The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Science. The lowest is 66% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Root Elementary
Root Elementary sits in Raleigh's Northampton Street corridor, serving a student body of roughly four to five hundred children in grades PreK through 5. The school enrolls a diverse mix: a slight majority of students identify as white, with meaningful representation of Black and Hispanic students making up nearly a third of enrollment combined. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a moderate-need category within its district.
On state testing, Root's proficiency rates across the latest cycle place it solidly in the mid-range. In math, about seven in ten students scored at proficient or above; in English language arts, roughly two in three met that bar; and in science, performance was just above math. The data does not provide trend comparisons to show whether these results represent improvement or decline, and state testing applies only to grades 3 through 5, so the school's early-grade instruction is not captured in these measures. Reading instruction across Wake County, including at Root, has shifted to the Science of Reading approach, with all PreK-5 teachers completing mandated LETRS training that wrapped for the district's core cohort in spring 2024. This pedagogy change affects how phonics, decoding, and text selection happen in every classroom here.
The neighborhood around Root is in the midst of significant growth. Raleigh as a whole is rapidly expanding, with major mixed-use development transforming downtown, Midtown, and the city's other districts. Housing values in the 27609 zip code where Root sits are above the state benchmark, and rental costs are moderate relative to income for the region. The local job market is strong, anchored by healthcare (WakeMed, Duke Raleigh), higher education (NC State), and technology firms (IBM, Red Hat, Cisco, and major Research Triangle Park employers including Apple and Google). This economic stability underpins school funding and the family composition Root serves.
A practical note: Wake County has undertaken large-scale student reassignments in recent years to accommodate growth and open new schools. In November 2024, an estimated number of students across 26 schools were reassigned to fill four new schools opening for 2025-26. A subsequent plan approved in November 2025 affects 24 schools and takes effect for 2026-27. A family at Root should understand that reassignment risk, along with which school calendar (traditional versus year-round) a child attends, remains one of the biggest variables for families choosing a Wake County neighborhood. The district is also considering converting some year-round schools to traditional calendars to manage crowding and logistics.
Special education identification and English learner enrollment data for Root were not available, so a parent seeking to understand support for students with disabilities or whose family speaks another language at home would need to contact the school directly. The school does not report individual staff counts, attendance rates, or discipline data, so those specifics are similarly absent from public sources.
Root's setting is urban-residential, embedded in a walkable historic pocketof the city. Raleigh's downtown holds civic anchors like the State Capitol and museums, and bus service connects the city via GoRaleigh routes and a developing bus rapid transit system. The school itself sits in a neighborhood with access to Dorothea Dix Park, the greenway network, and libraries, giving families and students outdoor recreation and community resources nearby.
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