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Poplar Springs Elementary School

Q: Is Poplar Springs Elementary School a good school?

Poplar Springs Elementary School ranks 441 st of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

441^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 70% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Poplar Springs Elementary School is a K–5 public school in King, NC, enrolling 495 students, and it has become one of the strongest elementary schools in Stokes County Schools. It currently ranks 441st out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools — roughly the 70th percentile, with a 4-star rating — well above the district's overall 40th-percentile profile. The school has shown clear forward momentum: after slipping to the 45th percentile in 2022–2023, it climbed to the 69th percentile in 2024–2025 and now sits at the 70th. Today, Poplar Springs beats district and state averages on every end-of-grade test, including 3rd grade math (73% proficient vs. 66.4% statewide) and 4th grade reading (68.6% vs. 57.7%).

These results are especially notable because the school serves a very high-poverty population: about 99% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Poplar Springs ranks in the 74th percentile for its effectiveness with low-income students and in the 85th percentile for special education students. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 15.8% also stands well below the state’s 24.2% average. The contrast with nearby schools is dramatic. King Elementary School, just 1.75 miles away with a similarly high poverty rate, ranks in the 18th percentile and trails Poplar Springs by 20 to 30 points on most tests. Likewise, schools in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools with comparable demographics — Rural Hall Elementary, Old Town Elementary, and Gibson Elementary — rank near the very bottom of the state.

Among its closest local competitors, Mount Olive Elementary School ranks slightly higher at the 83rd percentile and beats Poplar Springs on most individual tests. Both clearly sit in the same upper tier of Stokes County schools. Where Poplar Springs holds an edge is consistency: its proficiency rates stay in a steady 58–73% band across every grade and subject, while nearby Pinnacle Elementary School, a much smaller school, posted a stunning 85.7% in 5th grade math one year only to fall to 45.5% in 4th grade math the next. For families who value steady, improving academics in the King area, Poplar Springs is an increasingly attractive choice.

495

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

98.8%

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

Exemptions: 1.2% (any vaccine)

223 Hobe Kiser Road
King, NC 27021

(336) 985-0234

District: Stokes County Schools

Students who attend Poplar Springs Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:

Chestnut Grove Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.4%

Hispanic:

9.9%

Two or more races:

2.4%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Poplar Springs Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 58th percentile in 2016 → 70th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (67% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg61%

441^st of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to top 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

147^th of 246Stokes 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	68.7	441 of 1492	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	66.1	464 of 1490	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	652 of 1505	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.5	825 of 1502	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.4	584 of 1514	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.7	471 of 1489	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.0	554 of 1473	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.7	583 of 1434	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.7	464 of 1429	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	56.7	605 of 1425	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.6	505 of 1440	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	74.9	314 of 1390	77.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	52.0	232 of 634	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.8	135 of 646	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	77.6	94 of 878	89.3%	★★★★☆
2018	69.8	158 of 897	82.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.5	389 of 1447	73.1%	★★★★☆
2025	67.6	404 of 1451	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	50.3	710 of 1455	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.3	1028 of 1459	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	53.8	653 of 1458	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.8	524 of 1440	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.8	559 of 1424	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.3	580 of 1405	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.1	497 of 743	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.7	355 of 710	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.6	121 of 669	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	60.0	278 of 582	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.8	241 of 500	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.0	202 of 494	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.3	523 of 981	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.9	380 of 1434	73.5%	★★★★☆
2025	73.3	258 of 1437	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	60.5	492 of 1450	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.5	779 of 1437	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.5	486 of 1366	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.0	207 of 1329	84.4%	★★★★☆
2019	59.0	504 of 1361	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.8	437 of 1332	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.5	476 of 1451	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.1	486 of 1450	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.3	593 of 1464	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.2	601 of 1461	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.7	476 of 1464	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.2	430 of 1444	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	60.7	524 of 1430	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.2	590 of 1413	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.1	121 of 815	85.2%	★★★★☆
2025	64.0	188 of 821	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	42.8	416 of 801	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	617 of 1146	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.9	752 of 1172	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.4	902 of 1166	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.3	1005 of 1183	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.9	872 of 1194	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.0	681 of 1172	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.9	873 of 1183	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.2	857 of 1178	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)85th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)74th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)73rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)67th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)63rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)47th percentile-24 vs school

White (2026)46th percentile-24 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)33rd percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics71%+8 vs state

Science70%~ state avg

Reading63%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Poplar Springs Elementary School

