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B O Barnes Elementary

Q: Is B O Barnes Elementary a good school?

B O Barnes Elementary ranks 812 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

812^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

B O Barnes Elementary is a K-5 school in Wilson, NC, serving 274 students as part of Wilson County Schools, and it sits in a community where nearly all families are low-income. The school currently ranks at the 46th percentile statewide — a solid middle-of-the-pack result — but that alone doesn't tell the story. From 2015-16 through 2020-21, B O Barnes landed in the bottom 10% of North Carolina elementary schools, hitting the 1st percentile in 2018-19. Since then it has climbed steadily: 21st percentile in 2021-22, 32nd, 23rd, 29th, and now 46th. That is one of the more striking sustained turnarounds in the area.

What makes B O Barnes genuinely different from many schools is its success with students who are often underserved. Its African American students rank at the 71st percentile statewide, and its low-income students rank at the 68th percentile — both well above the school's overall ranking. It also dramatically outperforms its closest neighbor, Vick Elementary, which sits less than a mile away with a similar poverty rate but remains stuck at the 4th percentile. In 5th-grade math, 78.8% of B O Barnes students scored proficient, well above the state average. And the school invests in smaller classes with the lowest student-teacher ratio in its comparison group at 11.9 to 1. Meanwhile, two 5-star schools just 6–8 miles away — New Hope Elementary and Lucama Elementary — operate with the same demographic profile, showing the gains within reach.

The challenges are clear, too. Over 33% of B O Barnes students were chronically absent in 2024-25 — roughly nine points above the state rate and among the highest in the area, though it is down sharply from 57.2% a few years ago. Upper-grade reading is the other weak spot: 5th-grade reading proficiency was just 27.3% in 2025-26 versus 78.8% for 5th-grade math. The encouraging news is that early-grade reading is improving fast, jumping from 24.4% proficient in 2023-24 to 55.9% in 2025-26. If attendance keeps improving and upper-grade reading gains follow, this is a school with real momentum.

274

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

1913 Martin L King Parkway
Wilson, NC 27893-9585

(252) 399-7875

District: Wilson County Schools

Students who attend B O Barnes Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Speight Middle
High:	Beddingfield High
	Wilson Early College Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

76.3%

Hispanic:

18.2%

White:

2.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare B O Barnes Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2016 → 46th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 38 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!Reading scores 13 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

812^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 37 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

97^th of 246Wilson 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	45.6	812 of 1492	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.3	1053 of 1490	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	1165 of 1505	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.5	1015 of 1502	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.5	1203 of 1514	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.9	1362 of 1489	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.2	1453 of 1473	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	1327 of 1434	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.1	1317 of 1429	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.0	1309 of 1425	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.9	1364 of 1440	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	7.5	1327 of 1390	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.6	1368 of 1403	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.9	1289 of 1388	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	24.9	1136 of 1381	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	13.5	1244 of 1363	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	9.2	1278 of 1354	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	6.6	1278 of 1324	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	11.1	1219 of 1293	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	3.2	1271 of 1276	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.2	263 of 903	70.9%	★★★★☆
2025	55.1	340 of 918	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	345 of 924	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.9	237 of 933	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	48.4	423 of 927	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	19.7	818 of 896	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	900 of 949	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	750 of 927	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.2	872 of 1447	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.1	1064 of 1451	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	1116 of 1455	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.3	947 of 1459	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.5	1040 of 1458	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	1285 of 1440	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.5	1414 of 1424	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.2	1340 of 1405	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	43.8	542 of 951	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.3	766 of 915	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	721 of 893	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.5	700 of 843	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	835 of 865	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	58.6	301 of 851	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.6	466 of 1434	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.3	710 of 1437	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.8	924 of 1450	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.1	660 of 1437	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.2	820 of 1366	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.5	1135 of 1329	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.9	1341 of 1361	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	1193 of 1332	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	760 of 1451	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.7	976 of 1450	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.3	1090 of 1464	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.7	1007 of 1461	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.7	1219 of 1464	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.9	1325 of 1444	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.6	1407 of 1430	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	1219 of 1413	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)71st percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)68th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2026)48th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)43rd percentile+20 vs school

Female (2026)40th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science70%~ state avg

