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Dillard Drive Elementary

Q: Is Dillard Drive Elementary a good school?

Dillard Drive Elementary ranks 826 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

826^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Dillard Drive Elementary is a PK–5 school in Raleigh, NC, serving 648 students within the Wake County Schools district, which earns 4 stars and ranks 60th out of 246 districts statewide.

Dillard Drive is on a clear upward trajectory. After ranking in the 19th percentile statewide in 2022–2023, the school climbed to the 45th percentile in 2025–2026, earning 2 stars and ranking 826th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools. Test scores have improved dramatically over that span — 4th-grade math proficiency jumped from 31.5% to 55.2%, and 5th-grade reading rose from 31.0% to 58.0%. Still, proficiency remains below district averages in every subject, with math lagging by roughly 15 points in each grade. The school's 12:1 student-teacher ratio is favorable, but its chronic absenteeism rate of 23.6% is higher than nearly all nearby schools, including Swift Creek Elementary (16.2%), Yates Mill Elementary (15.0%), and Cary Elementary (9.7%).

One of the most striking comparisons is with nearby Yates Mill Elementary, which sits only about a mile away and serves a student body with a far higher free/reduced-price lunch rate (~99% vs. 56%), yet outperforms Dillard Drive on most test measures and ranks at the 67th percentile. This suggests poverty alone doesn't explain the gap. Within Dillard Drive, the widest concern is internal: gifted students rank at the 77th percentile statewide and White students at the 68th, while effectiveness for Hispanic students (24th percentile) and low-income students (17th percentile) trails significantly. The school's closest peer is Adams Elementary, which also sits at the 45th percentile, though Dillard Drive's reading scores are generally stronger while its math and science scores are weaker. With consistent improvement in rankings, test scores, and attendance, Dillard Drive is moving in the right direction, but closing the math gap and ensuring equitable outcomes for all students remain key priorities.

648

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

56.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5018 Dillard Drive
Raleigh, NC 27606

(919) 233-4200

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Dillard Drive Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Dillard Drive Middle
High:	Athens Drive 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:

35.5%

African American:

28.2%

Hispanic:

24.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Dillard Drive Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 41st percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

826^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 45% (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	45.0	826 of 1492	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.4	1049 of 1490	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	1176 of 1505	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	1220 of 1502	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	1113 of 1514	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	1070 of 1489	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.0	940 of 1473	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.3	794 of 1434	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.1	780 of 1429	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.3	834 of 1425	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	55.9	642 of 1440	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	46.9	754 of 1390	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	65.4	434 of 1403	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.7	550 of 1388	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	75.4	284 of 1381	79.4%	★★★★☆
2010	84.7	125 of 1363	90.8%	★★★★★
2009	84.3	138 of 1354	89.8%	★★★★☆
2008	83.9	137 of 1324	89.7%	★★★★☆
2007	69.6	354 of 1293	72.6%	★★★★☆
2006	77.2	213 of 1276	83.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.4	623 of 903	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.0	800 of 918	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	839 of 924	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	806 of 933	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.7	660 of 927	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.9	591 of 896	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	613 of 949	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.0	336 of 927	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	51.8	71 of 106	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	43.8	469 of 878	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.5	200 of 897	77.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	297 of 519	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.7	456 of 563	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.4	377 of 533	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	403 of 514	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.3	414 of 485	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.7	302 of 385	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.5	371 of 497	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	60.8	115 of 421	72.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	769 of 1447	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.7	1032 of 1451	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.3	1049 of 1455	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	1254 of 1459	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	1090 of 1458	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	1151 of 1440	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	1086 of 1424	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.3	824 of 1405	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.3	169 of 743	77.3%	★★★★☆
2025	43.6	565 of 710	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	62.6	262 of 669	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.6	413 of 582	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	70.2	14 of 500	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.0	743 of 981	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.8	796 of 961	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	902 of 951	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.4	911 of 915	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	858 of 893	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	775 of 843	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.5	651 of 865	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.5	603 of 851	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.4	1191 of 1434	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.8	1348 of 1437	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	1328 of 1450	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	1285 of 1437	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.9	1080 of 1366	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	1023 of 1329	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.8	730 of 1361	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.0	788 of 1332	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	844 of 1451	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.8	1016 of 1450	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	1227 of 1464	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	1108 of 1461	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.5	1076 of 1464	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.6	922 of 1444	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.6	729 of 1430	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.6	760 of 1413	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.0	372 of 1146	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.3	501 of 1172	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.4	478 of 1166	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	561 of 1183	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.8	593 of 1194	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.1	661 of 1172	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.6	539 of 1183	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.4	377 of 1178	68.0%	★★★☆☆

