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Smith Elementary

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

1286^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Smith Elementary is a public magnet elementary school located in Raleigh, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 521 students. The school is part of the Wake County Schools district, which is ranked 60 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite having higher per-student spending and a lower student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools, Smith Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina elementary schools, with its performance on state standardized tests (EOG) significantly below the Wake County and North Carolina averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 32.7% of 3rd graders at Smith Elementary were proficient in reading, compared to 57.2% in Wake County and 46.7% statewide. The school's performance is particularly low for Hispanic and English Language Learner (ELL) students, who rank in the bottom 10-20% of North Carolina elementary schools in these subgroups.

Two nearby magnet schools, Washington Elementary and Fuller Elementary, consistently outperform Smith Elementary on state standardized tests, with significantly higher proficiency rates in reading and math. These magnet schools serve a more socioeconomically diverse student population, with lower percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. To address these challenges, the school and district should explore targeted interventions for underperforming subgroups, collaborate with high-performing magnet schools, and conduct a comprehensive review of the school's improvement strategies.

596

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,653

Per pupil spending ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1101 Maxwell Drive
Raleigh, NC 27603

(919) 662-2458

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Smith Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	North Garner Middle
High:	Middle Creek 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:

Hispanic:

42.8%

African American:

25.7%

White:

20.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Smith Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2015 → 14th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg66%

North Carolina avg57%

1,286^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

110^th of 115Elementary Schools in the Wake County Schools

60^th of 242Wake 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
2025	19.6	1286 of 1490	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.8	997 of 1505	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.1	1055 of 1502	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.8	845 of 1514	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	1053 of 1489	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.2	1115 of 1473	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	1248 of 1434	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.9	1285 of 1429	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.2	1071 of 1425	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.0	1037 of 1440	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.8	985 of 1390	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	20.2	1184 of 1403	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	34.8	1013 of 1388	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	34.5	997 of 1381	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.3	1133 of 1363	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.9	1177 of 1354	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.4	1117 of 1324	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	48.9	762 of 1293	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	42.7	829 of 1276	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	757 of 918	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	59.8	290 of 924	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	397 of 933	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.6	288 of 927	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.8	518 of 896	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.2	372 of 949	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.8	641 of 927	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	29.5	479 of 634	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	657 of 878	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.6	499 of 563	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	411 of 533	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	387 of 514	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.1	175 of 485	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.0	327 of 385	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.4	239 of 497	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.5	257 of 421	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	1075 of 1451	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.3	1100 of 1455	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.5	991 of 1459	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.8	751 of 1458	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.9	971 of 1440	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.8	1177 of 1424	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	1274 of 1405	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.9	445 of 710	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.2	511 of 669	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	13.1	918 of 961	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	739 of 951	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	720 of 915	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.1	505 of 893	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.1	528 of 843	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.1	628 of 865	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	766 of 851	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	8 of 11	27.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	1383 of 1437	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	33.4	1051 of 1450	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.0	977 of 1437	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.0	631 of 1366	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.5	683 of 1329	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.9	850 of 1361	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.6	1093 of 1332	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	1298 of 1450	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.6	836 of 1464	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	1016 of 1461	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	889 of 1464	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.0	1086 of 1444	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.0	935 of 1430	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.3	1187 of 1413	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.7	767 of 821	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	639 of 801	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.7	706 of 1172	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.5	617 of 1166	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.6	409 of 1183	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	591 of 1194	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.4	704 of 1183	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2025)40th percentile+26 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)37th percentile+24 vs school

Homeless (2025)27th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)26th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2022)24th percentile-20 vs school

African American (2025)18th percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)11th percentile~ school

Male (2025)10th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)7th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics44%-17 vs state

Science38%-24 vs state

Reading36%-16 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, January 8, 2020

I have been very impressed with the magnet program a and the administration! Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Smith has been a wonderful school for our son who has attended for last two years. Great teachers and an excellent principal. We have really enjoyed the school and our son has learned a lot. Our experience with Smith has been 100 positive. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, January 8, 2020

This is our second year at Smith. My son is currently a 1st grader. I had a lot of initial concerns regarding test scores and reviews I read, but we've been very pleasantly surprised with how much we love it! My son is off the charts in phonics and doing so well with reading and math. He’s made a good little group of friends too. He has had 2 fantastic teachers. I think Smith is in the middle of a really great transition. The Spanish and Chinese programs are wonderful. And I love his other Specials teachers too (Music especially). We've been very happy for the past 2 years. They run a tight ship and all the teachers we've met/interacted with are great. The principal is also really involved and responsive. His kindergarten teacher had a Master's degree (plus 3 boys of her own so she was perfect for our son). I think the biggest thing you might notice is that it's a Title 1 school, meaning a significant number of the students are low income and are on free/reduced lunch. The kids and families I’ve met are amazing. They serve free breakfast for everyone so it's really cute when they all walk down and get breakfast and bring it back to their class and eat and chat together. Parents seem to really care and show up at events with their entire family. But yes, it's diverse (both racially and socioeconomically), but my husband and I love that. There are a bunch of kids in our neighborhood who go too. I wish more parents would give it a chance as oppose to going the magnet/transfer route. When comparing it to other magnet schools, it seems consistent. They just lack the PTA funding to do a lot of the "extras" which I'm hoping the more middle class families that get involved can improve that. My son rides the bus there and home and that's been great for us as well. I would encourage families to tour and give it a chance. Another really cool thing is that it's a Spanish magnet school with a good number of native speakers. My son overheard a dad talking in Spanish to his son at Heritage Night and knew exactly what he was saying. They also have something called a "hive" (their mascot is the Smith Bee) where they put them in groups with all grade levels - it's like their little school family, which my son loves because it helps them develop relationships/friendships with some of the older kids. Looking forward to 4 more years! Close Quote

