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Buckhorn Creek Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

99^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Buckhorn Creek Elementary in Holly Springs, NC, serves 905 students in pre-K through 5th grade and has become one of the top elementary schools in the state, earning a 5-star rating and ranking 99th out of 1,492 North Carolina schools in the most recent year. That places it in the top 7% statewide, within the highly competitive Wake County Schools district, which itself ranks in the 76th percentile of NC districts. Buckhorn Creek sits among an unusually strong cluster of nearby elementary schools — Oakview Elementary, Holly Grove Elementary, Holly Ridge Elementary all rank higher — but the school has shown impressive upward momentum, jumping from the 56th percentile in 2018-2019 to the 93rd percentile today.

The school’s academic signature is outstanding math and science. On recent EOG exams, math proficiency ranges from 85-89% across grades 3-5, far exceeding district and state averages by 19-26 percentage points. Fifth-grade science is a major standout at 92.6% proficient, compared to 73.5% for Wake County and 67.7% statewide. Reading is solidly above district and state averages too, but early-grade reading is the clear relative weak spot: third-grade reading sits at 68.6%, which is more than 15 points below neighboring Holly Springs Elementary and several other top local peers. By fourth grade, Buckhorn Creek’s reading jumps to 78.7%, signalng that while students often catch up, early literacy is the area with the most room for growth.

Attendance is another positive, with chronic absenteeism at 15.0% — well below the 24.2% state average — though slightly higher than the 7.5-10% rates at the highest-achieving nearby schools. What makes the results even more notable is that about 26% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a higher share than at several local top performers. The school has been especially effective with English learners and low-income students, ranking in the 86th percentile or higher statewide for both groups in recent years. Given its typical spending level and student-teacher ratio, Buckhorn Creek is clearly delivering strong, equitable outcomes and appears poised to keep climbing.

905

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

25.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5651 Honeycutt Rd
Holly Springs, NC 27540

(919) 694-8970

District: Wake County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.0%

Asian:

18.9%

Hispanic:

13.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Buckhorn Creek Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 56th percentile in 2019 → 93rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (82% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 37 percentile points since 2019

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school82%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg61%

99^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 38 pts since 2019

From top 44% (2019) to top 7% (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	90.9	99 of 1492	93.4%	★★★★★
2025	85.9	159 of 1490	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	82.4	212 of 1505	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.5	157 of 1502	89.5%	★★★★☆
2022	82.2	220 of 1514	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	66.0	461 of 1489	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.1	655 of 1473	55.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.5	318 of 903	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.1	201 of 918	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	62.3	263 of 924	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	54.5	374 of 933	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.5	441 of 927	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	24.7	734 of 896	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	919 of 949	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.7	33 of 134	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	62.8	57 of 131	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.8	54 of 130	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.6	56 of 114	50.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	56.8	188 of 634	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	45.0	295 of 646	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.6	341 of 878	61.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.4	23 of 519	95.6%	★★★★★
2025	68.3	96 of 563	82.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	90 of 533	83.1%	★★★★☆
2022	90.2	25 of 485	94.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.6	75 of 1447	94.8%	★★★★★
2025	87.1	128 of 1451	91.2%	★★★★★
2024	80.9	201 of 1455	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	86.5	128 of 1459	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	85.0	155 of 1458	89.4%	★★★★☆
2021	61.0	510 of 1440	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.3	732 of 1424	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	368 of 743	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.7	264 of 710	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.4	395 of 669	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.0	485 of 582	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.5	375 of 500	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	48.0	347 of 494	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.2	198 of 612	67.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	83.7	91 of 981	90.7%	★★★★★
2025	65.9	256 of 961	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	67.7	230 of 951	75.8%	★★★★☆
2023	84.2	79 of 915	91.4%	★★★★★
2022	66.8	211 of 893	76.4%	★★★★☆
2021	47.3	397 of 843	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.5	510 of 865	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.5	205 of 1434	85.7%	★★★★☆
2025	60.2	474 of 1437	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.3	799 of 1450	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.0	413 of 1437	71.3%	★★★★☆
2022	61.9	413 of 1366	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.2	667 of 1329	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.6	1212 of 1361	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	87.2	126 of 1451	91.3%	★★★★★
2025	81.0	221 of 1450	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	80.2	224 of 1464	84.7%	★★★★☆
2023	81.9	203 of 1461	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	76.9	279 of 1464	80.9%	★★★★☆
2021	68.3	410 of 1444	71.6%	★★★★☆
2019	60.2	535 of 1430	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.8	112 of 815	86.3%	★★★★☆
2025	53.7	286 of 821	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.0	160 of 801	80.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.5	219 of 1146	80.9%	★★★★☆
2025	78.3	201 of 1172	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	75.4	254 of 1166	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	75.7	239 of 1183	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	79.4	194 of 1194	83.8%	★★★★☆
2021	66.2	361 of 1172	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.1	300 of 1183	74.6%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)96th percentile~ school

