Union Elementary

Union Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in Clinton, North Carolina, one of the schools within Sampson County Schools. The school caters to 466 students in grades pre-K through 2.

Sampson County Schools comprises 18 schools with combined enrollment of 7,986 students; Union Elementary is among them.

On the student-mix side, Union Elementary records that 58% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest breaks down as 20% Black, 19% White. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 22%.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.0:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 99% of students at Union Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Sampson County) reports that median household earnings sit near $52,432, roughly 16% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Sampson County runs 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,001 students), of which Union Elementary is one.

Union High is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.2 miles from this campus. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 25%: 622 students in 2018 compared to 466 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 13.5:1 in 2018 to 12.0:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.