Summary:
Grifton, North Carolina, is served by one public PK–8 school—Grifton—which enrolls 395 students in the Pitt County Schools district. As a small school with a student-teacher ratio of 12.9, Grifton is the only school in the city, so the most meaningful comparisons are to district and state averages rather than other local schools. Nearly the entire student body (97.47%) qualifies for free or reduced lunch, making this a high-poverty school that nonetheless shows several notable strengths.
Within Grifton, the standout results appear in the early grades. Third grade math proficiency reached 71.8% in 2025–2026, topping the Pitt County Schools district average of 66.9% and the state's 66.4%, while third grade reading hit 65.0% compared to 54.1% in the district and 55.6% statewide. Fifth grade science is also exceptional at 76.2% proficiency, above both the district's 70.3% and the state's 67.7%. Overall science proficiency jumped from 52.6% to 68.3% year-over-year, and the school's state ranking has improved for three consecutive years, rising from the 26th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 40th percentile in 2025–2026.
However, schoolwide averages remain below district and state levels in math (51.1% vs. 62.7% district and 59.9% state) and reading (45.4% vs. 55.4% district and 56.0% state). Sixth grade is a particular concern: reading proficiency fell to 23.9% against a state average of 54.8%—a gap of roughly 30 percentage points—and math followed at 41.3%. Large year-to-year swings also point to cohort-level volatility. Chronic absenteeism is 23.6%, near the state average of 24.2%. For parents, the picture is mixed: Grifton shows promising early elementary instruction and strong science gains, but middle school literacy and math need attention. The upward ranking trend offers hope, even as the school remains below district and state averages overall.
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