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Powell Elementary

Q: Is Powell Elementary a good school?

Powell Elementary ranks 908 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

908^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Powell Elementary is a PK–5 school in Raleigh, NC, serving 335 students as part of Wake County Schools, a 4-star-rated district, and sits in a dense cluster of elementary schools within 2.5 miles of each other. The school has real momentum in its history, climbing from 1-star ratings in the late 2010s to a 3-star peak, but its state ranking has slipped each year since 2022–2023 and now places it at 908th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools. Resource-wise, Powell Elementary is well positioned: its student–teacher ratio of 9.7 is the lowest among nearby schools, per-student spending tops $13,700, and chronic absenteeism (20.4%) matches the district average.

Academically, Powell Elementary trails district averages in nearly every subject, with the gap widening by 5th grade. Third-grade reading proficiency (59.3%) is close to the state average, but only 48% of 5th graders are proficient in reading and math, versus district rates of 66% and 71.7%, respectively. Fifth-grade science (52%) lags the district by more than 20 points. Free/reduced lunch rates alone don't explain these results. Poe Elementary, 1.5 miles away, has nearly the same free/reduced lunch rate (49.1% versus 47.5% at Powell Elementary), yet ranks in the 67th percentile statewide and posts 5th grade math proficiency of 80.5%. Conn Elementary, also nearby, outperforms Powell Elementary by 15–30 points in most subjects despite carrying a much higher student–teacher ratio.

The most defining issue at Powell Elementary may be the wide gap in outcomes among different groups of students. The school's effectiveness with economically disadvantaged students ranks in the bottom 7th percentile statewide, down sharply from the 38th percentile in 2023–2024, and its gifted students rank in the bottom 10th percentile — even as other groups at the school perform in the upper half statewide. Notably, this decline has occurred even as the share of low-income students at Powell Elementary fell from 54.2% to 47.5%. With strong resources and average attendance, the picture points less toward funding or class size than toward targeted instructional support, especially in the upper grades and for the school's most vulnerable learners.

335

Students ?

9.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

47.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1130 Marlborough Rd
Raleigh, NC 27610-1125

(919) 856-7737

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Powell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Martin Middle
High:	Enloe 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:

43.9%

African American:

33.4%

Hispanic:

15.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Powell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 58th percentile in 2023 → 39th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (54% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 58th-percentile peak (2023) to 39th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

908^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to bottom 39% (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	39.9	908 of 1492	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.5	790 of 1490	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	724 of 1505	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.9	638 of 1502	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.0	726 of 1514	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.3	722 of 1489	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.7	1172 of 1473	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.5	1183 of 1434	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.8	1147 of 1429	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.9	1004 of 1425	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	40.1	913 of 1440	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	33.4	962 of 1390	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	39.0	867 of 1403	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.9	910 of 1388	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	38.1	947 of 1381	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	53.4	729 of 1363	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	57.2	663 of 1354	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.3	415 of 1324	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.3	543 of 1293	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	39.8	867 of 1276	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.5	749 of 903	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	52.2	393 of 918	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.0	439 of 924	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.5	586 of 933	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.3	759 of 927	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.2	773 of 896	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.6	794 of 949	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	836 of 927	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	52.8	222 of 634	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.0	538 of 646	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	902 of 1447	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.7	736 of 1451	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.7	767 of 1455	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.5	767 of 1459	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.4	840 of 1458	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.6	851 of 1440	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	992 of 1424	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.9	1053 of 1405	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.7	668 of 743	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.3	641 of 710	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	54.4	394 of 669	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.4	506 of 582	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.1	359 of 500	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	46.0	508 of 951	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.8	1327 of 1434	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.7	1239 of 1437	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.0	892 of 1450	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	1063 of 1437	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	1237 of 1366	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.5	1197 of 1329	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	1276 of 1361	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.3	1289 of 1332	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.8	860 of 1451	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.9	798 of 1450	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.8	678 of 1464	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.7	455 of 1461	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	619 of 1464	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.9	577 of 1444	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	21.7	1217 of 1430	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	1265 of 1413	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	417 of 821	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.7	350 of 1146	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.5	511 of 1172	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.4	541 of 1166	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.6	395 of 1183	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.9	323 of 1194	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	85.3	121 of 1172	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	79.7	196 of 1178	83.4%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)69th percentile+30 vs school

Disabled (2022)65th percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2025)49th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)47th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)41st percentile~ school

Female (2026)38th percentile~ school

African American (2026)17th percentile-22 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)10th percentile-29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics55%-8 vs state

