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Combs Elementary

Q: Is Combs Elementary a good school?

Combs Elementary ranks 394 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

394^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Combs Elementary, a PK–5 school in Raleigh, NC, serves about 695 students in the Wake County Schools district and has held a four-star state rating for more than a decade. However, its most recent 2025-2026 state rank of 394 out of 1,492 (74th percentile) is its lowest showing in ten years, a real step back from the 83rd percentile it reached the year before. The decline appears concentrated in the upper grades: 3rd grade math and reading remain right at district averages, but 4th grade math, 4th and 5th grade reading, and 5th grade science all dipped below Wake County averages.

In comparison with nearby schools, Combs still holds its own. It outranks Dillard Drive Elementary and Yates Mill Elementary and keeps pace with Wiley Elementary and Partnership Elementary, although Lacy Elementary, Olds Elementary, and Washington Elementary have moved ahead in the latest year. Combs also stands out for its efficiency and attendance: roughly 42 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the school posts results comparable to peers that serve fewer low-income families while spending less per student ($9,127) than any nearby school with available data. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 14.3 percent is far better than the Wake County average of 20.5 percent, and it has improved for three consecutive years.

The biggest area of concern sits in the school's subgroup results. White and African American students score in the 70th–82nd percentile among their statewide peer groups, a strong showing. But Hispanic, English Language Learner, low-income, and Gifted and Talented students currently land in the bottom third, and the gifted subgroup's drop from the 97th to the 23rd percentile in just two years is especially striking. Combs remains a solid, cost-efficient school with a strong attendance foundation; its next challenge is whether it can close the gaps that have widened for several groups of students inside its own building.

695

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

41.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

2001 Lorimer Rd
Raleigh, NC 27606-2661

(919) 233-4300

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Combs Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Centennial Campus Middle
High:	Athens Drive High
	Wake Early College of Health and Science
	Wake STEM Early College High School
	Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
	More...
	Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.7%

African American:

22.6%

Hispanic:

16.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Combs Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (68% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

394^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From top 14% (2016) to top 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

60^th of 246Wake 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	71.1	394 of 1492	73.6%	★★★★☆
2025	79.8	248 of 1490	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	76.7	299 of 1505	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	74.8	329 of 1502	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	79.9	247 of 1514	83.7%	★★★★☆
2021	79.8	240 of 1489	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	75.6	296 of 1473	79.9%	★★★★☆
2018	78.1	255 of 1434	82.2%	★★★★☆
2017	77.9	260 of 1429	81.8%	★★★★☆
2016	81.4	200 of 1425	86.0%	★★★★☆
2015	80.3	233 of 1440	83.8%	★★★★☆
2014	76.9	287 of 1390	79.4%	★★★★☆
2013	80.7	218 of 1403	84.5%	★★★★☆
2012	65.1	509 of 1388	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.6	459 of 1381	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.9	381 of 1363	72.0%	★★★★☆
2009	66.8	466 of 1354	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.2	444 of 1324	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	72.7	297 of 1293	77.0%	★★★★☆
2006	83.7	123 of 1276	90.4%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.3	273 of 903	69.8%	★★★★☆
2025	75.3	148 of 918	83.9%	★★★★☆
2024	55.6	356 of 924	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.5	526 of 933	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.9	352 of 927	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.1	280 of 896	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.5	340 of 949	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	456 of 927	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.1	96 of 134	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.8	94 of 131	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.0	96 of 130	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.2	80 of 106	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.9	67 of 99	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	63.2	211 of 878	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	37.9	563 of 897	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	379 of 519	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.9	273 of 563	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.5	222 of 533	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.5	97 of 514	81.1%	★★★★☆
2022	62.6	105 of 485	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	71.8	76 of 497	84.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.5	54 of 421	87.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	458 of 1447	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	78.6	235 of 1451	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	76.8	259 of 1455	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	63.2	498 of 1459	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.3	252 of 1458	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	78.7	246 of 1440	82.9%	★★★★☆
2019	77.1	260 of 1424	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.8	307 of 1405	78.1%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.4	575 of 743	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	60.9	310 of 710	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.2	19 of 669	97.2%	★★★★★
2023	61.9	241 of 582	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.8	111 of 500	77.8%	★★★★☆
2021	61.1	226 of 494	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.3	234 of 612	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.8	731 of 981	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.1	549 of 961	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.4	458 of 951	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.9	303 of 915	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.3	164 of 893	81.6%	★★★★☆
2021	52.2	345 of 843	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.7	313 of 865	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.1	221 of 851	74.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.5	957 of 1434	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.2	859 of 1437	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	1072 of 1450	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.0	1003 of 1437	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.6	621 of 1366	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.1	583 of 1329	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.4	480 of 1361	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.6	542 of 1332	59.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.7	327 of 1451	77.5%	★★★★☆
2025	78.0	260 of 1450	82.1%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	336 of 1464	77.0%	★★★★☆
2023	80.7	215 of 1461	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	78.0	262 of 1464	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	77.3	275 of 1444	81.0%	★★★★☆
2019	72.3	336 of 1430	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.2	225 of 1413	84.1%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	90.3	4 of 86	95.3%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.9	317 of 815	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.1	308 of 821	62.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	79.3	206 of 1146	82.0%	★★★★☆
2025	86.1	110 of 1172	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	87.1	93 of 1166	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	84.2	130 of 1183	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	84.2	130 of 1194	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	83.5	146 of 1172	87.5%	★★★★☆
2019	82.7	149 of 1183	87.4%	★★★★☆
2018	87.5	84 of 1178	92.9%	★★★★★

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)

Multi-racial (2018)95th percentile+13 vs school

White (2026)82nd percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)77th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2019)76th percentile-4 vs school

African American (2026)70th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)68th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)61st percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile-40 vs school

Asian (2026)28th percentile-45 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)27th percentile-47 vs school

Hispanic (2026)25th percentile-48 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)23rd percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics71%+7 vs state

Science69%~ state avg

Reading66%+10 vs state

3.0

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, January 2, 2011

Combs is a nice school overall, but is not without its issues. Some inexperienced, insecure teachers can create misunderstandings with parents. The administration will back the teachers up no matter what, and are unwilling to acknowledge fault or shortcomings on their part. The praise this school has received seems to have gone to their heads a bit.