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 (2026)77th percentile+33 vs school

White (2026)68th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)47th percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)47th percentile+10 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)42nd percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2019)33rd percentile-3 vs school

African American (2026)31st percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)24th percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science62%-5 vs state

Mathematics56%-7 vs state

Reading56%~ state avg

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Schools Near Dillard Drive 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 Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th 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
Dillard Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5018 Dillard Drive	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 233-4200	648	54	12.0	56.5%	230 (35.5%)	183 (28.2%)	160 (24.7%)	45 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.5%)	45	826^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.6%		32.4	1049^th of 1490 public elementary schools	29.6%	223	58.8	55.2	55.1			55.7	54.3	58.0			62.3		$10,061	$1,014	$9,047
Swift Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	5601 Tryon Rd	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 233-4320	310	25	12.5	44.2%	150 (48.4%)	53 (17.1%)	73 (23.5%)	14 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.5%)	69.6	426^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.4%		73	346^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.8%	80	73.5	70.6	64.6			63.3	74.5	60.4			68.8		$9,861	$588	$9,272
Yates Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5993 Yates Mill Pond Road	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 233-4244	538	39	13.6	99.4%	184 (34.2%)	76 (14.1%)	233 (43.3%)	23 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.9%)	66.1	490^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.2%		52.9	691^st of 1490 public elementary schools	53.6%	201	76.7	66.0	69.4			60.5	66.0	52.8			70.8		$10,080	$966	$9,114
Combs Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2001 Lorimer Rd	Raleigh	27606	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 233-4300	695	51	13.5	41.7%	304 (43.7%)	157 (22.6%)	117 (16.8%)	86 (12.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.2%)	71.1	394^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.6%		79.8	248^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.4%	146	73.7	67.2	72.3			65.8	66.4	64.9			69.1		$9,127	$525	$8,602
Mount Vernon	Public	K-8	5418 Chapel Hill Rd	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 233-4313	70	26	2.6	95.7%	16 (22.9%)	32 (45.7%)	15 (21.4%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.1%)								(n/a)				11.1	27.7				27.8	27.7		51.1	$39,441	$8,764	$30,677
Adams Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	805 Cary Towne Blvd	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 460-3431	655	52	12.6	61.2%	252 (38.5%)	116 (17.7%)	237 (36.2%)	21 (3.2%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	24 (3.7%)	45	824^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.8%		52.7	698^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.2%	126	54.4	56.1	66.7			45.6	53.3	57.6			65.7		$10,267	$952	$9,315
Farmington Woods Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1413 Hampton Valley Rd	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 460-3469	648	47	13.8	31.0%	305 (47.1%)	63 (9.7%)	140 (21.6%)	102 (15.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.6%)	81	230^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.6%		88.4	133^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	91.1%	97	76.0	78.5	74.7			69.0	71.0	73.7			75.8		$9,948	$469	$9,479
Briarcliff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1220 Pond St	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3443	486	32	15.0	43.0%	275 (56.6%)	39 (8.0%)	117 (24.1%)	40 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	55.8	644^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.8%		55.4	645^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.7%	1	64.4	67.1	59.5			63.2	61.8	57.6			58.8		$10,299	$630	$9,670
Cary Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Kildaire Farm Road	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3455	477	32	14.7	42.6%	269 (56.4%)	52 (10.9%)	112 (23.5%)	19 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.0%)	80.7	236^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.2%		79.9	246^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.5%	10	71.6	80.0	71.3			74.3	81.3	73.8			72.5		$10,015	$629	$9,386
Olds Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	204 Dixie Trail	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 856-7699	244	20	12.0	32.4%	160 (65.6%)	42 (17.2%)	20 (8.2%)	17 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	82.2	211^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.9%		74.5	326^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.1%	115	86.4	71.1	75.0			77.3	73.7	68.2			74.4		$11,339	$870	$10,469

Frequently Asked Questions about Dillard Drive Elementary

Is Dillard Drive Elementary a good school?

Dillard Drive Elementary ranks 826^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Dillard Drive Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

How many students attend Dillard Drive Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 648 students attended Dillard Drive Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Dillard Drive Elementary?

Students at Dillard Drive Elementary are 35% White, 28% African American, 25% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Dillard Drive Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dillard Drive Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Dillard Drive Middle
High : Athens Drive 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.