The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in Math. The lowest is 56% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Frederick Douglass Elementary
Frederick Douglass Elementary is a K-5 school in Elm City, part of Wilson County Schools, currently housed in the former Toisnot Middle School building while a new school is under construction on the original Lake Wilson Road site. Students are expected to move into the rebuilt facility in the 2027-28 school year.
The school serves a small enrollment across six grades, with roughly even distribution from kindergarten through fourth grade and a slightly larger fifth-grade cohort. Nearly all enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a student body where economic need is nearly universal. The student population is racially and ethnically diverse: about one-third Black, one-third white, roughly a fifth Hispanic, and smaller shares of multiracial and Asian students, with very few American Indian students.
On state testing, the school's proficiency rates are mixed. In math, a substantial majority of tested students in grades three through five scored at or above proficiency. English language arts proficiency was notably lower, with about three-fifths of students meeting the standard. Science proficiency was lower still, though the state changed the science assessment in the testing year, making trend analysis unavailable and limiting what a single year tells. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so parents looking for detail on how those populations are served should ask the school directly.
The school sits in Wilson, a small city in eastern North Carolina that has undergone substantial economic transformation. Once known as the world's largest bright-leaf tobacco market, Wilson has pivoted to manufacturing (pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, aerospace), healthcare, data services, and education. The city's historic downtown is walkable and anchored by the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, the Amtrak station, and revived brick storefronts housing restaurants, breweries, and arts venues. Newer retail and residential development has concentrated in the northwestern parts of the city.
Wilson is in a pronounced growth phase. Since 2020 the city has built more housing than in the preceding eleven years combined, driven by major life-science facility announcements including new plants from Johnson & Johnson, Reckitt, Schott Pharma, and IDEXX. Multiple large subdivisions are approved or underway. A new minor-league baseball stadium with an attached hotel is set to open adjacent to Whirligig Park in 2026. For families moving to the area, this growth context matters: housing values in the zip code are moderate compared to state and national benchmarks, but Wilson County completed its first property revaluation since the early 2000s in 2024, and despite a decrease in the tax rate, countywide assessed values rose substantially enough that the average homeowner's monthly property taxes are estimated to have increased. The new Frederick Douglass Elementary School is locally financed through long-term borrowing, adding to the district's capital obligations and the cost of ownership for incoming residents.
The immediate context for Elm City families is that Frederick Douglass is currently in a temporary facility in its third year of displacement. The district's 2022 decision to close Winstead Elementary and Toisnot Middle, with the possibility of further consolidations, signals ongoing facilities pressure and long-range uncertainty. At the same time, the county's commitment to rebuilding Frederick Douglass on its original site with local tax dollars, rather than demolishing or consolidating the school, reflects confidence in the school's role in the community. Parents should clarify directly with the school what staffing, programming, and services look like in the temporary space, and what the transition plan will be when the new building opens.
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