Female (2026)95th percentile~ school

Male (2026)91st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)91st percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)86th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)86th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)81st percentile-12 vs school

Asian (2026)75th percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)70th percentile-15 vs school

African American (2026)65th percentile-29 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)50th percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science93%+25 vs state

Mathematics87%+23 vs state

Reading74%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Buckhorn 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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Buckhorn Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5651 Honeycutt Rd	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8970	905	63	14.3	25.7%	443 (49.0%)	109 (12.0%)	125 (13.8%)	171 (18.9%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (5.9%)	90.9	99^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.4%		85.9	159^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.3%	60	85.1	87.2	88.6	68.6	78.7	74.0	92.6	$9,241	$405	$8,837
Holly Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1451 Avent Ferry Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 577-1700	889	62	14.3	13.3%	582 (65.5%)	61 (6.9%)	73 (8.2%)	135 (15.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (3.9%)	95	39^th of 1492 public elementary schools	97.4%		94.6	53^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	96.4%	14	86.1	87.7	90.6	84.4	86.3	85.5	89.9	$9,174	$517	$8,657
Herbert Akins Rd Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2255 Herbert Akins Rd	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 567-4100	988	69	14.3	32.0%	598 (60.5%)	144 (14.6%)	117 (11.8%)	63 (6.4%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (6.0%)	80.7	235^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.2%		77.8	282^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	81.1%	47	82.0	72.4	76.3	73.4	70.1	69.1	74.1	$9,017	$332	$8,685
Rex Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6125 Rex Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(919) 431-7400	0																		(n/a)	84.3	93.8	91.1	75.7	87.7	87.5	91.1
Holly Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Holly Springs Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-2660	751	51	14.5	20.4%	457 (60.9%)	70 (9.3%)	105 (14.0%)	60 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (7.9%)	91.5	95^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.6%		93.2	70^th of 1490 public elementary schools	95.3%	25	88.9	79.6	84.1	84.6	75.2	84.1	84.1	$9,402	$603	$8,799
Lincoln Heights Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	307 Bridge St	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 557-2587	667	45	14.7	35.8%	393 (58.9%)	103 (15.4%)	93 (13.9%)	51 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	25 (3.7%)	74.1	336^th of 1492 public elementary schools	77.5%		73.7	336^th of 1490 public elementary schools	77.4%		70.9	72.1	68.3	67.4	71.2	60.4	80.2	$13,231	$2,042	$11,189
Holly Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Holly Springs Road	Holly Springs	27540	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 577-1300	735	50	14.5	18.1%	515 (70.1%)	84 (11.4%)	58 (7.9%)	43 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.8%)	92.8	74^th of 1492 public elementary schools	95.0%		91.6	87^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.2%	13	84.1	83.2	86.8	84.1	78.2	80.6	91.5	$9,223	$783	$8,440
Oakview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11500 Holly Springs New Hill R	Apex	27539	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8885	873	60	14.5	11.9%	605 (69.3%)	37 (4.2%)	68 (7.8%)	112 (12.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (5.7%)	95	38^th of 1492 public elementary schools	97.5%		93.4	68^th of 1490 public elementary schools	95.4%	30	93.8	84.7	89.5	83.6	77.4	86.8	93.4	$8,808	$362	$8,446
Ballentine Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1651 North McLaurin Lane	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-1120	742	53	14.0	28.6%	463 (62.4%)	52 (7.0%)	155 (20.9%)	44 (5.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.6%)	85.2	178^th of 1492 public elementary schools	88.1%		86.8	148^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.1%	30	78.0	76.1	80.2	75.4	77.1	68.7	82.4	$10,151	$476	$9,675
Northwest Harnett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	736 Rollins Road	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 552-4547	645	36	17.8	42.5%	398 (61.7%)	67 (10.4%)	121 (18.8%)	15 (2.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.4%)	59.9	580^th of 1492 public elementary schools	61.1%		76.7	301^st of 1490 public elementary schools	79.8%	279	79.8	64.1	56.3	73.1	59.4	52.7	64.3	$8,479	$866	$7,613

Frequently Asked Questions about Buckhorn Creek Elementary

Is Buckhorn Creek Elementary a good school?

Yes. Buckhorn Creek Elementary ranks in the top 6.6% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What district is Buckhorn Creek Elementary in?

Wake County Schools

How many students attend Buckhorn Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 905 students attended Buckhorn Creek Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Buckhorn Creek Elementary?

Students at Buckhorn Creek Elementary are 49% White, 19% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 12% African American, 6% Two or more races.

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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.