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What's the biggest difference between West Columbus School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
814
Elementary
DISTRICT 473 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COLUMBUS COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370096003621
West Columbus School
7685 Andrew Jackson Hwy SW, Cerro Gordo, NC 28430 · (910) 654-4250 · Columbus County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL814 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats 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
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
49 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.4:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
811 students
DISTRICT 99% · 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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 38 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 59 | 7% |
| Grade 1 | 70 | 9% |
| Grade 2 | 79 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 71 | 9% |
| Grade 4 | 82 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 79 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 110 | 14% |
| Grade 7 | 116 | 14% |
| Grade 8 | 110 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (59) is 46% smaller than its 8th grade class (110).
Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · STATE 71% · US 70%
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
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
38.1%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
35.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 38 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
39.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 39% 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 West Columbus School
West Columbus School's state test result (39.0% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Columbus School this school | 814 | 99.6% | 39.0% |
| Red Oak Elementary Red Oak | 696 | 99.6% | 58.6% |
| Gallberry Farm Elementary Hope Mills | 883 | 99.7% | 60.6% |
| Belmont Elementary School Roanoke Rapids | 614 | 99.5% | 55.8% |
| Manning Elementary School Roanoke Rapids | 630 | 99.5% | 55.3% |
| Alderman Road Elementary Fayetteville | 655 | 96.2% | 55.9% |
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 West Columbus School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Columbus County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #1,121 of 1,297 | #7 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.9% | #1,197 of 1,296 | #8 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.1% | #1,006 of 1,300 | #7 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 814 | #71 of 1,485 | #2 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #1,136 of 1,377 | #6 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.9% | #582 of 1,379 | #6 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.6% | #22 of 1,414 | #1 of 10 |
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.
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 814 | 49.1 | 16.6:1 | 100% (811) |
| 2023-24 | 812 | 54.4 | 14.9:1 | 100% (809) |
| 2022-23 | 778 | 49 | 15.9:1 | 100% (775) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Columbus School.
About West Columbus School
West Columbus School sits in Cerro Gordo, North Carolina, and is classified as an elementary school. The school serves pre-K through 8. Enrollment is 814 students. That is 74% bigger than the average of about 467 students for elementary schools in North Carolina.
Columbus County Schools is made up of 12 schools with 5,440 students in all.
At West Columbus School, 51% of students are White. The remaining students are 31% Black, 9% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. Census figures show Columbus County is about 60% White. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, West Columbus School scores 63%.
The school had 49.1 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25. Its student-to-teacher ratio is 16.6:1. The gap from the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina is 1.7 students per teacher. The school reported 100% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. The figure for public schools in Columbus County is close, at 98%.
West Columbus School holds a D allk12 Grade, placing it above 13% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
On BeatsExpectations, West Columbus School is 9.5 points below its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of North Carolina schools.
For Columbus County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $49,442, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 15%, and about 15% of people live in poverty. There are 21 public schools in the county, enrolling about 8,386, West Columbus School among them.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, West Columbus High, is about 0.4 miles. There are 3 other public schools within ten miles. Among the 6 closest schools with test data, this one included, West Columbus School ranks 4th on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes West Columbus School as Rural: Remote.
People can post here about special education services, counseling, and support programs and other school topics. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Columbus County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
50,140
Census ACS
Median income
$49,442
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
21
8,386 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Columbus County Schools
- South Columbus HighHigh · 669 students
- Williams TownshipElementary · 659 students
- Tabor City SchoolElementary · 598 students
- East Columbus Junior-Senior HighHigh · 576 students
- West Columbus HighHigh · 459 students
- Hallsboro-Artesia ElementaryElementary · 394 students
Nearby schools
- West Columbus High0.4 mi · 459
- Chadbourn Elementary6.3 mi · 233
- Columbus Career and College Academy8.5 mi · 230
- Orrum Middle10.4 mi · 294
- Classical Charter Schools of Whiteville10.4 mi · 842
- Whiteville Primary12.5 mi · 486
Frequently asked questions
About West Columbus SchoolHow large is West Columbus School?
West Columbus School enrolls approximately 814 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does West Columbus School serve?
West Columbus School serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many teachers does West Columbus School have?
West Columbus School employs 49 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.6:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at West Columbus School?
At West Columbus School, the student body is approximately 51% White, 9% Hispanic, 31% Black, 8% Two or more.
Is West Columbus School public or private?
West Columbus School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Columbus County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.