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B O Barnes Elementary

Q: Is B O Barnes Elementary a good school?

B O Barnes Elementary ranks 1053 rd of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1053^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

B O Barnes Elementary is a public elementary school in Wilson, North Carolina, serving 288 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Wilson County Schools district, which is ranked 93 out of 242 districts in the state.

B O Barnes Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina elementary schools, with academic performance on state tests generally below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 40% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better in reading, compared to 50% for the district and 46.7% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low in reading, with a need for significant improvement in academic achievement.

The school faces challenges related to its student population, with 98.96% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. While the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending compared to nearby schools, these additional resources alone may not be enough to address the needs of this predominantly low-income student population. The school's data suggests a need for targeted interventions and support to improve outcomes for all students, particularly in the area of reading.

274

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,225

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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 — 5th percentile in 2015 → 29th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (45% vs 57% meeting standards)

!Science scores 37 pts below the North Carolina average

!Near the bottom of Wilson County Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg57%

1,053^rd of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Wilson County Schools

93^rd of 242Wilson 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
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
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
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
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
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 (2025)63rd percentile+34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)51st percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2024)43rd percentile+20 vs school

Male (2025)33rd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)27th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics57%-4 vs state

Reading41%-12 vs state

Science25%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near B O Barnes Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	98.9%	8 (2.9%)	209 (76.3%)	50 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	32.3	1053^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	29.3%		26.8	1165^th of 1505 public elementary schools	22.6%	112	66.7	48.4	52.5	40.0	51.6	32.5	25.0	$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	99.2%	9 (2.5%)	251 (69.9%)	91 (25.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.2%)	14.3	1356^th of 1490 public elementary schools	9.0%		20.8	1271^st of 1505 public elementary schools	15.5%	85	26.6	26.7	46.7	15.6	41.7	36.7	48.3	$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	99.3%	19 (4.5%)	242 (57.2%)	138 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.4%)	22.8	1224^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.9%		26.7	1166^th of 1505 public elementary schools	22.5%	58	50.0	22.6	46.6	34.6	41.9	39.7	53.4	$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	98.5%	114 (33.6%)	118 (34.8%)	78 (23.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	66.5	460^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.1%		71.3	380^th of 1505 public elementary schools	74.8%	80	69.1	59.7	84.6	56.4	61.3	64.1	56.4	$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%)	46.8	805^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.0%		55.4	655^th of 1505 public elementary schools	56.5%	150	70.0	47.3	48.9	45.0	56.4	57.4	51.1	$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	99.3%	63 (13.8%)	294 (64.2%)	69 (15.1%)	12 (2.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	58.7	585^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.7%		54.4	673^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	55.3%	88	74.2	74.1	43.1	46.2	77.6	47.2	62.5	$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	99.5%	120 (20.0%)	319 (53.1%)	100 (16.6%)	26 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	32 (5.3%)	41.1	896^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.9%		55.6	653^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	56.6%	243	46.9	49.3	60.3	38.1	55.6	52.7	61.6	$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%)	55.4	646^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.6%		61.6	549^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.5%	97	51.7	45.5	74.2	44.8	59.1	74.2	58.1	$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	99.3%	210 (45.7%)	111 (24.1%)	83 (18.0%)	30 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.4%)	95.3	51^st of 1490 public elementary schools	96.6%		92.2	84^th of 1505 public elementary schools	94.4%	33	92.5	91.7	93.7	75.3	81.9	87.3	79.4	$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	98.2%	99 (35.4%)	62 (22.1%)	102 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.1%)	80.5	240^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.9%		86.3	161^st of 1505 public elementary schools	89.3%	79	78.4	69.6	80.0	56.9	73.9	65.0	72.5	$10,906	$1,587	$9,319

Frequently Asked Questions about B O Barnes Elementary

Is B O Barnes Elementary a good school?

B O Barnes Elementary ranks 1053^rd of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is B O Barnes Elementary in?

Wilson County Schools

How many students attend B O Barnes Elementary?

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

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

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.

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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.