Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Knightdale Elementary

Q: Is Knightdale Elementary a good school?

Knightdale Elementary ranks 820 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

820^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Knightdale Elementary is a PK–5 public school in Knightdale, NC, serving 549 students in the eastern Raleigh/Knightdale area of Wake County Schools, where nearly every student qualifies for free/reduced lunch.

The school has undergone a remarkable turnaround. After ranking in the bottom 11% of North Carolina elementary schools in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Knightdale jumped to the 45th percentile in 2025-26 — now outranking most nearby traditional public schools, including Forestville Road Elementary, Hodge Road Elementary, Beaverdam Elementary, Lake Myra Elementary, Lockhart Elementary, and Rogers Lane Elementary. Only Carver Elementary ranks higher among its immediate Wake County neighbors. Much of that improvement is concentrated in the early grades: 3rd and 4th grade reading and math scores now sit near county averages and above state averages, an impressive feat given the school's high poverty level. English Learner and African American students have shown especially strong progress, moving from the 13th and 24th percentiles statewide, respectively, in 2023-24 to the 83rd and 68th percentiles in 2025-26.

The biggest concern is a steep drop-off in 5th grade. While 3rd and 4th graders score near district level, 5th grade math proficiency (38.4%) trails the state by nearly 25 points, and science proficiency (40.7%) trails by 27 points. This pattern has persisted for several years, suggesting upper-elementary instruction remains a challenge. Chronic absenteeism is also high — 27% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25, compared with 20.5% districtwide — though it has improved from 33% in 2021-22. Knightdale's absenteeism is lower than Beaverdam Elementary (34.9%) and Rogers Lane Elementary (31.3%), but well above Lake Myra Elementary (13.9%) and Doral Academy (8.3%). If the school can extend its early-grade success upward and continue improving attendance, its current trajectory could become one of the more compelling improvement stories in the area.

549

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

109 Ridge St
Knightdale, NC 27545

(919) 266-8540

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Knightdale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wendell Middle
High:	Knightdale 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:

African American:

41.5%

Hispanic:

32.8%

White:

14.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Knightdale Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (56% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Science scores 27 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

820^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 25% (2016) to bottom 45% (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	45.3	820 of 1492	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.2	1178 of 1490	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	1340 of 1505	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	1359 of 1502	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	35.2	1005 of 1514	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	954 of 1489	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.6	1273 of 1473	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	1201 of 1434	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.5	1027 of 1429	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.1	1073 of 1425	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.9	1057 of 1440	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.8	920 of 1390	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.0	809 of 1403	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	35.4	1001 of 1388	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.3	987 of 1381	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	45.0	852 of 1363	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.5	829 of 1354	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.3	816 of 1324	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	60.0	549 of 1293	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.7	418 of 1276	67.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.1	290 of 903	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.3	480 of 918	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	706 of 924	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	733 of 933	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	57.6	309 of 927	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.9	238 of 896	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	44.3	529 of 949	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.9	570 of 927	38.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	67.5	121 of 634	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	24.7	756 of 878	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	799 of 897	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.3	87 of 519	83.2%	★★★★☆
2025	34.2	384 of 563	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.4	464 of 533	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	434 of 514	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	317 of 485	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.4	232 of 385	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.6	439 of 497	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.2	304 of 421	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	922 of 1447	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.8	1143 of 1451	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	1274 of 1455	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	1300 of 1459	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.9	977 of 1458	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.8	837 of 1440	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.6	1240 of 1424	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	1222 of 1405	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.9	359 of 743	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.8	28 of 710	96.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.2	668 of 981	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	11.5	934 of 961	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	858 of 951	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	843 of 915	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	37.1	596 of 893	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.1	613 of 843	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	704 of 865	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	660 of 851	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	680 of 1434	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	27.3	1183 of 1437	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.9	1255 of 1450	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	1281 of 1437	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.5	737 of 1366	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.4	599 of 1329	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.1	1070 of 1361	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.5	999 of 1332	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	708 of 1451	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	25.3	1158 of 1450	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	1296 of 1464	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	1359 of 1461	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	35.9	963 of 1464	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.6	979 of 1444	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.2	1221 of 1430	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	1145 of 1413	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	436 of 815	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.6	581 of 821	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	580 of 801	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.7	678 of 1146	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.1	964 of 1172	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	1009 of 1166	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	1086 of 1183	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	42.2	722 of 1194	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.7	578 of 1172	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	21.9	1034 of 1183	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	985 of 1178	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)83rd percentile+38 vs school

Disabled (2022)81st percentile+47 vs school

African American (2026)68th percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)53rd percentile+8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)52nd percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)51st percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)47th percentile~ school

White (2026)41st percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)32nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics58%-5 vs state

