Enrollment
290
Elementary
DISTRICT 389 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHATHAM COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370075000305
Bonlee School
152 Bonlee School Road, Bear Creek, NC 27207 · (919) 837-5316 · Chatham County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL290 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 47% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.1:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
287 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 82%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 23 | 8% |
| Grade 1 | 41 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 30 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 30 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 41 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 32 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 21 | 7% |
| Grade 7 | 48 | 17% |
| Grade 8 | 24 | 8% |
This year's kindergarten class (23) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (24).
Student demographics
48%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
45.7%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
55.0%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
53.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Bonlee School
Bonlee School's state test result (53.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonlee School this school | 290 | 99.0% | 53.2% |
| Mt Ulla Elementary Mount Ulla | 281 | 98.9% | 68.6% |
| Silk Hope School Siler City | 281 | 98.9% | 59.6% |
| Sylvan Elementary Snow Camp | 298 | 99.0% | 40.3% |
| Pilot Elementary Thomasville | 321 | 98.8% | 58.2% |
| Mangum Elementary Bahama | 315 | 99.0% | 75.4% |
Matched among North Carolina elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Bonlee School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Chatham County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 53.2% | #727 of 1,297 | #9 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.0% | #757 of 1,296 | #8 of 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.7% | #764 of 1,300 | #9 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 290 | #1,204 of 1,485 | #6 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.9:1 | #457 of 1,377 | #9 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 47.9% | #1,031 of 1,379 | #5 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.0% | #667 of 1,414 | #5 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.5% | #765 of 937 | #9 of 9 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
290
-19 (-6%) vs 2020
-4% since 1990-91, when it was 303
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
was 12.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 290 | 20.8 | 13.9:1 | 99% (287) |
| 2023-24 | 294 | 21.7 | 13.5:1 | 64% (189) |
| 2022-23 | 292 | 21.3 | 13.7:1 | 61% (178) |
| 2020-21 | 309 | 24 | 12.9:1 | 51% (159) |
| 2017-18 | 307 | 22.1 | 13.9:1 | 50% (155) |
| 2015-16 | 327 | 24 | 13.6:1 | 54% (178) |
| 2010-11 | 383 | 26 | 14.7:1 | 49% (188) |
| 2000-01 | 494 | 28 | 17.6:1 | 25% (124) |
| 1990-91 | 303 | 17 | 17.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Bonlee School.
Since 2017-18: students down 6% (307 to 290); teachers down 6% (22.1 to 20.8).
About Bonlee School
Bonlee School is a low-enrollment elementary school located in Bear Creek, North Carolina. The school serves kindergarten through 8. Enrollment is 290 students. By comparison, elementary schools in North Carolina enroll about 467 students on average.
Across its 21 schools, Chatham County Schools enrolls 8,987 students. Bonlee School is one of those schools.
Of every 100 students at Bonlee School, about 69 are White. The rest of enrollment is 19% Hispanic, 9% Black, and 3% multiracial. Among Chatham County residents, the White share is about 71%. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 48%.
Bonlee School has 20.8 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.9:1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in North Carolina is 14.9:1. At Bonlee School, 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. That rate is above the 74% average among public schools in Chatham County.
Bonlee School earns a B- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 47% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
On BeatsExpectations, Bonlee School is 4.6 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of North Carolina schools.
Census data for Chatham County show the median household earns about $94,317 a year, 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Chatham County number 25, with about 10,374 students.
Chatham Central High sits about 2.7 miles from Bonlee School. Bonlee School has 3 other public schools within five miles. Bonlee School comes in 3rd of 6 nearby schools on average proficiency.
Federal records code the school's setting as Rural: Distant.
By 2024-25, enrollment had dropped to 290, from 309 in 2020-21. By 2024-25, the school had 13.9 students per teacher, compared with 12.9 in 2020-21.
People who know Bonlee School can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Chatham County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
80,151
Census ACS
Median income
$94,317
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
49%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
25
10,374 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Chatham County Schools
- Seaforth HighHigh · 1,088 students
- Jordan-Matthews HighHigh · 848 students
- Margaret B. Pollard MiddleMiddle · 736 students
- Chatham Grove ElementaryElementary · 683 students
- Northwood HighHigh · 634 students
- Siler City ElementaryElementary · 591 students
Nearby schools
- Chatham Central High2.7 mi · 320
- Chatham Middle4.6 mi · 513
- Virginia Cross Elementary4.9 mi · 494
- Jordan-Matthews High5.8 mi · 848
- J S Waters School6.1 mi · 222
- Chatham Early College6.4 mi · 113
Frequently asked questions
About Bonlee SchoolHow many students attend Bonlee School?
Bonlee School enrolls approximately 290 students in grades KG-08.
Is Bonlee School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Bonlee School is an elementary school covering grades KG-08.
How many teachers does Bonlee School have?
Bonlee School employs 21 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Bonlee School?
Student demographics at Bonlee School are roughly 69% White, 19% Hispanic, 9% Black, 3% Two or more.
What district is Bonlee School in?
Bonlee School is part of Chatham County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.