Reading54%~ state avg

Science52%-16 vs state

2.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, September 1, 2018

elementary school have issues with bullying and principal and staff do not do anything to stop it, if you have a child with special needs school nurse will do everything not do her job, unfortunately school nurses in this county were trained to change a band aid nothing more. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, February 13, 2018

School has declined. Students acting out cause issues and the administration does not do anything effective. Ends up hurting the kids. My oldest finishes this year (THANKFULLY) but will not have my youngest go here cause the administration cannot get it together Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, April 7, 2011

Powell Elementary school the beast for my kids i have two kids in this school the teachers and the principal the way they give home work parent partispation I would like to give the school 5 Close Quote

Schools Near Powell 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Powell Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1130 Marlborough Rd	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 856-7737	335	34	9.7	47.5%	147 (43.9%)	112 (33.4%)	51 (15.2%)	5 (1.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.4%)	39.9	908^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.1%		47.5	790^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.0%	118	55.6	60.9	48.0	59.3	54.7	48.0	52.0	$13,739	$1,144	$12,595
Conn Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1220 Brookside Drive	Raleigh	27604	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 856-7637	595	39	15.1	42.5%	315 (52.9%)	188 (31.6%)	58 (9.7%)	12 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.2%)	76.7	289^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.6%		77	295^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.2%	6	71.8	66.7	75.0	71.8	72.0	67.7	76.0	$11,819	$732	$11,087
Poe Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	400 Peyton St	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 250-4777	324	31	10.3	49.1%	83 (25.6%)	115 (35.5%)	88 (27.2%)	19 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.6%)	66.2	488^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.3%		62	531^st of 1490 public elementary schools	64.4%	43	63.3	67.9	80.5	63.3	57.1	68.3	70.7	$13,641	$1,381	$12,261
Hunter Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1018 E Davie St	Raleigh	27601	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7676	658	52	12.5	31.3%	342 (52.0%)	195 (29.6%)	44 (6.7%)	45 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.9%)	85	181^st of 1492 public elementary schools	87.9%		86	158^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.4%	23	80.0	69.2	82.9	78.1	69.2	80.9	81.8	$10,234	$544	$9,690
Joyner Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2300 Lowden St.	Raleigh	27608	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7650	569	43	13.3	33.7%	306 (53.8%)	141 (24.8%)	77 (13.5%)	12 (2.1%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (5.1%)	72.5	368^th of 1492 public elementary schools	75.3%		69.4	402^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	73.0%	34	70.6	71.4	69.6	61.2	72.7	69.6	71.7	$9,492	$422	$9,070
Bugg Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	825 Cooper Rd	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 250-4750	345	28	12.3	98.8%	32 (9.3%)	192 (55.7%)	92 (26.7%)	11 (3.2%)	4 (1.2%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.8%)	21.9	1253^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	16.0%		13	1379^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.4%	126	36.0	45.1	49.0	32.0	54.9	45.1	49.0	$13,995	$3,141	$10,854
Underwood Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	1614 Glenwood Avenue	Raleigh	27608	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7663	405	36	11.4	29.9%	237 (58.5%)	85 (21.0%)	50 (12.3%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.4%)	81.1	229^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.7%		84.8	178^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.1%	51	82.8	73.8	69.6	70.7	78.7	71.0	75.4	$11,726	$564	$11,163
Wilburn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3707 Marsh Creek Rd	Raleigh	27604	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 850-8738	593	43	13.7	99.5%	47 (7.9%)	172 (29.0%)	314 (53.0%)	34 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.4%)	12.1	1396^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.4%		12.1	1391^st of 1490 public elementary schools	6.6%	5	44.9	45.8	36.1	38.5	38.5	28.9	34.9	$11,065	$1,603	$9,462
Brentwood Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3426 Ingram Dr	Raleigh	27604	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 850-8720	385	36	10.7	99.2%	90 (23.4%)	96 (24.9%)	158 (41.0%)	18 (4.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.2%)	38.3	935^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.3%		30.8	1075^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.9%	140	61.0	51.7	59.3	49.2	56.9	44.4	55.6	$12,415	$1,590	$10,825
Southeast Raleigh Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1436 Rock Quarry Rd	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 694-8444	378	29	12.9	99.2%	11 (2.9%)	238 (63.0%)	115 (30.4%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	25.3	1180^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.9%		13.8	1368^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.2%	188	53.5	53.8	57.6	37.2	49.1	33.9	45.8

Frequently Asked Questions about Powell Elementary

What district is Powell Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

Is Powell Elementary a good school?

Powell Elementary ranks 908^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Powell Elementary?

Students at Powell Elementary are 44% White, 33% African American, 15% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Powell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 335 students attended Powell Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Powell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Powell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Martin Middle
High : Enloe 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

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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.