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East Garner Elementary

Q: Is East Garner Elementary a good school?

East Garner Elementary ranks 1118 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1118^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 25% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

East Garner Elementary is a PK–5 school in Garner, North Carolina, serving 535 students and located in one of the highest-poverty attendance zones in the Wake County Schools district. The district itself is strong overall, ranking in the 76th percentile of North Carolina districts, but East Garner’s own results are far weaker: in the most recent testing year, the school ranked in the 25th percentile of elementary schools statewide and earned a one-star rating. This is not a one-year anomaly — the school has ranked in the bottom third of elementary schools in most years since 2015-16.

In nearly every tested subject and grade, East Garner falls well below district and state averages. Just 39.8% of 4th graders were proficient in math, for example, versus 70.4% across the district — a gap of more than 30 points — and reading gaps in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades are all around 20 points or more. Comparisons with nearby schools make the story more informative. Creech Road Elementary, less than a mile away, serves a nearly identical population — more than 99% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — yet it outperformed East Garner in 4th grade math by nearly 20 points and in several reading and science measures. Vandora Springs Elementary, another high-poverty neighbor, also beat East Garner in most subjects. The strongest school in the immediate area is Bryan Road Elementary, though its poverty rate is much lower at 34%.

There are real bright spots to build on. East Garner’s gifted students perform exceptionally well — ranking in the 96th percentile statewide — and English Language Learners have climbed from the 31st to the 66th percentile over just two years. Third-grade reading has also improved sharply, from 23.5% proficiency in 2022-23 to roughly 45% since then. Still, chronic absenteeism remains a serious barrier: about 29% of students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent, compared with the district rate of 20.5%. Nearby schools with lower absenteeism, such as Bryan Road at 14.7%, also tend to have the strongest academic outcomes, suggesting that improving attendance — along with continued support in 4th grade math and 5th grade reading — could be a key lever for East Garner’s future.

535

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5545 Jones Sausage Road
Garner, NC 27529

(919) 773-7411

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend East Garner Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	East Garner 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:

African American:

50.1%

Hispanic:

32.5%

White:

8.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare East Garner Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2016 → 25th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (49% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Science scores 15 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

1,118^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 25% (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	28.8	1118 of 1492	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.4	1119 of 1490	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.3	1021 of 1505	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.5	1181 of 1502	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.4	1099 of 1514	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.8	1210 of 1489	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	1199 of 1473	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	1200 of 1434	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.7	1159 of 1429	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.3	1254 of 1425	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.3	1077 of 1440	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.6	959 of 1390	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	30.6	1026 of 1403	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	46.3	820 of 1388	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.1	836 of 1381	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.1	758 of 1363	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.5	873 of 1354	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	42.2	837 of 1324	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	513 of 903	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.3	315 of 918	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.3	205 of 924	77.8%	★★★★☆
2023	46.2	482 of 933	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.5	296 of 927	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.8	517 of 896	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.9	309 of 949	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	499 of 927	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	55.2	305 of 878	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.6	709 of 897	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	175 of 519	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.2	236 of 563	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.0	367 of 533	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	170 of 514	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.8	221 of 485	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.3	136 of 385	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.7	278 of 497	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.3	145 of 421	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.4	1045 of 1447	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.8	1107 of 1451	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	1074 of 1455	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	1269 of 1459	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	1304 of 1458	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	1175 of 1440	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	1164 of 1424	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	1172 of 1405	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★☆
2021	38.8	394 of 494	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.3	584 of 981	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.5	684 of 961	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.0	658 of 951	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.5	534 of 915	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.1	459 of 893	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.9	491 of 843	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.8	702 of 865	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.4	579 of 851	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	1019 of 1434	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.8	918 of 1437	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.4	691 of 1450	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.4	938 of 1437	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.9	789 of 1366	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.7	998 of 1329	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	906 of 1361	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.4	907 of 1332	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.3	1118 of 1451	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.3	1094 of 1450	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.8	903 of 1464	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	975 of 1461	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.8	783 of 1464	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.8	1126 of 1444	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	1160 of 1430	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	1211 of 1413	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	575 of 815	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.7	475 of 821	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.4	628 of 801	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)96th percentile+71 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)66th percentile+41 vs school

