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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 370237001030

South Smithfield Elementary

201 W Sanders St, Smithfield, NC 27577 · (919) 934-8979 · Johnston County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL450 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 20% of North Carolina public elementary schools
  • C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C-Beats 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

Enrollment
450
Elementary
DISTRICT 690 · STATE 467
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.5:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
447 students
DISTRICT 99% · STATE 82%
Community
1
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

GradeStudentsShare
Kindergarten7316%
Grade 18920%
Grade 27316%
Grade 36414%
Grade 47617%
Grade 57517%

This year's kindergarten class (73) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (75).

Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · STATE 71% · US 70%
White
7918%
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 42% · US 43%
Hispanic
18942%
DISTRICT 31% · STATE 22% · US 30%
Black
15234%
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 25% · US 15%
Asian
61%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 4% · US 6%
Two+
225%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Native American
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 1% · US 1%
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
Male
24955%
Female
20145%

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Test scores

NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)
English Language Arts
38.1%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
43.6%
NC avg 52.2%

What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 38 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 44 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
42.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.4pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 42% 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 South Smithfield Elementary

South Smithfield Elementary's state test result (42.1% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
South Smithfield Elementary this school45099.3%42.1%
Clear Creek Elementary
Charlotte
45999.3%53.2%
Butler Avenue Elementary
Clinton
46999.4%N/A
Lockhart Elementary
Knightdale
46399.4%47.9%
Hurley Elementary
Salisbury
46699.4%23.8%
Smith Farm Elementary
Winston-Salem
44099.3%49.9%
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 South Smithfield Elementary ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn North CarolinaIn Johnston County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
42.1%#1,042 of 1,297#23 of 24
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
43.6%#1,068 of 1,296#23 of 24
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
38.1%#1,007 of 1,300#23 of 24
Enrollment
ranked largest first
450#752 of 1,485#21 of 25
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
12.4:1#132 of 1,377#1 of 25
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
67.6%#335 of 1,379#7 of 25
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
99.3%#358 of 1,414#12 of 25
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-19.1%#304 of 937#4 of 14
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 2024-25
Enrollment
450
-65 (-13%) vs 2020
-26% since 1990-91, when it was 610
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 12.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2545036.312.4:199% (447)
2023-2446342.510.9:199% (460)
2022-234384010.9:199% (435)
2020-215154312.0:199% (512)
2017-185564213.2:178% (434)
2015-165183813.6:180% (413)
2010-114803912.3:175% (362)
2000-015234511.6:163% (332)
1990-916103517.4:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Smithfield Elementary.

Since 2017-18: students down 19% (556 to 450); teachers down 14% (42 to 36.3).

About South Smithfield Elementary

South Smithfield Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Smithfield, North Carolina, under Johnston County Public Schools. Federal data show 450 students enrolled in pre-K through 5 in 2024-25.

Johnston County Public Schools counts 48 schools and 37,320 students, including South Smithfield Elementary.

Of every 100 students at South Smithfield Elementary, about 42 are Hispanic, the largest group. The remaining students are 34% Black, 18% White, and 5% multiracial. Census figures show Johnston County is about 17% Hispanic. The diversity index for South Smithfield Elementary is 68%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.

There are 36.3 full-time-equivalent teachers at the school, a ratio of 12.4:1. The gap from the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina is 2.5 students per teacher. On the income side, 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

South Smithfield Elementary earns a C- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 20% of North Carolina public elementary schools.

South Smithfield Elementary's average proficiency rate across its state test results of 42.1% is 6.4 points below the 48.5% the model predicts from its lunch-eligibility share.

For Johnston County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $83,384, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 29%, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. The county has 52 public schools and about 41,004 students.

Choice Plus Academy is about 0.6 miles from South Smithfield Elementary, the shortest distance to any other public school. The five-mile area around South Smithfield Elementary holds at least 8 other public schools. South Smithfield Elementary comes in 2nd of 5 nearby schools on average proficiency.

South Smithfield Elementary is coded as Town: Fringe in federal locale data.

The school's student count fell 13% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years.

This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at South Smithfield Elementary. Members of the school community can share what they know.

Johnston County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
234,263
Census ACS
Median income
$83,384
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
52
41,004 students

Quick facts

School name
South Smithfield Elementary
District
Johnston County Public Schools
Address
201 W Sanders St, Smithfield, NC 27577
Phone
(919) 934-8979
County
Johnston County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
450
Teachers (FTE)
36
Student–teacher ratio
12.4:1
Free and reduced lunch
447 (99%)
Locale
31-Town: Fringe
NCES ID
370237001030
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Johnston County Public Schools
Other schools in Smithfield
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About South Smithfield Elementary
What is the total enrollment at South Smithfield Elementary?
South Smithfield Elementary enrolls approximately 450 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does South Smithfield Elementary serve?
South Smithfield Elementary serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Smithfield Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at South Smithfield Elementary is approximately 12.4:1 (36 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at South Smithfield Elementary?
At South Smithfield Elementary, the student body is approximately 18% White, 42% Hispanic, 34% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is South Smithfield Elementary public or private?
South Smithfield Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Johnston County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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