Summary
Douglas Elementary is a public school in north-central Raleigh, NC, serving 562 students in grades PK-5 as part of Wake County Schools, a district ranked in the top quarter of North Carolina. The school itself currently sits in the middle of the pack statewide — ranked 704th out of 1,492 elementary schools (53rd percentile, 3 stars) — a decline from its 2021–2022 peak at the 76th percentile. About 44% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio is a favorable 13.7.
Academically, Douglas trails both the district and most nearby elementaries, with the largest gaps appearing in 5th grade. Only 50% of Douglas 5th graders are proficient in reading versus 66% districtwide, and science proficiency is 58.8% versus 73.5% districtwide. Close neighbors including Root Elementary, Joyner Elementary, Conn Elementary, and Underwood Elementary outperform Douglas by 15 to 25 percentage points in these subjects. The comparison with Conn is especially striking: Conn has nearly the same poverty rate (43%) yet ranks 289th (81st percentile), while Douglas ranks 704th. Douglas also spends less per student ($9,422) than almost all nearby schools — only North Ridge Elementary and Brooks Elementary spend less.
The central challenge parents should understand is the wide gap in outcomes across student groups. White students score at the 75th percentile statewide, and African American students have climbed dramatically to the 67th percentile over three years — a real bright spot. However, results for Hispanic students (1st percentile), English Language Learners (8th percentile), and low-income students (5th percentile) are among the lowest in North Carolina. Chronic absenteeism of roughly 21–24% also runs well above higher-achieving peers like North Ridge (12.3%) and Root (16.2%). Douglas's ranking has been volatile over the past decade, and its 5th grade scores consistently lag behind its own 3rd and 4th grade results. For parents, the takeaway is that while Douglas serves many students well, targeted attention to attendance, 5th-grade instruction, and support for its most vulnerable learners will be key to reaching the level of its strongest neighbors.
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