Mathematics66%~ state avg

Reading43%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near B O Barnes 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
B O Barnes Elementary	Public	K-5	1913 Martin L King Parkway	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7875	274	23	11.9	—	8 (2.9%)	209 (76.3%)	50 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	45.6	812^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.6%		32.3	1053^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	29.3%	241	64.7	57.1	78.8	55.9	45.2	27.3	69.7	$11,225	$3,242	$7,983
Vick Elementary	Public	K-5	504 N Carroll Street	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7886	359	23	15.4	—	9 (2.5%)	251 (69.9%)	91 (25.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.2%)	8.9	1431^st of 1492 public elementary schools	4.1%		14.3	1356^th of 1490 public elementary schools	9.0%	75	30.6	25.4	45.6	26.4	26.9	33.3	54.4	$13,719	$3,492	$10,227
Margaret Hearne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 W Gold St	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7925	423	27	15.9	—	19 (4.5%)	242 (57.2%)	138 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.4%)	22.7	1233^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	17.4%		22.8	1224^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.9%	9	35.0	34.8	52.7	38.3	44.9	41.8	67.3	$10,414	$2,422	$7,993
Frederick Douglass Elementary	Public	K-5	1301 Corbett Ave	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 236-4574	339	22	15.1	—	114 (33.6%)	118 (34.8%)	78 (23.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	69.7	423^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	71.6%		66.5	460^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.1%	37	73.7	57.8	81.5	70.2	62.5	64.8	70.4	$9,313	$1,225	$8,089
Wells Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Grove St N	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7986	383	23	16.7	95.8%	69 (18.0%)	227 (59.3%)	58 (15.1%)	7 (1.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.0%)	41.4	888^th of 1492 public elementary schools	40.5%		46.8	805^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.0%	83	78.0	46.0	56.1	66.0	50.0	40.4	56.1	$9,928	$1,749	$8,179
Vinson-Bynum Elementary	Public	K-5	1601 Tarboro St SW	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7981	458	29	15.8	—	63 (13.8%)	294 (64.2%)	69 (15.1%)	12 (2.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	70.2	412^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.4%		58.7	585^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.7%	173	86.9	60.0	62.7	64.3	65.9	63.3	75.0	$11,625	$1,594	$10,030
John W Jones Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4028 Highway 42 West	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 265-4020	601	36	16.8	—	120 (20.0%)	319 (53.1%)	100 (16.6%)	26 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	32 (5.3%)	35	1004^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.7%		41.1	896^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.9%	108	45.7	35.6	66.2	44.3	48.9	58.8	64.7	$10,499	$2,342	$8,156
Lee Woodard Elementary	Public	K-5	103 Church St	Black Creek	27813	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7940	173	10	17.3	97.1%	73 (42.2%)	40 (23.1%)	48 (27.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.9%)	63.4	528^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.6%		55.4	646^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.6%	118	55.2	69.2	88.9	58.6	73.1	48.1	74.1	$11,686	$1,635	$10,051
New Hope Elementary	Public	K-5	4826 Packhouse Rd	Wilson	27896	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 399-7950	460	29	15.6	—	210 (45.7%)	111 (24.1%)	83 (18.0%)	30 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.4%)	93.2	69^th of 1492 public elementary schools	95.4%		95.3	51^st of 1490 public elementary schools	96.6%	18	82.1	88.9	92.5	73.1	85.6	80.6	91.0	$9,265	$666	$8,598
Gardners Elementary	Public	K-5	5404 NC 42 Hwy E	Elm City	27822	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7920	280	18	15.5	—	99 (35.4%)	62 (22.1%)	102 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.1%)	73.8	347^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.7%		80.5	240^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.9%	107	77.6	80.4	66.7	65.3	67.4	64.3	69.0	$10,906	$1,587	$9,319

Frequently Asked Questions about B O Barnes Elementary

How many students attend B O Barnes Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 274 students attended B O Barnes Elementary.

Is B O Barnes Elementary a good school?

B O Barnes Elementary ranks 812^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of B O Barnes Elementary?

Students at B O Barnes Elementary are 76% African American, 18% Hispanic, 3% White, 3% Two or more races.

What district is B O Barnes Elementary in?

Wilson County Schools

What schools do graduates of B O Barnes Elementary attend?

Students who attend B O Barnes Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Speight Middle
High : Beddingfield High
High : Wilson Early College 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.