The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Math. The lowest is 63% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Olds Elementary
Olds Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in northeast Raleigh, with an enrollment that skews toward the lower end for its grade band. The student body is majority White, with a meaningful Black population and a smaller Hispanic presence; about a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
On state assessments in 2024-25, proficiency was mixed. In math, students scored above the midpoint, with a solid share reaching proficiency. English language arts lagged behind math noticeably, with proficiency sitting lower. Science proficiency was comparable to reading. The school's testing numbers were drawn from a smaller pool than grades 3 through 5 alone because kindergarten and first grade are not tested, which is standard across North Carolina schools at those grades. State testing data does not reveal how Olds compares to other Wake County schools, so a parent seeking a broader context may want to ask the district directly about performance relative to nearby elementaries.
The Raleigh housing market surrounding Olds reflects the city's growth trajectory. Home values in the school's zip code are elevated above the state median and have appreciated modestly year-over-year; rents are also above state average. Mortgage costs and rent-to-income ratios suggest the neighborhood is substantially pricier than state baseline, which aligns with Raleigh's position as a major employment center for technology, healthcare, higher education, and professional services. Wake County itself is growing rapidly, and the district has been managing that expansion through large-scale reassignment plans and new school openings in higher-growth areas like Apex and Fuquay-Varina.
Olds sits in a district that has been overhauling early literacy instruction around the Science of Reading, with all PreK-5 teachers completing the state-mandated LETRS training. That represents a foundational shift in how the school approaches reading in the primary grades. The district also instituted a new cellphone policy effective 2025-26, requiring elementary and middle school students to keep devices silenced and stored away all day—a daily-life change for families. A substantial school construction bond passed in 2022 and is funding new schools and renovations across the county, though Olds itself does not appear to be among the schools receiving major capital work.
Raleigh is a car-dependent city overall, though downtown and certain neighborhoods like Five Points and Oakwood offer more walkability. The broader metro has bus transit through GoRaleigh and is developing a bus rapid transit system, though school transportation logistics depend on where a family lives within Raleigh and whether they use district bus service. The city's employment base—anchored by WakeMed, NC State University, IBM, Cisco, and the nearby Research Triangle Park—creates a professional-class demographic, and Olds' FRPL rate of roughly a third sits noticeably below the countywide average, suggesting the immediate school catchment has moderate to good incomes.
Discipline data, attendance rates, staffing levels, special education and English learner enrollment shares, and detailed program offerings are not available in the school's public records. A parent considering Olds may want to contact the school directly to understand classroom composition, instructional model, special services, and how reassignment plans might affect the school in coming years.
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