The bulletin board for America's public schools. Parents, teachers, students, and staff. One community per school.
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PENDER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370357003478

Surf City Elementary

12345-A Literacy Lane, Hampstead, NC 28445 · (910) 928-0067 · Pender County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL857 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 78% of North Carolina public elementary schools
  • B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • ABeats 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

Enrollment
857
Elementary
DISTRICT 559 · STATE 467
Student : Teacher
16.8:1
51 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
854 students
DISTRICT 82% · STATE 82%
Community
1
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

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K425%
Kindergarten11714%
Grade 112615%
Grade 213916%
Grade 314116%
Grade 414016%
Grade 515218%

This year's kindergarten class (117) is 23% smaller than its 5th grade class (152).

Student demographics
35%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 71% · US 70%
White
68480%
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 42% · US 43%
Hispanic
799%
DISTRICT 18% · STATE 22% · US 30%
Black
253%
DISTRICT 11% · STATE 25% · US 15%
Asian
30%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 4% · US 6%
Two+
627%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Native American
40%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 1% · US 1%
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
Male
44652%
Female
41148%

Discussions

+ POST

Test scores

NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)
English Language Arts
61.4%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
64.2%
NC avg 52.2%

What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
63.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+15.3pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 64% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% 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 Surf City Elementary

Surf City Elementary's state test result (63.7% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Surf City Elementary this school85799.6%63.7%
Chicod
Greenville
90299.7%77.7%
Hopewell Elementary School
Trinity
67999.6%72.4%
Hudson Elementary
Hudson
66597.0%59.8%
Granite Falls Elementary
Granite Falls
64799.2%64.1%
Fairview Elementary
Fairview
64697.4%74.0%
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 Surf City Elementary ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn North CarolinaIn Pender County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
63.7%#398 of 1,297#4 of 9
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
64.2%#501 of 1,296#5 of 9
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
61.4%#293 of 1,300#4 of 9
Enrollment
ranked largest first
857#47 of 1,485#1 of 9
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
16.8:1#1,187 of 1,377#7 of 9
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
34.8%#1,231 of 1,379#7 of 9
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
99.6%#13 of 1,414#1 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 2024-25
Enrollment
857
+272 (+46%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
16.8:1
was 16.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-258575116.8:1100% (854)
2023-248505017.0:134% (293)
2022-238084418.4:131% (249)
2020-215853616.3:124% (140)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Surf City Elementary.

About Surf City Elementary

Surf City Elementary is a public high-enrollment elementary school in Hampstead, North Carolina. School enrollment was 857 students in 2024-25, in pre-K through 5. The average among elementary schools in North Carolina is roughly 467 students; this school is 84% bigger than that.

Pender County Schools includes 19 schools. Together they enroll 11,073 students.

White students account for 80% of enrollment at Surf City Elementary. Other groups make up 9% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 3% Black. The chance that two students picked at random at Surf City Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 35%.

Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.8:1 at Surf City Elementary, with 51 full-time-equivalent teachers. Among elementary schools in North Carolina, the typical ratio is 14.9:1. The count of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch equals 100% of enrollment. It compares with 70% for public schools in Pender County.

allk12 grades Surf City Elementary an A-. The grade compares the school only with North Carolina public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.

On BeatsExpectations, Surf City Elementary is 15.3 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of North Carolina schools.

According to the American Community Survey, in Pender County, median household income is about $80,396, roughly 31% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Surf City Elementary is one of 19 public schools in Pender County, which together enroll about 11,073 students.

The closest public school to Surf City Elementary is Surf City Middle, less than a tenth of a mile away. Within ten miles of Surf City Elementary, there are at least 8 other public schools. In a group of 9 nearby schools with scores, Surf City Elementary ranks 8th on average proficiency.

For locale, NCES codes Surf City Elementary as Rural: Fringe.

Surf City Elementary enrolled 585 in 2020-21 and 857 in 2024-25. Changes in grade configuration can produce shifts of this size.

Discussion on this page can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.

Pender County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
65,550
Census ACS
Median income
$80,396
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
11,073 students

Quick facts

School name
Surf City Elementary
District
Pender County Schools
Address
12345-A Literacy Lane, Hampstead, NC 28445
Phone
(910) 928-0067
County
Pender County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
857
Teachers (FTE)
51
Student–teacher ratio
16.8:1
Free and reduced lunch
854 (100%)
Locale
41-Rural: Fringe
NCES ID
370357003478
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Pender County Schools
Other schools in Hampstead
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Surf City Elementary
How many students attend Surf City Elementary?
Surf City Elementary enrolls approximately 857 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Surf City Elementary serve?
Surf City Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Surf City Elementary?
Approximately 16.8:1 students per teacher at Surf City Elementary.
How diverse is Surf City Elementary?
Surf City Elementary reports a student body of 80% White, 9% Hispanic, 3% Black, 0% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Surf City Elementary in?
Surf City Elementary is part of Pender County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
+ Post