Enrollment
262
Elementary
DISTRICT 374 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CARTERET COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 370063000258
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary
174 Marshallberg Rd, Smyrna, NC 28579 · (252) 729-2301 · Carteret County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL262 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 81% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
259 students
DISTRICT 85% · STATE 82%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 13 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 11 | 4% |
| Grade 1 | 16 | 6% |
| Grade 2 | 15 | 6% |
| Grade 3 | 12 | 5% |
| Grade 4 | 18 | 7% |
| Grade 5 | 14 | 5% |
| Grade 6 | 57 | 22% |
| Grade 7 | 56 | 21% |
| Grade 8 | 50 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (11) is 78% smaller than its 8th grade class (50).
Student demographics
11%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
62.3%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
58.8%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 59 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
65.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+16.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 65% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary's state test result (65.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary this school | 262 | 98.9% | 65.5% |
| Ranger Elementary Murphy | 264 | 98.9% | 61.1% |
| Happy Valley Elementary Lenoir | 234 | 97.9% | 43.4% |
| Shoals Elementary Pinnacle | 235 | 98.7% | 80.9% |
| C B Eller Elementary School Elkin | 248 | 97.6% | 59.9% |
| Mount Olive Elementary School King | 316 | 99.1% | 71.2% |
Matched among North Carolina elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Carteret County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.5% | #330 of 1,297 | #4 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 58.8% | #642 of 1,296 | #7 of 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.3% | #271 of 1,300 | #3 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 262 | #1,266 of 1,485 | #6 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.9:1 | #82 of 1,377 | #2 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 11.0% | #1,376 of 1,379 | #8 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.9% | #721 of 1,414 | #4 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.0% | #815 of 937 | #6 of 7 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
262
+7 (+3%) vs 2020
-43% since 1990-91, when it was 457
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
was 11.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 262 | 22 | 11.9:1 | 99% (259) |
| 2023-24 | 248 | 23 | 10.8:1 | 45% (111) |
| 2022-23 | 249 | 23.5 | 10.6:1 | 99% (246) |
| 2020-21 | 255 | 23 | 11.1:1 | 99% (252) |
| 2017-18 | 273 | 23.4 | 11.7:1 | 45% (122) |
| 2015-16 | 270 | 25 | 10.8:1 | 49% (131) |
| 2010-11 | 296 | 24 | 12.3:1 | 46% (137) |
| 2000-01 | 381 | 29 | 13.1:1 | 40% (153) |
| 1990-91 | 457 | 23 | 19.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (273 to 262); teachers down 6% (23.4 to 22).
About Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is a public elementary school in Smyrna, North Carolina. The school counted 262 students in 2024-25, covering pre-K through 8. It has 44% fewer students than the average for elementary schools in North Carolina (about 467).
Carteret County Public Schools is the district for Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary. It has 17 schools and 7,847 students.
Of every 100 students at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary, about 94 are White. Other students are 3% Hispanic. That is higher than the 86% White share among all Carteret County residents. A diversity index of 11% means there is an 11% chance two randomly chosen students at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary are from different groups.
Staffing at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary comes to 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 11.9:1. The school's 11.9:1 compares with an average of 14.9:1 for elementary schools in North Carolina. On the income side, 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is higher than the 76% average for public schools in Carteret County.
On the allk12 Grade, Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary lands at A-, ahead of 81% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
On the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure, Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is 16.8 points above the average proficiency rate across its state test results predicted for its free or reduced-price lunch share: 65.5% actual, 48.6% predicted. That is outside both the top and bottom 10% in North Carolina.
For Carteret County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $72,322 a year, roughly 35% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Public schools in Carteret County number 19, with about 8,053 students.
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary's nearest public school is Harkers Island Elementary (about 4.6 miles). In all, 5 other public schools sit within ten miles of Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary. On state test proficiency, Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary ranks 5th in a group of 8 nearby schools.
The school is in rural territory some distance from an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Distant).
From 255 students in 2020-21, enrollment rose to 262 by 2024-25.
The discussion board for Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Carteret County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
69,148
Census ACS
Median income
$72,322
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
8,053 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Carteret County Public Schools
- West Carteret HighHigh · 1,095 students
- Croatan HighHigh · 1,019 students
- White Oak ElementaryElementary · 784 students
- Broad Creek MiddleMiddle · 722 students
- Newport ElementaryElementary · 621 students
- East Carteret HighHigh · 521 students
Nearby schools
- Harkers Island Elementary4.6 mi · 95
- East Carteret High6.1 mi · 521
- Tiller School6.2 mi · 206
- Beaufort Middle6.8 mi · 260
- Beaufort Elementary7.0 mi · 346
- Morehead City Middle12.2 mi · 506
Frequently asked questions
About Down East Middle and Smyrna ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary?
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary enrolls approximately 262 students in grades PK-08.
Is Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
How many teachers does Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary have?
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary?
Student demographics at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary are roughly 94% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Two or more.
Is Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary public or private?
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Carteret County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.