Best Public Schools in Kittrell, NC

The city of Kittrell, North Carolina, has just one public school: Zeb Vance Elementary, an elementary school serving grades PK–5 within the Vance County Schools district. With 298 students and no middle or high schools in the Kittrell data set, this summary looks closely at Zeb Vance Elementary and compares it against district and state benchmarks.

Zeb Vance Elementary is a high-poverty school — 98.99 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and its performance reflects deep systemic challenges. Chronic absenteeism runs at 42.1 percent, which is better than the district's alarming 52.8 percent rate but nearly double the state average of 24.2 percent. In the 2025–2026 school year, the school ranked 1,379 out of 1,492 North Carolina schools (bottom 8 percent) and earned zero stars. School-wide EOG proficiency was 39.5 percent, nearly matching the district's 40.5 percent but falling roughly 21.5 percentage points below the state average of 61 percent. Mathematics is the most consistent weakness, with every grade level trailing the state by at least 22 points.

There are real signs of momentum, however. From 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, proficiency rose in six of seven tested subject/grade combinations, lifting the school-wide average from about 30.8 to 39.5 percent. The standout gain was 5th grade science, which jumped from 31.6 to 48.5 percent proficiency. Fourth grade is the school's relative strength, particularly reading, where 49 percent of students scored proficient — 12.2 points above the district. Third grade reading improved dramatically from 16.7 to 31.1 percent yet remains far below the state's 55.6 percent and warrants monitoring. Because the school enrolls just 298 students with roughly one class per grade, year-over-year swings should be interpreted with caution, but the upward trajectory is encouraging even as the school still has significant ground to make up.