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Root Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
274th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 82% of North Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Root Elementary is a PK–5 school in north Raleigh, NC, serving 469 students as part of Wake County Schools, a district ranked 60th out of 246 in North Carolina with a 4-star rating. Root itself earns a solid 4-star rating and ranks 274th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools for 2025–2026, placing it in the 82nd percentile—a strong, stable position after peaking at 5 stars a few years ago.

When compared with nearby schools, Root sits in the middle of a high-performing pack: it trails Lacy Elementary, Olds Elementary, Stough Elementary, and Underwood Elementary, but outperforms Conn Elementary and others. Academically, Root beats state averages in most subjects, and its 5th grade is a standout: math proficiency (82.8%) and reading proficiency (76.6%) are the highest among nearby schools, including Lacy and Olds. Scores rise steadily from 3rd to 5th grade, suggesting strong upper-grade growth. Root also keeps chronic absenteeism well below district and state averages—just 16.2% in 2024–2025, compared with 24.2% statewide—which is a meaningful positive for student success.

The biggest equity challenge, however, is the wide gap between Root’s highest- and lowest-performing students. While gifted, higher-income, and white students score at the 78th to 96th percentiles statewide, economically disadvantaged students at Root rank in the 4th percentile relative to similar students across North Carolina. The school’s overall 4-star rating therefore tells only part of the story—families should know that outcomes vary significantly by student subgroup, and the school’s strongest results are not yet reaching all learners.

469
Students ?
13.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
34.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 3202 Northampton Street
       Raleigh, NC  27609-6926

(919) 881-4940

District: Wake County Schools


Students who attend Root Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Oberlin Middle
High:    Needham Broughton High
    Wake Early College of Health and Science
    Wake STEM Early College High School
    Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
    More...
Racial breakdown:

White:
65.7%
Hispanic:
17.3%
African American:
14.3%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Root Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2016 → 82nd in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (73% vs 61% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 18% of North Carolina elementary schools
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school73%
District avg70%
North Carolina avg61%
274th of 1,492
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Top 18%▼ down 2 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
60th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202677.5274 of 149281.6%★★★★☆
202577.9281 of 149081.1%★★★★☆
202478.4273 of 150581.9%★★★★☆
202381.2213 of 150285.8%★★★★☆
202285.8166 of 151489.0%★★★★☆
202190.3114 of 148992.3%★★★★★
201978.3255 of 147382.7%★★★★☆
201873.4342 of 143476.2%★★★★☆
201777.0286 of 142980.0%★★★★☆
201680.1227 of 142584.1%★★★★☆
201586.9136 of 144090.6%★★★★★
201476.1299 of 139078.5%★★★★☆
201369.7366 of 140373.9%★★★★☆
201264.0530 of 138861.8%★★★☆☆
201142.0894 of 138135.3%★★☆☆☆
201048.3798 of 136341.5%★★☆☆☆
200965.5497 of 135463.3%★★★☆☆
200874.4281 of 132478.8%★★★★☆
200774.0280 of 129378.3%★★★★☆
200676.2228 of 127682.1%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202522.6791 of 91813.8%★☆☆☆☆
202431.0699 of 92424.4%★☆☆☆☆
202330.1689 of 93326.2%★☆☆☆☆
202234.3631 of 92731.9%★★☆☆☆
202118.3837 of 8966.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201910.5934 of 9491.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201819.4830 of 92710.5%★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202258.6174 of 63472.6%★★★★☆
201951.4347 of 87860.5%★★★☆☆
201864.9208 of 89776.8%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202674.4301 of 144779.2%★★★★☆
202576.2270 of 145181.4%★★★★☆
202467.7402 of 145572.4%★★★★☆
202369.3398 of 145972.7%★★★★☆
202276.5278 of 145880.9%★★★★☆
202186.8136 of 144090.6%★★★★★
201979.6217 of 142484.8%★★★★☆
201873.5335 of 140576.2%★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202668.4161 of 74378.3%★★★★☆
202564.5226 of 71068.2%★★★☆☆
202466.3181 of 66972.9%★★★★☆
202365.4184 of 58268.4%★★★☆☆
202262.4202 of 50059.6%★★★☆☆
202166.4171 of 49465.4%★★★☆☆
201957.7331 of 61245.9%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202637.0672 of 98131.5%★★☆☆☆
202524.9804 of 96116.3%★☆☆☆☆
202432.7694 of 95127.0%★☆☆☆☆
201844.6483 of 85143.2%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202611.71380 of 14343.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20259.61401 of 14372.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202422.01267 of 145012.6%★☆☆☆☆
202318.21288 of 143710.4%★☆☆☆☆
202220.21215 of 136611.1%★☆☆☆☆
20195.61345 of 13611.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201819.31189 of 133210.7%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202676.0288 of 145180.2%★★★★☆
202576.4277 of 145080.9%★★★★☆
202481.2208 of 146485.8%★★★★☆
202383.5177 of 146187.9%★★★★☆
202285.8157 of 146489.3%★★★★☆
202190.798 of 144493.2%★★★★★
201975.2285 of 143080.1%★★★★☆
201871.5365 of 141374.2%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202651.0328 of 81559.8%★★★☆☆
202543.7419 of 82149.0%★★☆☆☆
202444.8384 of 80152.1%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202689.550 of 114695.6%★★★★★
202586.6100 of 117291.5%★★★★★
202490.157 of 116695.1%★★★★★
202390.741 of 118396.5%★★★★★
202286.2101 of 119491.5%★★★★★
202187.599 of 117291.6%★★★★★
201983.8128 of 118389.2%★★★★☆
201877.4232 of 117880.3%★★★★☆
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)96th percentile+14 vs school
Male (2026)80th percentile~ school
Female (2026)79th percentile~ school
Gifted and Talented (2026)78th percentile-3 vs school
Disabled (2022)73rd percentile-16 vs school
Special Education (2026)60th percentile-22 vs school
Hispanic (2026)31st percentile-50 vs school
African American (2025)14th percentile-67 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile-78 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?
Science80%+12 vs state
Mathematics74%+10 vs state
Reading70%+13 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Root Elementary

Root Elementary ranks 274th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Root Elementary are 66% White, 17% Hispanic, 14% African American, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 469 students attended Root 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.

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