Summary:
ZIP code 27045 is served by a single elementary school, Rural Hall Elementary, which enrolls 491 students in grades PK–5 as part of the Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools district, meaning families with middle or high school students must look outside the immediate area.
Because there is only one school, there are no local comparisons to make, but the data reveals a school facing significant challenges. Rural Hall Elementary has declined sharply in its statewide rank, dropping from the 42nd percentile in 2023–2024 to the 17th percentile in 2025–2026, and now holds a 1-star rating. Nearly 99% of students are economically disadvantaged, which provides essential context for the academic results. On the most recent EOG exams, the school trails the district and state in almost every subject and grade. Averaging all reported tests, Rural Hall scores 45.6% proficient, compared to 57.7% for the district and 61.0% for the state. The biggest academic weakness is reading, where the school averages just 40.6% proficient across grades 3–5, with particularly low scores in 3rd grade (34.3%) and 5th grade (36.6%). Science is also a concern, with only 43.7% of 5th graders proficient versus 63.6% in the district.
There are some encouraging signs. Fourth grade math proficiency jumped from 41.0% to 60.3% in one year, now exceeding the district average and nearly matching the state. This cohort-level improvement suggests targeted efforts may be working. However, 5th grade performance dropped sharply across math, reading, and science, with double-digit declines in science and reading. Chronic absenteeism is 28.5%, better than the district’s 33.6% but above the state’s 24.2%. For parents, this is a high-poverty school with systemic reading challenges and a volatile recent testing history. The strongest takeaway is that 4th grade math offers a bright spot, while reading and 5th grade subjects need urgent attention.
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