Cooper Academy

As a mid-tier elementary campus in Clayton, North Carolina, Cooper Academy serves 447 students from grades pre-K through 5, part of Johnston County Public Schools.

Across the 48 schools in Johnston County Public Schools (37,320 students total), Cooper Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Cooper Academy reports that the largest single group is Black at 36%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest is composed of 30% Hispanic, 25% White, 9% multiracial. By comparison, Johnston County as a whole is about 17% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school employs 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.6:1. The state averages about 14.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 99% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Cooper Academy sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.6%; this one delivers 52.6%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Johnston County shows median household income runs about $83,384, about 29% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Across Johnston County's 52 public schools (combined enrollment of about 41,004 students), Cooper Academy is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Clayton High, around 0.9 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Cooper Academy at 5th of 8; the average score across the group is 59.2%.

Cooper Academy operates from an outer-ring location.

Over the past 7-year window. Cooper Academy's enrollment has fell 36% since 2018, when it stood at 694 (now 447). Over the same period, the White share decreased from 32% to 25%.

On this page, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.