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Walnut Creek Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1376^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Walnut Creek Elementary is a PK–5 school in Raleigh, NC, serving 574 students as part of Wake County Schools. Despite being located in one of the state's strongest districts, the school ranks in the 8th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools for 2025–2026. Nearly all students (99.5%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and chronic absenteeism affects about one in three students — well above the district rate of 20.5%.

What stands out most is how other high-poverty schools nearby achieve far stronger results. Both Creech Road Elementary (46th percentile) and Barwell Road Elementary (41st percentile) serve student bodies with nearly identical poverty rates yet outperform Walnut Creek by substantial margins. Walnut Creek also shows a troubling pattern of declining proficiency as students progress through grades: Grade 3 reading proficiency is 43.7%, but falls to just 25.3% by Grade 5 — a gap of more than 40 points below the county average.

Still, Walnut Creek is not uniformly struggling. English Language Learners at the school rank in the 39th percentile statewide, up from the 23rd percentile the prior year, suggesting some instructional strategies are working. With a student-teacher ratio of 11.1, staffing is comparable to or better than nearby schools. The most promising levers for improvement appear to be reducing chronic absenteeism and studying the practices of peer schools like Creech Road and Barwell Road that achieve stronger results with similar student populations.

574

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2600 Sunnybrook Rd
Raleigh, NC 27610

(919) 857-9500

District: Wake County Schools

Students who attend Walnut Creek Elementary usually attend:

High:	Southeast Raleigh 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:

African American:

49.8%

Hispanic:

37.6%

White:

6.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Walnut Creek Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (39% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

1,376^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to bottom 8% (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	14.0	1376 of 1492	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.3	1411 of 1490	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	1291 of 1505	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.6	1180 of 1502	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	1233 of 1514	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	1159 of 1489	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.6	1352 of 1473	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	1316 of 1434	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	17.0	1251 of 1429	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.1	1186 of 1425	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	28.7	1098 of 1440	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.5	1228 of 1390	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.1	1092 of 1403	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.1	541 of 903	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.0	661 of 918	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.3	398 of 924	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.6	286 of 933	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.2	426 of 927	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.2	338 of 896	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.4	782 of 949	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.0	560 of 927	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	17.7	610 of 634	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.6	827 of 878	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	41.1	508 of 897	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.7	318 of 519	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.3	432 of 563	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.6	308 of 533	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	317 of 514	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.9	248 of 485	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.7	324 of 385	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.1	268 of 497	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	310 of 421	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	1265 of 1447	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.8	1345 of 1451	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	1299 of 1455	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	1027 of 1459	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.3	1076 of 1458	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.4	1089 of 1440	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	1358 of 1424	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.1	1295 of 1405	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.5	858 of 981	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.3	844 of 961	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	799 of 951	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.1	707 of 915	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.1	564 of 893	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.1	562 of 843	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.9	678 of 865	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.7	714 of 851	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	65.1	4 of 15	73.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	1282 of 1434	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.2	1311 of 1437	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	1111 of 1450	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.0	986 of 1437	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1150 of 1366	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.8	837 of 1329	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.8	1148 of 1361	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	1075 of 1332	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.4	1374 of 1451	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.7	1396 of 1450	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	1187 of 1464	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	1214 of 1461	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	1262 of 1464	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	1150 of 1444	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.8	1278 of 1430	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	1303 of 1413	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.7	683 of 815	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.5	615 of 821	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	770 of 801	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2024)73rd percentile+59 vs school

African American (2026)40th percentile+32 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)39th percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2026)16th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)13th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)13th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)5th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)4th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics44%-20 vs state

Science38%-29 vs state

Reading35%-21 vs state

3.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, July 20, 2019

The school has new principal and group of new teachers and a new focus on teaching every child. even the lobby area looks new. I could feel the difference on my last visit to the school. I am very optimistic!! Close Quote

Schools Near Walnut Creek 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
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
Bugg Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	825 Cooper Rd	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 250-4750	345	28	12.3	98.8%	32 (9.3%)	192 (55.7%)	92 (26.7%)	11 (3.2%)	4 (1.2%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.8%)	21.9	1253^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	16.0%		13	1379^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.4%	126	36.0	45.1	49.0				32.0	54.9	45.1				49.0		$13,995	$3,141	$10,854
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
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%)	25.3	1180^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.9%		13.8	1368^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.2%	188	53.5	53.8	57.6				37.2	49.1	33.9				45.8
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%)	57.5	620^th of 1492 public elementary schools	58.4%		74.4	328^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.0%	292	63.3	63.5	59.3				57.8	63.5	67.0				62.6		$10,451	$779	$9,672
Poe Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	400 Peyton St	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 250-4777	324	31	10.3	49.1%	83 (25.6%)	115 (35.5%)	88 (27.2%)	19 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.6%)	66.2	488^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.3%		62	531^st of 1490 public elementary schools	64.4%	43	63.3	67.9	80.5				63.3	57.1	68.3				70.7		$13,641	$1,381	$12,261
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Walnut Creek Elementary

What district is Walnut Creek Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

What schools do graduates of Walnut Creek Elementary attend?

Students who attend Walnut Creek Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Southeast Raleigh 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

Is Walnut Creek Elementary a good school?

Walnut Creek Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Walnut Creek Elementary?

Students at Walnut Creek Elementary are 50% African American, 38% Hispanic, 7% White, 3% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

How many students attend Walnut Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 574 students attended Walnut Creek Elementary.

Rate Walnut Creek Elementary!

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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.