Edward Best Elementary

Edward Best Elementary is a primary school of medium-sized scale in Louisburg, North Carolina, overseen by Franklin County Schools, serveing 498 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Across the 16 schools in Franklin County Schools (7,978 students total), Edward Best Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Edward Best Elementary reports that 43% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest looks like 27% Hispanic, 23% Black, 7% multiracial. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 62%.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.9:1, putting Edward Best Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 99% of students at Edward Best Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Franklin County (around 82%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Edward Best Elementary is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 48.5%; this one delivers 70.5%, a residual of +22.0 points.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Franklin County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $74,240 per year, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. In all, Franklin County runs 19 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,614 students), of which Edward Best Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Terrell Lane Middle, around 6.1 miles off. 7 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Edward Best Elementary ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 51.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Edward Best Elementary has edged down 4%, going from 518 students in 2018 to 498 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share edged down from 31% to 23%. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 15.9:1 in 2018 to 13.9:1 today.

On this page, members of the Edward Best Elementary community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.