Reading57%~ state avg

Science41%-27 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Knightdale Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Wonderful close knit school filled with teachers that care about student success. We have been thrilled with the quality education our daughters are receiving at KES. Close Quote

by a citizen
Sunday, April 17, 2016

I feel that the majority of the teachers there do not care about those kids. When someone outside tries to invest time in helping the kids, then some of the teachers try to bully the person or run them away. I see some kids with great potential, but sadly I do not think they will ever get the support they need with the caliber of teachers there. I also feel like there are things going on beneath the surface that they try to hide from people on the outside. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, March 4, 2016

Great AU program, for PreK Close Quote

Schools Near Knightdale Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Knightdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	109 Ridge St	Knightdale	27545	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 266-8540	549	39	13.9	—	81 (14.8%)	228 (41.5%)	180 (32.8%)	23 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.6%)	45.3	820^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.0%		25.2	1178^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.9%	358	70.4	66.7	38.4				61.7	67.7	42.5				40.7		$10,196	$1,272	$8,925
Lockhart Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1320 N Smithfield Rd	Knightdale	27545	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 266-8525	463	39	11.8	—	85 (18.4%)	174 (37.6%)	176 (38.0%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)	26.6	1161^st of 1492 public elementary schools	22.2%		32.5	1048^th of 1490 public elementary schools	29.7%	113	42.3	39.6	61.3				41.0	43.0	40.0				66.3		$10,297	$790	$9,507
Forestville Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Lawson Ridge Road	Knightdale	27545	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 266-8487	570	47	12.2	—	76 (13.3%)	212 (37.2%)	229 (40.2%)	21 (3.7%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.9%)	39.1	918^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.5%		34.3	1013^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.0%	95	69.7	59.1	40.0				61.0	63.6	33.3				47.8		$11,324	$1,232	$10,091
Hodge Road Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2128 Mingo Bluff Boulevard	Knightdale	27545	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 266-8599	522	39	13.4	—	84 (16.1%)	123 (23.6%)	283 (54.2%)	10 (1.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.6%)	35.3	999^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.0%		31.3	1067^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.4%	68	48.9	65.1	53.3				48.9	55.4	46.7				46.7		$10,873	$1,488	$9,385
Cardinal Charter Academy at Wendell Falls	Public, Charter	K-8	6041 Taylor Rd.	Wendell	27591	Wake County	Cardinal Charter Academy at Wendell Falls	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 752-8870	567	10	54.5	57.3%	146 (25.7%)	185 (32.6%)	171 (30.2%)	13 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (9.2%)	52.7	684^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.2%		31.7	1064^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.6%	380	82.9	47.6	59.1	46.8	43.5	45.3	74.3	49.2	54.5	63.8	50.0	64.2	57.6	66.0
Lake Myra Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Elk Falls Rd	Wendell	27591	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 365-8990	722	54	13.3	55.4%	242 (33.5%)	216 (29.9%)	207 (28.7%)	12 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (6.1%)	31.5	1067^th of 1492 public elementary schools	28.5%		42.3	875^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.3%	192	57.6	51.2	47.8				45.5	52.0	46.0				56.1		$10,121	$996	$9,125
Beaverdam Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3591 Tarheel Club Rd	Raleigh	27604	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-0222	678	51	13.4	—	42 (6.2%)	263 (38.8%)	312 (46.0%)	26 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	33 (4.9%)	34.3	1025^th of 1492 public elementary schools	31.3%		32.9	1036^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.5%	11	62.5	49.1	57.6				45.6	47.8	48.0				56.0		$9,703	$1,189	$8,514
Rogers Lane Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 North Rogers Lane	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-8670	763	54	14.0	—	47 (6.2%)	364 (47.7%)	321 (42.1%)	18 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.4%)	18.2	1313^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.0%		15.8	1340^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.1%	27	50.9	43.4	46.1				39.1	42.1	35.0				50.5		$10,012	$1,194	$8,817
Doral Academy of North Carolina	Public, Charter	K-7	7001 Destiny Drive	Raleigh	27604	Wake County	Doral Academy North Carolina	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 874-1001	592	43	13.8	30.7%	171 (28.9%)	210 (35.5%)	152 (25.7%)	25 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.6%)	86.7	160^th of 1492 public elementary schools	89.3%		77.1	292^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	80.4%	132	89.8	88.6	77.1	52.4	88.5		71.3	85.7	75.0	66.7	88.5		75.0
Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	291 Liles-Dean Rd	Wendell	27591	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 365-2680	495	37	13.2	—	110 (22.2%)	121 (24.4%)	223 (45.1%)	12 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.9%)	52.5	686^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.0%		46.6	809^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.7%	123	62.6	55.9	66.3				50.5	59.8	49.4				78.7		$11,967	$1,538	$10,428

Frequently Asked Questions about Knightdale Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Knightdale Elementary?

Students at Knightdale Elementary are 42% African American, 33% Hispanic, 15% White, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Knightdale Elementary attend?

Students who attend Knightdale Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wendell Middle
High : Knightdale 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 Knightdale Elementary a good school?

Knightdale Elementary ranks 820^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Knightdale Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

How many students attend Knightdale Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 549 students attended Knightdale Elementary.

Rate Knightdale Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Knightdale, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Knightdale Elementary!

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.