Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools School District

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools serves 52,157 students across 81 schools in northwestern North Carolina, making it one of the state's larger urban districts. With 78 ranked schools carrying an average score of 6.4 out of 10, the district lands in solid mid-range territory — a useful baseline when you're comparing options across the region.

Academic performance varies meaningfully by school, so location within the district matters. The top performers are concentrated at the elementary level. Piney Grove Elementary leads the district with a 9.2 out of 10, the highest score among all 81 schools. Sedge Garden Elementary follows closely at 9.1. Diggs-Latham and Old Richmond Elementary both score 8.8, and Smith Farm Elementary rounds out the top five at 8.7. Parents prioritizing elementary academics have real choices here — five schools scoring 8.7 or above signals a cluster of high performers, not a single outlier.

The district-wide average of 6.4 tells a more complete story. That figure reflects the full range of schools across Winston-Salem and surrounding Forsyth County communities, including schools serving higher concentrations of economically disadvantaged students. Parents should weigh individual school scores against the district average when evaluating a specific address. A school sitting at or above 7.0 is performing above the district mean; anything approaching the 8s or 9s represents a significant advantage over the typical experience in this system.

For families moving to Forsyth County, the practical takeaway is straightforward. The district offers genuine high performers at the elementary level, particularly in the 9-point range, but the spread between top and bottom schools is wide. Using school scores alongside your home search — rather than relying on district reputation alone — will give you a clearer picture of what your child is likely to walk into on the first day of school. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools gives parents enough ranked data to make a precise, informed comparison.