 of 1502	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.9	1008 of 1514	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.6	966 of 1489	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.6	496 of 1473	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.8	350 of 1434	75.6%	★★★★☆
2017	64.0	509 of 1429	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	56.9	604 of 1425	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.4	584 of 1440	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	67.0	445 of 1390	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	70.0	357 of 1403	74.6%	★★★★☆
2012	61.0	580 of 1388	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.6	599 of 1381	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	56.2	679 of 1363	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	54.7	703 of 1354	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.8	623 of 1324	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	71.0	324 of 1293	74.9%	★★★★☆
2006	66.1	411 of 1276	67.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	720 of 918	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	923 of 927	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.3	896 of 949	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	51.8	423 of 927	54.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	41.5	326 of 634	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.6	561 of 646	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	685 of 878	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	459 of 563	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.3	252 of 533	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.5	95 of 514	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	39.2	297 of 485	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.7	334 of 385	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.2	389 of 497	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.3	731 of 1447	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.1	930 of 1451	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.4	594 of 1455	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.9	563 of 1459	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.1	830 of 1458	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.0	1171 of 1440	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.6	662 of 1424	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.4	317 of 1405	77.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.0	632 of 743	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.5	560 of 710	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	63.5	242 of 669	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.4	404 of 582	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.4	347 of 500	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.6	297 of 612	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	914 of 981	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	31.1	721 of 961	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.3	490 of 951	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.0	258 of 915	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	27.2	744 of 893	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	609 of 843	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	690 of 865	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.6	452 of 851	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	780 of 1434	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.0	1081 of 1437	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.3	613 of 1450	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.1	289 of 1437	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	41.0	826 of 1366	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.7	802 of 1329	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.0	577 of 1361	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.8	475 of 1332	64.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.5	1181 of 1451	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.0	1011 of 1450	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	780 of 1464	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.6	475 of 1461	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.9	1067 of 1464	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.2	731 of 1444	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.5	332 of 1430	76.8%	★★★★☆
2018	68.1	419 of 1413	70.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.2	686 of 815	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.2	555 of 821	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	650 of 1146	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.4	728 of 1172	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.1	612 of 1166	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.9	546 of 1183	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.5	862 of 1194	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	945 of 1172	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	68.7	333 of 1183	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	323 of 1178	72.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)49th percentile+18 vs school

Disabled (2022)49th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)46th percentile+14 vs school

White (2026)43rd percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)22nd percentile-12 vs school

Male (2026)19th percentile-13 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)18th percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2026)16th percentile-16 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)15th percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)7th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science63%-4 vs state

Mathematics55%-8 vs state

Reading45%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near John J Blair 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 Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th 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
John J Blair Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6510 Market Street	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2045	451	34	13.1	—	184 (40.8%)	58 (12.9%)	138 (30.6%)	23 (5.1%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.8%)	34.6	1017^th of 1492 public elementary schools	31.8%		35.3	995^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.2%	22	47.7	57.6	60.3			46.2	50.0	39.7			63.2	88.2%	2%	$10,293	$831	$9,462
Dr Hubert Eaton Senior Elementary	Public	K-5	6701 Gordon Road	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 397-1544	461	32	14.2	30.4%	342 (74.2%)	31 (6.7%)	39 (8.5%)	13 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.2%)	91	98^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.4%		91.7	86^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.2%	12	87.7	86.8	90.2			70.4	76.5	73.8			91.8			$10,965	$754	$10,211
Ogden Elementary	Public	K-5	3637 Middle Sound Rd	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 686-6464	619	39	15.9	17.6%	541 (87.4%)	7 (1.1%)	36 (5.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (5.0%)	94.7	47^th of 1492 public elementary schools	96.8%		96.8	22^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	98.5%	25	561.6	92.1	88.2			84.9	83.3	80.0			86.4	91.5%	6.6%	$9,099	$487	$8,612
College Park Elementary	Public	K-5	5001 Oriole Drive	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2058	470	35	13.2	—	93 (19.8%)	175 (37.2%)	153 (32.6%)	11 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.7%)	8.6	1437^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.7%		13.4	1374^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.8%	63	42.2	46.7	31.0			26.6	32.0	25.4			40.8			$17,443	$1,558	$15,885
Murrayville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	225 Mabee Way	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 790-5067	573	40	14.2	—	297 (51.8%)	79 (13.8%)	129 (22.5%)	27 (4.7%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (6.3%)	76.7	287^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.8%		66.6	454^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.5%	167	81.3	71.1	78.4			66.7	61.1	64.9			78.4	95.2%	3.6%	$9,901	$832	$9,069
Wilmington Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	134 Cinema Drive	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	Wilmington Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 799-6776	91	12	7.7	—	9 (9.9%)	65 (71.4%)	11 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.6%)	2.8	1487^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.3%		28.6	1108^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.6%	379	8.3	18.2	16.7	7.1	38.5	25.0	27.3	33.3	21.4	61.5	33.3	100%	0%
Wrightsville Beach Elementary	Public	K-5	220 Coral Drive	Wrightsville Beach	28480	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 256-3171	280	19	14.4	8.9%	256 (91.4%)	2 (0.7%)	9 (3.2%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	95.9	26^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.3%		97.6	12^th of 1490 public elementary schools	99.2%	14	88.0	561.0	94.1			80.0	87.2	90.2			94.1			$11,028	$419	$10,609
Winter Park Model Elementary	Public	K-5	204 S MacMillan Ave	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2159	311	25	12.3	—	136 (43.7%)	45 (14.5%)	108 (34.7%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.5%)	63.8	522^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	65.0%		55.1	653^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	56.2%	131	72.2	69.8	75.5			55.6	52.4	61.2			73.5	98.3%	1.7%	$15,516	$1,728	$13,788
Bradley Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	6211 Greenville Loop	Wilmington	28409	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2051	344	28	12.1	98.0%	163 (47.4%)	11 (3.2%)	161 (46.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	52.7	682^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	54.3%		58.2	595^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.1%	87	51.9	66.0	73.6			46.3	50.0	60.4			75.5	97.8%	2.2%	$11,533	$978	$10,555
Porters Neck Elementary	Public	K-5	416 Edgewater Club Rd	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 251-2975	666	42	16.0	22.4%	530 (79.6%)	30 (4.5%)	58 (8.7%)	16 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.4%)	79.6	246^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.5%		86.3	156^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.5%	90	74.8	79.1	71.4			71.5	73.6	65.7			75.2

Frequently Asked Questions about John J Blair Elementary

What schools do graduates of John J Blair Elementary attend?

Students who attend John J Blair Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : New Hanover High

Is John J Blair Elementary a good school?

John J Blair Elementary ranks 1017^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend John J Blair Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 451 students attended John J Blair Elementary.

What district is John J Blair Elementary in?

New Hanover County Schools

What is the racial makeup of John J Blair Elementary?

Students at John J Blair Elementary are 41% White, 31% Hispanic, 13% African American, 10% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

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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.