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

Underwood Elementary

Public, Magnet Grades K-5
178th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 88% of North Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Underwood Elementary is a public magnet elementary school located in Raleigh, North Carolina, serving 390 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. As part of the Wake County Schools district, which is ranked 60th out of 242 districts in the state, Underwood Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in North Carolina.

Underwood Elementary's academic performance is impressive, with a higher percentage of students proficient or better in Mathematics, Reading, and Science compared to the Wake County and North Carolina averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 78.9% of 3rd graders, 71.9% of 4th graders, and 75.4% of 5th graders at Underwood Elementary were proficient or better in Mathematics, outperforming the district and state averages. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10 to 10.3 students per teacher, and higher per-student spending than nearby schools.

While Underwood Elementary excels in the performance of certain student subgroups, such as male and white students, the school's performance for African American and Hispanic students is less impressive. This highlights the need for the school to address any potential achievement gaps and ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities to succeed. Nonetheless, Underwood Elementary remains a high-performing public magnet school that provides a strong educational option for families in the Raleigh area, consistently outperforming nearby schools like The Exploris School, Root Elementary, and Olds Elementary.

405
Students ?
11.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$11,726
Per pupil spending ?
29.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1614 Glenwood Avenue
       Raleigh, NC  27608

(919) 856-7663

District: Wake County Schools


Students who attend Underwood Elementary usually attend:

High:    Wake Early College of Health and Science
    Wake STEM Early College High School
    Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
    Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy
Racial breakdown:

White:
58.5%
African American:
21.0%
Hispanic:
12.3%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Underwood Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 93rd percentile in 2015 → 88th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the North Carolina average (74% vs 57% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 12% of North Carolina elementary schools
Small classes — about 11 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school74%
District avg66%
North Carolina avg57%
178th of 1,490
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Top 12%▼ down 5 pts since 2015
From top 7% (2015) to top 12% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
29th of 115Elementary Schools in the Wake County Schools
60th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202584.8178 of 149088.1%★★★★☆
202487.0151 of 150590.0%★★★★★
202384.0182 of 150287.9%★★★★☆
202290.5103 of 151493.2%★★★★★
202188.4147 of 148990.1%★★★★★
201973.3340 of 147376.9%★★★★☆
201880.4221 of 143484.6%★★★★☆
201777.7266 of 142981.4%★★★★☆
201690.185 of 142594.0%★★★★★
201589.497 of 144093.3%★★★★★
201491.291 of 139093.5%★★★★★
201394.257 of 140395.9%★★★★★
201276.1274 of 138880.3%★★★★☆
201163.2564 of 138159.2%★★★☆☆
201063.9533 of 136360.9%★★★☆☆
200959.5619 of 135454.3%★★★☆☆
200861.7517 of 132461.0%★★★☆☆
200761.8514 of 129360.2%★★★☆☆
200656.7590 of 127653.8%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202555.1341 of 91862.9%★★★☆☆
202368.8220 of 93376.4%★★★★☆
202249.7411 of 92755.7%★★★☆☆
202169.0158 of 89682.4%★★★★☆
201936.3640 of 94932.6%★★☆☆☆
201815.0877 of 9275.4%☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202244.5288 of 63454.6%★★★☆☆
201879.186 of 89790.4%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202571.9337 of 145176.8%★★★★☆
202478.4232 of 145584.1%★★★★☆
202377.4259 of 145982.2%★★★★☆
202291.283 of 145894.3%★★★★★
202185.1163 of 144088.7%★★★★☆
201971.3361 of 142474.6%★★★★☆
201881.2200 of 140585.8%★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202572.013 of 71098.2%★★★★★
202462.7259 of 66961.3%★★★☆☆
202359.4292 of 58249.8%★★★☆☆
202253.3318 of 50036.4%★★☆☆☆
202160.6232 of 49453.0%★★★☆☆
201965.5108 of 61282.4%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202425.3796 of 95116.3%★☆☆☆☆
202317.5847 of 9157.4%☆☆☆☆☆
202140.5481 of 84342.9%★★☆☆☆
201821.9760 of 85110.7%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202524.11229 of 143714.5%★☆☆☆☆
202422.71259 of 145013.2%★☆☆☆☆
202329.01110 of 143722.8%★☆☆☆☆
202246.2729 of 136646.6%★★☆☆☆
202148.4627 of 132952.8%★★★☆☆
201917.31249 of 13618.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201812.61274 of 13324.4%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202587.9118 of 145091.9%★★★★★
202489.8101 of 146493.1%★★★★★
202386.9130 of 146191.1%★★★★★
202286.8140 of 146490.4%★★★★★
202187.2144 of 144490.0%★★★★★
201972.9324 of 143077.3%★★★★☆
201877.1254 of 141382.0%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202591.535 of 117297.0%★★★★★
202493.419 of 116698.4%★★★★★
202390.344 of 118396.3%★★★★★
202293.320 of 119498.3%★★★★★
202192.439 of 117296.7%★★★★★
201978.0204 of 118382.8%★★★★☆
201889.163 of 117894.7%★★★★★
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)
Gifted and Talented (2025)98th percentile+10 vs school
White (2025)97th percentile+9 vs school
Male (2025)92nd percentile+4 vs school
Female (2025)77th percentile-11 vs school
African American (2025)63rd percentile-25 vs school
Disabled (2022)55th percentile-39 vs school
Hispanic (2024)16th percentile-74 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile-74 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?
Science75%+13 vs state
Mathematics75%+14 vs state
Reading72%+19 vs state

4.5
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
51
41
30
20
10
Rate Underwood 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
Monday, January 8, 2018

Open Quote Underwood is a dynamic school and has given my daughter the opportunity to explore her interests as well as try other areas within the arts and academic realms through the Gifted and Talented elective model with electives. The small size of the school brings a true "family" feel with dedicated teachers who know the names of all students in the school and a very involved parent population (PTA and Foundation). Underwood also has supports in place for students and their social development with Conscious Discipline. Teachers are responsive to student needs and encourage collaboration, creative, critical thinking and technology into their lessons. Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, November 16, 2017

Open Quote So far so good. Our daughter is in 1st grade this year. We have felt really good about her teachers so far & the PTA is great. Will def keep sending her there through 5th grade if nothing changes. Close Quote





Schools Near Underwood Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Underwood Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 405 students attended Underwood Elementary.

Students at Underwood Elementary are 59% White, 21% African American, 12% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Underwood Elementary ranks 178th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


Rate Underwood Elementary!



Sign up for updates!

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




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.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 42 milliseconds.