Disabled (2019)65th percentile+47 vs school

African American (2026)43rd percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)40th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2026)29th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)29th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)28th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science52%-15 vs state

Mathematics52%-12 vs state

Reading46%-10 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, December 14, 2017

I hate this school. If I have structure and discipline at home why would I as a single parent of four small children wnt to send my daughter to a school with no structure, where the kids don't respect the adults. This school is terrible! Close Quote

Schools Near East Garner 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 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
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%)	28.8	1118^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.1%		27.4	1119^th of 1490 public elementary schools	24.9%	1	55.2	39.8	60.4				45.4	48.3	44.0				52.2		$10,446	$1,410	$9,036
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%)	46.1	800^th of 1492 public elementary schools	46.4%		37.7	955^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.9%	155	66.3	59.3	58.1				51.6	58.0	47.3				60.8		$10,643	$1,329	$9,314
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%)	17.1	1333^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	10.7%		17.3	1322^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	11.3%	11	60.7	42.4	29.5				34.4	39.0	39.3				47.5		$10,647	$1,063	$9,584
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%)	47.9	769^th of 1492 public elementary schools	48.5%		58.5	589^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.5%	180	64.8	67.4	61.1				37.5	56.8	46.7				71.1		$9,721	$811	$8,910
Barwell Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3925 Barwell Road	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 661-5405	648	50	12.8	99.5%	42 (6.5%)	324 (50.0%)	232 (35.8%)	29 (4.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.6%)	41.5	886^th of 1492 public elementary schools	40.6%		35.1	1001^st of 1490 public elementary schools	32.8%	115	70.9	59.1	58.2				53.2	46.9	42.9				54.9		$10,467	$1,325	$9,142
Walnut Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Sunnybrook Rd	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 857-9500	574	51	11.1	99.5%	39 (6.8%)	286 (49.8%)	216 (37.6%)	15 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.8%)	14	1376^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.8%		10.3	1411^th of 1490 public elementary schools	5.3%	35	55.3	39.2	36.8				43.7	35.9	25.3				38.3		$10,856	$1,557	$9,299
PreEminent Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	3815 Rock Quarry Road	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	PreEminent Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 235-0511	667	36	18.3	99.6%	12 (1.8%)	459 (68.8%)	161 (24.1%)	9 (1.3%)	8 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.7%)	19.3	1289^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.6%		17.4	1321^st of 1490 public elementary schools	11.3%	32	45.7	37.0	32.4	32.4	44.3	50.0	43.2	50.6	40.3	48.5	52.5	50.9	47.1	61.1
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%)	28.5	1125^th of 1492 public elementary schools	24.6%		39.7	922^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	38.1%	203	50.0	52.5	57.9	52.1	50.0	41.9	46.4	47.5	40.4	39.6	60.0	51.2	49.1	81.4
Bryan Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8317 Bryan Rd	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-7844	685	49	13.9	34.0%	219 (32.0%)	163 (23.8%)	122 (17.8%)	164 (23.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.2%)	88.8	133^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	91.1%		84.4	184^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.7%	51	80.3	81.4	88.9				72.6	74.6	75.8				86.9		$10,316	$641	$9,675
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%)	30.9	1073^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	28.1%		31.3	1068^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.3%	5	52.0	53.5	50.8				36.0	46.5	52.5				59.3		$11,614	$1,062	$10,553

Frequently Asked Questions about East Garner Elementary

What district is East Garner Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

What is the racial makeup of East Garner Elementary?

Students at East Garner Elementary are 50% African American, 33% Hispanic, 8% White, 7% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend East Garner Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended East Garner Elementary.

Is East Garner Elementary a good school?

East Garner Elementary ranks 1118^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of East Garner Elementary attend?

Students who attend East Garner Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Garner Middle
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 ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.