The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in Science. The lowest is 65% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Thanksgiving Elementary
Thanksgiving Elementary is a pre-K-through-5th-grade school in Selma, North Carolina, serving a school population that is economically disadvantaged and diverse. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families in the area. The enrollment is split roughly among white students, Black students, and Hispanic students, with smaller Asian and multiracial populations represented. The school sits within Johnston County Public Schools, one of the fastest-growing districts in the state, a context shaping both the school's environment and the community where it operates.
Academic performance shows a mixed picture across the tested grades, which are grades 3 through 5. In mathematics, about two-thirds of students in the grades tested reached proficient or above. English language arts proficiency was somewhat lower, with roughly two-thirds also achieving proficiency. Science proficiency was notably stronger, with nearly four-fifths of tested students meeting or exceeding the standard. Science assessment methods changed in the state during the school year reported, so comparing science results to prior years would not be reliable; parents may want to ask the school directly about how performance has moved over multiple years. For grades pre-K through 2, state testing does not apply, so the school's work with those younger students is not captured in these numbers. Average scale scores were not reported.
Selma itself is a small Johnston County railroad town straddling I-95, with a genuinely walkable historic downtown of antique shops, coffee shops, and the Rudy Theatre anchoring the civic center, alongside the restored Amtrak station. The town is growing, with new residential subdivisions on the outskirts—including Nolan Park North, Woodberry Forest, and Cross Creek—tied to spillover from the Raleigh region. The broader county is adding residents rapidly, and two recent school bond referendums (one in 2022 and another in 2024) have funded new school construction, a new high school opening in fall 2026, and expansions throughout the district to address capacity strain. Mobile classroom reliance has been a challenge as the district expands, and these bonds are a direct response to overcrowding.
Housing in the Selma zip code sits below state and national benchmarks for value, and monthly rent and estimated mortgage costs are both moderate, making the area affordable relative to ownership barriers in much of the Southeast. The area's economy is anchored by food distribution, steel forging, retail and hospitality around the I-95 corridor, and regional employment in healthcare, manufacturing, and government jobs in nearby Smithfield and Clayton.
Thanksgiving Elementary is not a magnet or charter school; it is a regular public school. No data on special education enrollment, English learner enrollment, or school attendance was available. The comparison metrics requested—overall proficiency index, graduation rate, and chronic absenteeism—either do not apply to an elementary school or were not reported, so positioning this school's performance relative to other elementary schools in Johnston County is not possible from the data at hand.
The school is situated in a growing district making substantial capital investments in new buildings and capacity. For families considering Selma, the school serves as the early-grades entry point into a system reshaping itself for growth, with governance recently shifted to neighborhood-based board representation and a calendar modified to improve instructional time for advanced courses at the high school level. The near-universal free and reduced-price lunch rate signals working families and economic need in the school's community.
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