The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in Math. The lowest is 22% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Petree Elementary
Petree Elementary is a small public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Old Greensboro Road area of Winston-Salem. The enrollment sits at around 475 students across seven grade levels, with a notably concentrated student population: approximately 56 percent identify as Black, roughly 37 percent as Hispanic, about 3 percent as two or more races, roughly 2 percent as white, and fewer than 1 percent as Asian or American Indian/Alaska Native. Substantially all students—over 99 percent—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a low-income student body and one of the most economically concentrated enrollments in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County district.
Academic performance is a significant concern. In the most recent state testing year, about 30.5 percent of students in grades 3-5 met proficiency in math, while approximately 23.7 percent met proficiency in English language arts. Science proficiency was lower still, at roughly 22 percent, though the science assessment changed that year, which can affect comparability. These numbers reflect substantial gaps in grade-level mastery across core subjects. State test data at the school level does not provide year-to-year trend information here, so parents cannot yet see whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining.
The school profile does not include data on the presence or percentage of students with disabilities, English learners, or other special populations, nor does it show attendance or discipline data. The school website address was not available in the directory, which limits ability to learn about specific programs, classroom approaches, or how the school describes its work to families. A parent may want to look into these details directly with the school.
Winston-Salem itself is a mid-sized city that reversed decades of population decline in the early 2000s and now combines a well-preserved historic downtown—with an Arts District, Innovation Quarter research hub, and mixed-use neighborhoods—with a substantial healthcare and manufacturing base anchored by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Wake Forest University, and the school district itself as a major employer. The Innovation Quarter, adaptive-reused from former tobacco warehouses on the eastern edge of downtown, has spurred walkable redevelopment and housing conversion. However, outside the downtown core, sidewalk coverage is sparse, and the city adopted a Pedestrian Master Plan in 2021 to address gaps. The Clark Campbell Multimodal Transportation Center downtown provides the transit hub for bus service, with a March 2025 redesign adding and modifying routes.
The housing market in the 27101 zip code where Petree sits reflects overall market softening: median home values have edged down year-over-year, though rent prices have ticked up modestly. Affordability remains moderate relative to national benchmarks. Greater Winston-Salem reported 81 active economic-development projects and a growing project pipeline in early 2025, with ongoing efforts to add mixed-income housing downtown and in neighborhoods through initiatives like the Choice Neighborhood replacement housing project off New Hope Lane, slated to bring several hundred mixed-income units by August 2027.
The district itself has navigated fiscal constraints. In 2022 it postponed three major bond projects due to construction cost escalation, though Forsyth County Commissioners provided additional funding in 2023 to close the shortfall without raising property tax rates, allowing renovations at other schools—including Brunson and Ashley Elementary—to proceed. The district recently shifted to a modified academic calendar, starting earlier than state statute allows (mid-August rather than late August), a schedule change families should confirm with the school before enrolling.
See more original research from School Decision →