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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	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	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
Poplar Springs Elementary School	Public	K-5	223 Hobe Kiser Road	King	27021	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 985-0234	495	31	15.9		413 (83.4%)	10 (2.0%)	49 (9.9%)	11 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	68.7	441^st of 1492 public elementary schools	70.4%		66.1	464^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.9%	23	73.0	71.6	68.8				59.6	68.6	58.4				70.1		98.8%	1.2%	$9,813	$1,074	$8,739
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	152 East School St	King	27021	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 983-5824	383	31	12.2		307 (80.2%)	2 (0.5%)	50 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (6.0%)	23.1	1225^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.9%		24.6	1196^th of 1490 public elementary schools	19.7%	29	39.7	50.0	44.3				46.0	48.1	41.0				54.8		96.1%	2%	$12,007	$2,205	$9,803
Mount Olive Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2145 Chestnut Grove Road	King	27021	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 983-4351	316	20	15.9		291 (92.1%)	3 (0.9%)	10 (3.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	79.4	250^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.2%		80.1	244^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.6%	6	82.4	80.3	79.5				62.7	71.8	63.6				70.5		96.5%	3.5%	$8,969	$1,028	$7,941
Rural Hall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	275 College Street	Rural Hall	27045	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-6789	491	33	15.0		178 (36.3%)	107 (21.8%)	162 (33.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.1%)	22.2	1241^st of 1492 public elementary schools	16.8%		30.7	1079^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.6%	162	47.8	60.3	45.7				34.3	50.8	36.6				43.7		98.3%	1.7%	$10,048	$1,056	$8,992
Germanton Elementary School	Public	K-5	6085 NC 8 Hwy South	Germanton	27019	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 591-4021	165	10	16.1		148 (89.7%)	2 (1.2%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.3%)	34.2	1026^th of 1492 public elementary schools	31.2%		35.2	998^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.0%	28	55.9	38.5	79.2				44.1	34.6	45.8				66.7		87.9%	9.1%	$10,509	$1,783	$8,726
Pinnacle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1095 Surry Line Rd	Pinnacle	27043	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 368-2990	162	12	13.3		147 (90.7%)	3 (1.9%)	5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.3%)	54.9	655^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.1%		70.9	376^th of 1490 public elementary schools	74.8%	279	80.0	45.5	64.3				65.0	54.5	57.1				64.3		94.1%	5.9%	$11,967	$1,242	$10,725
Old Richmond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6315 Tobaccoville Road	Tobaccoville	27050	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4287	408	29	14.2		217 (53.2%)	91 (22.3%)	67 (16.4%)	5 (1.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.1%)	71	396^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.5%		74.6	321^st of 1490 public elementary schools	78.5%	75	73.7	69.1	85.7				59.7	58.8	63.3				79.6		92.3%	7.7%	$9,989	$654	$9,335
Gibson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2020 Walker Road	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4212	589	48	12.3		38 (6.5%)	288 (48.9%)	220 (37.4%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.9%)	14.2	1373^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	8.0%		3.5	1481^st of 1490 public elementary schools	0.6%	108	50.0	33.3	44.1				53.8	28.0	22.6				29.0		91.4%	6.2%	$11,207	$1,880	$9,327
Forsyth Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	5426 Shattalon Drive	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Forsyth Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(336) 922-1121	729	36	20.0		48 (6.6%)	319 (43.8%)	303 (41.6%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	51 (7.0%)	13.5	1382^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	7.4%		18	1316^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.7%	66	36.4	32.5	40.9	33.3	48.2	28.8	31.2	42.5	33.3	46.4	48.2	46.6	47.0	61.6	93.8%	3.1%
Old Town Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3930 Reynolda Road	Winston Salem	27106	Forsyth County	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 703-4283	617	45	13.8		25 (4.1%)	203 (32.9%)	338 (54.8%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.3%)	31 (5.0%)	11.2	1404^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.9%		8.9	1437^th of 1490 public elementary schools	3.6%	33	54.7	43.0	36.3				35.8	29.0	24.5				38.2		96.7%	2.2%	$11,107	$1,932	$9,175

Frequently Asked Questions about Poplar Springs Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Poplar Springs Elementary School?

Students at Poplar Springs Elementary School are 83% White, 10% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

What district is Poplar Springs Elementary School in?

Stokes County Schools

Is Poplar Springs Elementary School a good school?

Poplar Springs Elementary School ranks 441^st of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Poplar Springs Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 495 students attended Poplar Springs Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Poplar Springs Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Poplar Springs Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Chestnut Grove Middle School

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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.