Polenta Elementary

Public elementary school, pre-kindergarten to grade 5 · Garner, North Carolina

Polenta Elementary in Garner, North Carolina enrolled 1,010 students in 2024-25 with 63.2 full-time teachers, 16.0 students per teacher against the North Carolina elementary-school median of 14.7. It was not a Title I school in 2021-22; it takes part in the National School Lunch Program (2024-25). On the state tests, 53-57% of its students tested were proficient in math in 2021-22 (North Carolina: 50%).

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method

Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 8%

1,014 students in 2022-23, 993 students in 2023-24, 1,010 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 69.0 to 63.2.

Students enrolled at Polenta Elementary by school year2022-23: 1,014, 2023-24: 993, 2024-25: 1,01005001k1.5k2022-231,0142023-249932024-251,010
Students enrolled at Polenta Elementary by school year2022-23: 1,014, 2023-24: 993, 2024-25: 1,01005001k1.5k2022-231,0142023-249932024-251,010
Students enrolled at Polenta Elementary by school year2022-23: 1,014, 2023-24: 993, 2024-25: 1,01005001k1.5k2022-231,0142023-249932024-251,010
Students enrolled at Polenta Elementary by school year2022-23: 1,014, 2023-24: 993, 2024-25: 1,01005001k1.5k2022-231,0142023-249932024-251,010
The numbers as a table
School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,01469.014.7
2023-2499366.614.9
2024-251,01063.216.0

16.0 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 73 of every 100 North Carolina elementary schools

Among the 1,442 North Carolina elementary schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 14.7; the national median for elementary schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.

Students per teacher, North Carolina elementary schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.2 to 54.5; Polenta Elementary 16.0; state median 14.7.1 more above 30.0 →0102030students per full-time teacherPolenta Elementary 16.0state median 14.7U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, North Carolina elementary schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.2 to 54.5; Polenta Elementary 16.0; state median 14.7.1 more above 30.0 →0102030students per full-time teacherPolenta Elementary 16.0state median 14.7U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, North Carolina elementary schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.2 to 54.5; Polenta Elementary 16.0; state median 14.7.1 more above 30.0 →0102030students per full-time teacherPolenta Elementary 16.0state median 14.7U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, North Carolina elementary schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.2 to 54.5; Polenta Elementary 16.0; state median 14.7.1 more above 30.0 →0102030students per full-time teacherPolenta Elementary 16.0state median 14.7U.S. 14.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).

One counselor per 511 students in 2021-22

In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Polenta Elementary enrolled 1,021 students and had 2.0 counselors (full-time equivalent); it reported 63 out-of-school suspensions that year.

  • Advanced Placement coursesNone
  • Gifted and talented programYes
  • Counselors (FTE)2.0, one per 511 of the 1,021 students enrolled in 2021-22
  • Out-of-school suspensions63
  • Chronically absent19.5% (2022-23)

Who attends

47.6% of students were White, 27.9% Hispanic, 17.6% Black in 2024-25.

  1. White47.6%
  2. Hispanic27.9%
  3. Black17.6%
  4. Two or more races6.3%
  5. Asian0.3%
  6. American Indian0.2%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested at Polenta Elementary scored proficient or above: 53-57% in math, against 50% in math across North Carolina. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within North Carolina, not across states. No whole-school reading result is shown: ED's files give none for this school for 2021-22 or 2022-23. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis schoolIts districtNorth Carolina
Math53‑57%54%50%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive): ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Elementary schools in Garner

9 public elementary schools in Garner report 2024-25 enrollment; Polenta Elementary is the largest.

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunch
Polenta Elementary1,01016.098.0%
West View Elementary96916.298.5%
Bryan Road Elementary68513.932.4%
Vandora Springs Elementary58213.299.5%
Creech Road Elementary54913.099.5%
East Garner Elementary53513.599.4%
Rand Road Elementary39413.349.7%
Timber Drive Elementary39112.599.2%

All public schools in Garner →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.

What to look at next about Polenta Elementary

  1. Cleveland ElementaryThe nearest public elementary school, 1.8 miles away: 851 students, 19.0 per teacher (2024-25).1.8 mi
  2. West View ElementaryThe next nearest public elementary school, 3.5 miles away: 969 students, 16.2 per teacher (2024-25).3.5 mi
  3. Compare Polenta Elementary with Cleveland ElementaryStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
  4. How much Johnston County Public Schools spends per student$11,352 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$11,352
  5. The largest public schools in North CarolinaPolenta Elementary is the number 14 by size of 1,451 North Carolina elementary schools open in 2024-25.#14 of 1,451
  6. North Carolina schools by students per teacher16.0 students per teacher here against the North Carolina median of 14.7 for elementary schools.16.0:1
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.

Questions about Polenta Elementary

  1. How many students attend Polenta Elementary?
    1,010 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 1,014 in 2022-23. It is an elementary school in Garner, NC.
  2. What is the student-teacher ratio at Polenta Elementary?
    16.0 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the North Carolina median for elementary schools is 14.7. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
  3. Is Polenta Elementary a Title I school?
    Polenta Elementary was not a Title I school in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.
  4. How do students at Polenta Elementary do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested at Polenta Elementary scored proficient or above: 53-57% in math, against 50% in math across North Carolina. North Carolina's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.
  5. What district is Polenta Elementary in?
    Johnston County Public Schools, NCES district ID 3702370. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 370237002588 are the district's.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22

District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.

Compiled from official source data by .