T S Cooper Elementary

T S Cooper Elementary, a very small elementary campus in Sunbury, North Carolina, operated by Gates County Schools, educates 170 students, covering grades K through 5. That puts it 64% smaller than the typical public school in North Carolina, which averages around 467 students.

Gates County Schools runs 5 schools in total, collectively educating 1,410 students. T S Cooper Elementary is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, T S Cooper Elementary lists that 62% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 25% Black, 6% multiracial, 5% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Gates County as a whole.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, T S Cooper Elementary has 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.0:1. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 57% of students at T S Cooper Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, T S Cooper Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 61.4%; this one delivers 61.9%.

Across the wider county, census data for Gates County shows median household earnings sit near $66,333, 11% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Gates County's 5 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,410 students), T S Cooper Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Gates County Senior High, roughly 5.6 miles away. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts T S Cooper Elementary at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 49.6%.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at T S Cooper Elementary has fell 23%, going from 221 students in 2018 to 170 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment edged down from 31% to 25% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 11.6:1 in 2018 to 14.0:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the T S Cooper Elementary community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.