Best Public Schools in Advance, NC

Advance, North Carolina is served by just two public schools in Davie County Schools— Shady Grove Elementary (PK-5, 492 students) and William Ellis Middle (6-8, 437 students)—together forming a compact, academically strong PK-8 pipeline with no public high school within city limits. Both schools outperform their district, which itself ranks above the state average, and both post proficiency rates that are consistently higher than North Carolina’s in nearly every tested subject. Shady Grove is the academic standout, ranking in the 87th percentile of elementary schools statewide for 2025-2026, with math proficiency averaging 82.3%, reading at 68.7%, and 5th grade science at 81.6%. William Ellis holds its own as a science powerhouse, with 84% of 8th graders proficient in science, but its overall math and reading averages (67.9% and 63.0%) are well below Shady Grove’s, reflecting a typical middle-school dip.

Compared side by side, the two schools show clear differences in student demographics and resources. William Ellis Middle serves a more economically disadvantaged population (38.67% free/reduced lunch) than Shady Grove Elementary (27.44%), yet William Ellis receives more per-student funding ($9,860 vs. $8,932) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (14.1:1 vs. 15.8:1). Chronic absenteeism is low at both schools—10.4% at Shady Grove and 13.5% at William Ellis—compared to 18.5% for the district and 24.2% for the state. That low absenteeism is likely a major asset for learning.

The most notable trend is a recent decline. Shady Grove Elementary saw reading proficiency drop from 76.5% to 68.7% in one year, driven largely by a 16.6-point fall in 4th grade reading, while math stayed flat. William Ellis Middle dropped across all subjects, with 8th grade science falling from 91.5% to 84.0% and its state ranking sliding from the 90th to the 76th percentile over three years. Still, science remains a shared strength at both schools, far above state averages. Because Advance has no high school, families should look beyond city limits for 9th-12th grade options, but the PK-8 system here is clearly performing above state norms and offers a stable, low-absentee environment.