Dabney Elementary

As an intimate elementary school in Henderson, North Carolina, Dabney Elementary educates 385 students from grades pre-K through 5, overseen by Vance County Schools.

Within Vance County Schools, which oversees 16 schools and 5,205 students, Dabney Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Dabney Elementary lists that Black students make up the majority at 75%. The remainder consists of 9% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% multiracial. By comparison, Vance County as a whole is about 47% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Dabney Elementary shows 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.8:1. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 98% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Dabney Elementary falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 49.0%; this one comes in at 31.1%, -18.0 points off the demographic line.

Zooming out to the county, Vance County reports that median household income runs about $50,465, 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Dabney Elementary is one of 19 public schools in Vance County (combined enrollment of about 7,495 students).

Vance Co Early College is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Dabney Elementary ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 60.2%.

Dabney Elementary operates from a rural location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Dabney Elementary's enrollment has declined 30% since 2018, when it stood at 551 (now 385). Over the same period, the White share fell from 21% to 9%.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.