Summary
Fuller Elementary is a PK–5 school in southeast Raleigh, part of Wake County Schools, serving about 545 students in an economically mixed area of the city. Its district is a strong one: Wake County Schools ranks in the 76th percentile of North Carolina districts with a 4-star rating. Fuller Elementary has generally been a solid performer over the past several years, ranking in the 76th–84th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools between 2021 and 2024 and usually earning 4 stars. The most recent reporting year, however, marks a clear departure, as Fuller drops to the 58th percentile statewide (620th of 1,492 schools) and falls to 3 stars.
This one-year drop erased much of the progress the school seemed to make since 2021. In 2025–26, math and science proficiency trail the Wake County district average, with 5th-grade math falling from 74.2% to 59.3% and 5th-grade science falling from 69.9% to 62.6%. Reading is more mixed; 5th graders slightly exceed the district average. Not everything is a district-wide trend: nearby Wiley Elementary and Poe Elementary improved in most subjects, while Hunter Elementary and Washington Elementary remain in the 82nd–88th percentile range. Attendance also stands out. Fuller's chronic absenteeism rate is 24.1%, up from 14.3% four years earlier and well above the district's 20.5%. That is far worse than Hunter at 10.2%, though not as high as some high-poverty neighbors, which sit near 32%.
Perhaps the most important takeaway involves the gaps hidden behind the school's average scores. Students from low-income families, as well as Hispanic, African American, and special education students, have ranked in the single digits or low teens statewide for several years, despite the school's moderate poverty rate. The Gifted and Talented subgroup also took an unusual fall, dropping from the 90th percentile to the 24th percentile in three years. That pattern suggests upper-elementary academic programming deserves a close look, along with rising absenteeism and below-average per-pupil spending. For parents, the practical takeaway is this: Fuller has real strengths, especially in reading and for some students, but its schoolwide ranking now hides serious gaps in support for its most vulnerable learners.
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