Merrick-Moore Elementary vs Oak Grove Elementary

Oak Grove Elementary holds a meaningfully higher overall rating than Merrick-Moore Elementary — 9.1 out of 10 versus 8.7 out of 10 — but the gap in state rank tells a sharper story. Oak Grove Elementary sits at #55 of 2,648 North Carolina elementary schools, placing it in the top 2 percent statewide. Merrick-Moore Elementary ranks #167 of 2,648, which is still a strong top-7-percent placement, but the 112-position difference reflects a real performance distinction between two schools just 2.6 miles apart in Durham.

The academic score drives most of that gap. Oak Grove Elementary scores 8.0 out of 10 on academics compared to Merrick-Moore Elementary's 6.4 — a 1.6-point delta that represents a concrete difference in tested proficiency outcomes. Growth, however, is nearly a wash: Merrick-Moore Elementary earns a 9.8 out of 10 on growth while Oak Grove Elementary scores 9.9, meaning both schools are exceptional at accelerating students forward from their starting points. A family whose child enters below grade level will find strong momentum at either campus.

Despite the academic gap, both schools share identical student demographics. Merrick-Moore Elementary and Oak Grove Elementary each report 99 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, so neither serves a more economically advantaged population that would inflate its raw proficiency numbers. The student-teacher ratio is also identical at 12.4:1 at both schools, meaning class sizes are not a differentiating factor. Merrick-Moore Elementary enrolls 535 students versus Oak Grove Elementary's 448, giving Oak Grove a somewhat smaller campus feel overall.

One concrete structural difference separates the two campuses: Oak Grove Elementary serves grades PK through 5, offering a Pre-K entry point that Merrick-Moore Elementary does not. Merrick-Moore Elementary begins at Kindergarten. For families with a four-year-old, Oak Grove Elementary is the only option of the two, and an early placement there creates a longer relationship with the school community before the transition to middle school.