Schools Near Smith Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Smith Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1101 Maxwell Drive	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 662-2458	596	46	12.9	99.5%	120 (20.1%)	153 (25.7%)	255 (42.8%)	38 (6.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	25 (4.2%)	19.6	1286^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.7%		35.8	997^th of 1505 public elementary schools	33.8%	289	51.5	44.9	32.1				32.7	47.8	31.6				38.0		$12,653	$1,489	$11,164
Vandora Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Vandora Springs Road	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 662-2486	582	44	13.1	99.5%	146 (25.1%)	193 (33.2%)	201 (34.5%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.3%)	58.5	589^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.5%		58.4	610^th of 1505 public elementary schools	59.5%	21	75.6	57.1	69.8				37.8	50.5	54.2				74.0		$9,721	$811	$8,910
Timber Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 Timber Drive	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 773-9500	391	31	12.5	99.2%	138 (35.3%)	130 (33.2%)	88 (22.5%)	11 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.9%)	31.3	1068^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.3%		30.5	1087^th of 1505 public elementary schools	27.8%	19	63.0	41.7	40.0				32.9	46.7	52.0				48.0		$11,614	$1,062	$10,553
RISE Southeast Raleigh Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	3420 Idlewood Village Dr	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	RISE Southeast Raleigh Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 446-4777	484	38	12.6	97.7%	11 (2.3%)	345 (71.3%)	104 (21.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.3%)	39.7	922^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	38.1%		39.4	941^st of 1505 public elementary schools	37.5%	19	70.6	45.5	54.7	54.3	52.3	37.2	37.3	43.6	34.0	63.0	52.3	53.5	52.8	67.4
Aversboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1605 Aversboro Rd	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 662-2325	381	27	14.2	99.2%	77 (20.2%)	125 (32.8%)	141 (37.0%)	16 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (5.5%)	17.3	1322^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	11.3%		31.6	1070^th of 1505 public elementary schools	28.9%	252	53.3	26.2	44.9				30.0	43.1	32.0				38.0		$10,647	$1,063	$9,584
Creech Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	450 Creech Rd	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 662-2359	549	42	13.0	99.5%	66 (12.0%)	243 (44.3%)	216 (39.3%)	6 (1.1%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	11 (2.0%)	37.7	955^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.9%		30.1	1098^th of 1505 public elementary schools	27.0%	143	63.2	58.3	49.5				38.2	54.2	44.1				45.2		$10,643	$1,329	$9,314
Fuller Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	806 Calloway Drive	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7625	545	45	12.0	39.6%	36 (6.6%)	136 (25.0%)	84 (15.4%)	269 (49.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	74.4	328^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.0%		80.2	238^th of 1505 public elementary schools	84.2%	90	65.3	66.7	74.2				54.7	70.1	72.0				69.9		$10,451	$779	$9,672
East Garner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5545 Jones Sausage Road	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 773-7411	535	40	13.4	99.4%	43 (8.0%)	268 (50.1%)	174 (32.5%)	36 (6.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.2%)	27.4	1119^th of 1490 public elementary schools	24.9%		34.3	1021^st of 1505 public elementary schools	32.2%	98	60.8	46.7	39.3				43.0	48.9	33.7				39.3		$10,446	$1,410	$9,036
Washington Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	1000 Fayetteville St	Raleigh	27601	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 856-7960	514	41	12.6	28.6%	95 (18.5%)	124 (24.1%)	37 (7.2%)	228 (44.4%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)	78.3	274^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.6%		80.6	231^st of 1505 public elementary schools	84.7%	43	69.5	64.8	72.6				63.4	71.6	68.4				75.8		$10,892	$515	$10,377
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%)	13.8	1368^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.2%		9.8	1425^th of 1505 public elementary schools	5.3%	57	46.6	50.7	37.0				22.4	29.9	18.5				35.2

Frequently Asked Questions about Smith Elementary

What district is Smith Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

Is Smith Elementary a good school?

Smith Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.7% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Smith Elementary attend?

Students who attend Smith Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : North Garner Middle
High : Middle Creek 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

What is the racial makeup of Smith Elementary?

Students at Smith Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 26% African American, 20% White, 6% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Smith Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 596 students attended Smith Elementary.

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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.