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Carver Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
686th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 54% of North Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Carver Elementary, in Wendell, NC, serves about 495 students in pre-K through fifth grade as part of Wake County Schools. Despite very high economic need (99.4% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch), the school ranks 686th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools — the 54th percentile, earning 3 out of 5 stars. That is a solid mid-level result and a meaningful improvement from recent years: Carver sat at the 23rd percentile in 2020-21 and has climbed steadily to 47th, 51st, and now 54th percentile.

Carver's biggest academic strength is fifth-grade science: 78.7% of students scored proficient in 2025-26, beating both the Wake County district average (73.5%) and the state average (67.7%) — the strongest science result among nearby area elementary schools. The school also ranks exceptionally well for English Language Learner students (81st percentile) and gifted students (76th percentile). Carver outperforms most of its neighbors serving similar student populations, including Knightdale Elementary, Zebulon Elementary, Lake Myra Elementary, Wendell Elementary, Lockhart Elementary, and Forestville Road Elementary; only Wakelon Elementary posts a higher state ranking in this group.

The clearest area for concern is attendance. Carver's 27.1% chronic absenteeism rate is the highest among nearby schools and well above state and district averages. Fifth-grade reading (49.4% proficient) also trails state and district benchmarks, and special education outcomes (18th percentile) lag far behind the strong results for other groups. That said, the school spends more per student ($11,967) than all neighboring elementary schools, a likely factor in its upward trend. For families, Carver is a school with strong science programming, targeted supports that are producing results, and real momentum — with attendance and upper-grade literacy being the two issues most worth watching.

495
Students ?
13.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
Community Eligibility
All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?
95.2%
Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)
Exemptions: 3.6% (any vaccine)
 291 Liles-Dean Rd
       Wendell, NC  27591-9034

(919) 365-2680

District: Wake County Schools


Students who attend Carver Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Wendell Middle
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:

Hispanic:
45.1%
African American:
24.4%
White:
22.2%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Carver Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 32nd percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2016
✓Above the North Carolina median (54th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school60%
District avg70%
North Carolina avg61%
686th of 1,492
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Top 46%▲ up 22 pts since 2016
From bottom 32% (2016) to top 46% (2026)
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
202652.5686 of 149254.0%★★★☆☆
202546.6809 of 149045.7%★★☆☆☆
202450.9732 of 150551.4%★★★☆☆
202347.9799 of 150246.8%★★☆☆☆
202230.61077 of 151428.9%★☆☆☆☆
202122.81147 of 148923.0%★☆☆☆☆
201933.41043 of 147329.2%★☆☆☆☆
201845.5832 of 143442.0%★★☆☆☆
201753.9685 of 142952.1%★★★☆☆
201637.4964 of 142532.4%★★☆☆☆
201546.1815 of 144043.4%★★☆☆☆
201451.9670 of 139051.8%★★★☆☆
201345.0744 of 140347.0%★★☆☆☆
201262.2557 of 138859.9%★★★☆☆
201148.6814 of 138141.1%★★☆☆☆
201048.4795 of 136341.7%★★☆☆☆
200943.3875 of 135435.4%★★☆☆☆
200851.0693 of 132447.7%★★☆☆☆
200760.9529 of 129359.1%★★★☆☆
200650.3711 of 127644.3%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202669.0204 of 90377.4%★★★★☆
202549.9424 of 91853.8%★★★☆☆
202476.7137 of 92485.2%★★★★☆
202361.0292 of 93368.7%★★★☆☆
202248.5421 of 92754.6%★★★☆☆
202133.8596 of 89633.5%★★☆☆☆
201954.8376 of 94960.4%★★★☆☆
201854.1397 of 92757.2%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202139.7356 of 64644.9%★★☆☆☆
201951.9338 of 87861.5%★★★☆☆
201860.4263 of 89770.7%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202667.5101 of 51980.5%★★★★☆
202570.791 of 56383.8%★★★★☆
202453.8188 of 53364.7%★★★☆☆
202347.0233 of 51454.7%★★★☆☆
202248.5205 of 48557.7%★★★☆☆
202137.9223 of 38542.1%★★☆☆☆
201933.3365 of 49726.6%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202649.0737 of 144749.1%★★☆☆☆
202552.0691 of 145152.4%★★★☆☆
202449.7720 of 145550.5%★★★☆☆
202344.5820 of 145943.8%★★☆☆☆
202236.6959 of 145834.2%★★☆☆☆
202132.7946 of 144034.3%★★☆☆☆
201928.61101 of 142422.7%★☆☆☆☆
201844.2847 of 140539.7%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202668.1179 of 74375.9%★★★★☆
202444.3541 of 66919.1%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202661.4307 of 98168.7%★★★☆☆
202555.1397 of 96158.7%★★★☆☆
202445.8511 of 95146.3%★★☆☆☆
202343.1526 of 91542.5%★★☆☆☆
202237.7587 of 89334.3%★★☆☆☆
202128.7657 of 84322.1%★☆☆☆☆
201941.8518 of 86540.1%★★☆☆☆
201856.5322 of 85162.2%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202656.5556 of 143461.2%★★★☆☆
202547.5748 of 143747.9%★★☆☆☆
202447.1777 of 145046.4%★★☆☆☆
202353.5634 of 143755.9%★★★☆☆
202241.5813 of 136640.5%★★☆☆☆
202132.8908 of 132931.7%★★☆☆☆
201945.3786 of 136142.2%★★☆☆☆
201858.5524 of 133260.7%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202654.9639 of 145156.0%★★★☆☆
202541.5872 of 145039.9%★★☆☆☆
202451.2728 of 146450.3%★★★☆☆
202351.5717 of 146150.9%★★★☆☆
202225.31144 of 146421.9%★☆☆☆☆
202114.81278 of 144411.5%★☆☆☆☆
201939.4932 of 143034.8%★★☆☆☆
201848.9774 of 141345.2%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202625.9668 of 81518.0%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202644.4685 of 114640.2%★★☆☆☆
202557.3488 of 117258.4%★★★☆☆
202466.1368 of 116668.4%★★★☆☆
202367.4351 of 118370.3%★★★★☆
202245.1682 of 119442.9%★★☆☆☆
202130.7862 of 117226.5%★☆☆☆☆
201928.8950 of 118319.7%★☆☆☆☆
201847.6674 of 117842.8%★★☆☆☆
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)81st percentile+27 vs school
African American (2026)77th percentile+23 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2026)76th percentile+22 vs school
Hispanic (2026)69th percentile+15 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)61st percentile+7 vs school
Male (2026)56th percentile~ school
Female (2026)49th percentile-5 vs school
Disabled (2021)45th percentile+22 vs school
White (2026)40th percentile-14 vs school
Special Education (2026)18th percentile-36 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?
Science79%+11 vs state
Mathematics61%~ state avg
Reading53%-3 vs state

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by a parent
Tuesday, April 19, 2016

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Frequently Asked Questions about Carver Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 495 students attended Carver Elementary.

Students at Carver Elementary are 45% Hispanic, 24% African American, 22% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Carver Elementary ranks 686th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »
2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026
2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026
2022–23 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026
2017–18 through 2024–25 attendance dataSep 2, 2026


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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