Be sure to document everything, especially if you have a child with special needs. Also, ask if your child's teacher has experience teaching children with your child's special need to try to avoid problems later. This school has some very good teachers, but some could improve with better training on dealing with certain types of students and in dealing sensitively with parents. The administration could definitely learn to deal more sensitively with parents and learn to acknowledge their school is not perfect----there is always room for improvement! Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, December 27, 2009

They have no Autism program at this school! Kids who live in the Combs district with Autism are shipped off to a a crumbling run down facility that is 1 hour each way by transportation. Parents of autistic kids are stuck paying higher property taxes to pay for a school their child is not even allowed to attend. A better facility for Autism education is closer but due to Combs being the child's base school they are not allowed to attend the closer school. If you have an Autistic child of Elementary school age do not even think about purchasing a home in the Combs district. Close Quote

Schools Near Combs 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/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 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
Combs Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2001 Lorimer Rd	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 233-4300	695	51	13.5	41.7%	304 (43.7%)	157 (22.6%)	117 (16.8%)	86 (12.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.2%)	71.1	394^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.6%		79.8	248^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.4%	146	73.7	67.2	72.3				65.8	66.4	64.9				69.1		$9,127	$525	$8,602
Mount Vernon	Public	K-8	5418 Chapel Hill Rd	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 233-4313	70	26	2.6	95.7%	16 (22.9%)	32 (45.7%)	15 (21.4%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.1%)								(n/a)					11.1	27.7					27.8	27.7		51.1	$39,441	$8,764	$30,677
Dillard Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5018 Dillard Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 233-4200	648	54	12.0	56.5%	230 (35.5%)	183 (28.2%)	160 (24.7%)	45 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.5%)	45	826^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.6%		32.4	1049^th of 1490 public elementary schools	29.6%	223	58.8	55.2	55.1				55.7	54.3	58.0				62.3		$10,061	$1,014	$9,047
Olds Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	204 Dixie Trail	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 856-7699	244	20	12.0	32.4%	160 (65.6%)	42 (17.2%)	20 (8.2%)	17 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	82.2	211^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.9%		74.5	326^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.1%	115	86.4	71.1	75.0				77.3	73.7	68.2				74.4		$11,339	$870	$10,469
Swift Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	5601 Tryon Rd	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 233-4320	310	25	12.5	44.2%	150 (48.4%)	53 (17.1%)	73 (23.5%)	14 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.5%)	69.6	426^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.4%		73	346^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.8%	80	73.5	70.6	64.6				63.3	74.5	60.4				68.8		$9,861	$588	$9,272
Wiley Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	301 St. Mary's Street	Raleigh	27605	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7723	429	35	12.2	38.9%	202 (47.1%)	97 (22.6%)	91 (21.2%)	12 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.1%)	70.8	400^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.2%		61.4	540^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.8%	140	73.2	64.1	68.2				69.4	68.8	67.7				68.2		$11,295	$640	$10,655
Yates Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5993 Yates Mill Pond Road	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 233-4244	538	39	13.6	—	184 (34.2%)	76 (14.1%)	233 (43.3%)	23 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.9%)	66.1	490^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.2%		52.9	691^st of 1490 public elementary schools	53.6%	201	76.7	66.0	69.4				60.5	66.0	52.8				70.8		$10,080	$966	$9,114
Lacy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 Lake Boone Trail	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 881-4920	695	48	14.5	23.7%	506 (72.8%)	94 (13.5%)	67 (9.6%)	17 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.4%)	83.7	194^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.0%		85.7	162^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	89.1%	32	77.9	80.7	72.9				77.0	77.1	70.8				75.0		$9,968	$302	$9,666
The Exploris School	Public, Charter	K-8	401 Hillsborough St.	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	The Exploris School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 715-3690	448	38	11.7	—	283 (63.2%)	77 (17.2%)	34 (7.6%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	47 (10.5%)	54.9	656^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.0%		62.7	516^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.4%	140	48.7	44.7	60.6	66.7	60.3	73.2	48.7	57.9	73.5	63.3	70.1	78.6	73.5	85.7
Partnership Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	601 Devereux Street	Raleigh	27605	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-8200	276	27	10.2	38.8%	125 (45.3%)	63 (22.8%)	72 (26.1%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.0%)	68.4	452^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	69.7%		79.3	255^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.9%	197	71.4	55.2	69.1				64.3	60.3	69.1				85.5		$12,073	$582	$11,491

Frequently Asked Questions about Combs Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Combs Elementary?

Students at Combs Elementary are 44% White, 23% African American, 17% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Combs Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

What schools do graduates of Combs Elementary attend?

Students who attend Combs Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Centennial Campus Middle
High : Athens Drive High
High : Wake Early College of Health and Science
High : Wake STEM Early College High School
High : Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
High : Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy

Is Combs Elementary a good school?

Combs Elementary ranks 394^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Combs Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 695 students attended Combs Elementary.

Rate Combs Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 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.