Powell Elementary

Powell Elementary is a small elementary-level community in Raleigh, North Carolina, part of Wake County Schools. The school instructs 335 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 467 students per school, that is 28% smaller than typical.

Powell Elementary is one of 198 schools operated by Wake County Schools, a district that works with 163,176 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Powell Elementary lists that the most-represented group is White (44%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest breaks down as 33% Black, 15% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. By comparison, Wake County as a whole is about 58% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Powell Elementary shows 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 9.8:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 14.9:1 average. About 47% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Powell Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 64.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 52.4%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Wake County) records that median household income runs about $105,768, roughly 57% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Powell Elementary is one of 237 public schools in Wake County (combined enrollment of about 184,790 students).

Nearest neighbor: Enloe High, around 0.8 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Powell Elementary at 7th of 7; the average score across the group is 74.2%.

The school occupies an inner-city site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 343 students in 2018 compared to 335 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share fell from 55% to 33%. Class-load math has tightened: from 11.1:1 in 2018 to 9.8:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.