These are the top NC middle schools and elementary schools in U.S. News rankings
A Raleigh charter school ranks among the top K-8 schools in North Carolina in a new report from U.S. News & World Report.
Magellan Charter School in Raleigh was ranked as both the No. 3 elementary school and the No. 3 middle school in North Carolina in the 2022 Best K-8 Schools list released Tuesday. For the first time, U.S. News is ranking the nation’s elementary and middle schools to go along with its annual rankings of high schools and colleges.
In April, U.S. News released rankings on the nation’s top high schools. In September, U.S. News released its rankings of the nation’s top colleges and universities.
This time, U.S. News turned its focus on the nation’s 80,000 public elementary and middle schools. U.S. News looked at pre-pandemic test data from the 2018-19 school year to see how students were performing at each school on state math and reading exams.
Schools were evaluated both on the passing rates and how the results compared to their predicted scores, which were based on their student demographics. Schools were ranked higher if they outperformed their predicted score.
The results can be found at www.usnews.com/education/k12.
Top NC middle schools
Brown Summit Middle in Guilford County, was ranked the top middle school in the state.
Including Magellan at No. 3, four Triangle schools ranked among the top 10 schools statewide. Magellan Charter is one of North Carolina’s oldest charter schools and has students in third- through eighth-grades.
Other area schools in top 10 were Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Raleigh at No. 7, Endeavor Charter in Wake Forest at No. 8 and Mills Park Middle in Cary at No. 10.
Top NC elementary schools
Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy in Charlotte was ranked No. 1 among the state’s elementary schools.
Including Magellan at No. 3, three Triangle schools ranked in the top 10 statewide. They were Davis Drive Elementary in Cary at No. 5 and Mills Park Elementary in Cary at No. 7.
Top NC magnet schools
Brown Summit Middle was the top-ranked magnet middle school in the state. The Durham School of the Arts was the only Triangle school to make the top 10 statewide at No. 6.
Lincoln Academy in Guilford County was the state’s top ranked magnet elementary school. Two Triangle schools made the top 10: Pearsontown Elementary in Durham at No. 7 and Jeffreys Grove Elementary in Raleigh at No. 10.
Magnet schools typically offer specialized themes and programs to get students to attend. They’re often used to help integrate school populations and to provide parents more academic choices.
Top NC charter schools
Among charter schools, Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy was the No. 1 middle school in the state. Eight Triangle charter schools ranked in the top 10, led by Magellan Charter at No. 2.
The other area schools were Endeavor Charter at No. 4, The Expedition School in Hillsborough at No. 5, Triangle Math and Science Academy in Cary at No. 6, Woods Charter in Chatham County at No. 7, Peak Charter Academy in Apex at No. 8, Envision Science Academy in Wake Forest at No. 9 and Sterling Montessori Academy in Morrisville at No. 10.
Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy was the No. 1 elementary school among charters in the state. Five Triangle charter schools ranked in the top 10, led by Magellan Charter at No. 2.
The other schools were Woods Charter at No. 3, Triangle Math and Science Academy at No. 5, Endeavor Charter at No. 6 and The Expedition School at No. 9.
Charter schools are taxpayer-funded schools that are exempt from some of the rules that traditional public schools must follow.
Top schools by district
U.S. News ranked elementary and middle schools in each district. Here are the highest ranked middle schools and elementary schools in each Triangle district, along with where they ranked statewide:
WAKE COUNTY
Middle schools
▪ Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy (No. 7)
▪ Mills Park Middle (No. 10)
▪ Davis Drive Middle (No. 15)
▪ Heritage Middle (No. 22)
▪ Apex Friendship Middle (No. 24)
Elementary schools
▪ Davis Drive Elementary (No. 5)
▪ Mills Park Elementary (No. 7)
▪ Highcroft Elementary (No. 15)
▪ Green Hope Elementary (No. 16)
▪ White Oak Elementary (No. 19)
DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Middle schools
▪ Durham School of the Arts (No. 43)
▪ Lakewood Montessori Middle (No. 64)
▪ Rogers-Herr Middle (No. 128)
▪ Little River K-8 School (No. 238)
▪ School For Creative Studies (No. 306)
Elementary schools
▪ Pearsontown Elementary (No. 94)
▪ Mangum Elementary (No, 129)
▪ George Watts Elementary (No, 196)
▪ Morehead Montessori (No. 347)
▪ Easley Elementary (No. 426)
JOHNSTON COUNTY
Middle schools
▪ Innovative Academy at South Campus (No. 199)
▪ Riverwood Middle (No. 310)
▪ Smithfield Middle (No. 411)
▪ Cleveland Middle (No. 434)
▪ Swift Creek Middle (No. 441)
Elementary schools
▪ Cleveland Elementary (No. 385)
▪ Riverwood Elementary (No. 497)
▪ River Dell Elementary (No. 823)
▪ Glendale-Kenly Elementary (No. 842)
▪ Powhatan Elementary (No. 914)
CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO
Middle schools
▪ Smith Middle (No. 40)
▪ Phillips Middle (No. 45)
▪ McDougle Middle (No. 52)
▪ Culbreth Middle (No. 85)
Elementary schools
▪ Seawell Elementary (No. 43)
▪ Rashkis Elementary (No. 55)
▪ Morris Grove Elementary (No. 72)
▪ Scroggs Elementary (No. 76)
▪ Glenwood Elementary (No. 82)
ORANGE COUNTY
Middle schools
▪ AL Stanback Middle (No. 194)
▪ Orange Middle/ formerly CW Stanford Middle (No. 258)
▪ Gravelly Hill Middle (No. 469)
Elementary schools
▪ Hillsborough Elementary (No. 374)
▪ River Park Elementary/ formerly Cameron Park Elementary (No. 409)
▪ Grady Brown Elementary (No. 766)
▪ Efland Cheeks Elementary (No. 989)
▪ Central Elementary (No. 991)
CHATHAM COUNTY
Middle schools
▪ Bonlee School (No. 133)
▪ Margaret B. Pollard Middle (No. 169)
▪ Horton Middle (No. 175)
▪ Bennett School (No. 213)
▪ Silk Hope School (No. 240)
Elementary schools
▪ Perry W. Harrison Elementary (No. 188)
▪ JS Waters Elementary (No, 242)
▪ Silk Hope School (No. 304)
▪ North Chatham Elementary (No. 341)
▪ Siler City Elementary (No. 412)
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 11:30 AM with the headline "These are the top NC middle schools and elementary schools in U.S. News rankings."
