Ridgewood Elementary

Ridgewood Elementary is an elementary school of mid-tier scale in Winterville, North Carolina, part of Pitt County Schools, instructing 700 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 467 students per school, that is 50% larger than typical.

Within Pitt County Schools, which oversees 40 schools and 24,470 students, Ridgewood Elementary is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Ridgewood Elementary shows that the largest single group is Black at 43%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder consists of 36% White, 9% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 4% Asian.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 48 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.6:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. About 100% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Ridgewood 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 48.4%; this one delivers 72.4%, a residual of +24.0 points.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Pitt County put median household earnings sit near $58,188, about 34% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 12%. In all, Pitt County runs 43 public schools (combined enrollment of about 25,202 students), of which Ridgewood Elementary is one.

PCS Early College High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Ridgewood Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Ridgewood Elementary at 1st of 8; the average score across the group is 51.3%.

The campus sits in a high-density setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Ridgewood Elementary's enrollment has shrank 7% since 2018, when it stood at 750 (now 700). Over the same period, the White share shrank from 41% to 36%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 16.0:1 in 2018 to 14.6:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.