Best Public Schools in Landis, NC

Landis, North Carolina is home to two public schools in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools district: Landis Elementary (K–5, 613 students) and Corriher Lipe Middle (6–8, 457 students). There is no high school in the city, so students leave Landis after 8th grade to continue their education. Both schools serve almost entirely low-income families, with roughly 99% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and the district itself ranks in the bottom fifth of North Carolina districts.

Despite nearly identical poverty levels, the two schools tell very different stories. Landis Elementary is a relative bright spot: it ranks in the 54th percentile statewide (3 stars) and beats the district average in math, reading, and science, while also exceeding the state average in math (66.3% vs 63.6%) and 5th-grade science (68.2% vs 67.7%). Its chronic absenteeism rate of 18.8% is well below both district and state averages. Corriher Lipe Middle, on the other hand, ranks in the bottom fifth of North Carolina middle schools (1 star, 19th percentile). Its proficiency rates trail the state by wide margins — 8th-grade reading is 31.4% vs 56.1% statewide, and 8th-grade science is 43.8% vs 68.6%. More than one in three students (37.6%) is chronically absent, nearly double the rate at the elementary school.

For parents, the biggest takeaways are these: Landis Elementary shows that a high-poverty school can post competitive results, though early-grade reading (46.3% proficiency in 3rd grade vs 55.6% statewide) remains its most urgent need. Corriher Lipe Middle is making real progress in math — 6th-grade math improved from 36.7% to 44.8% — but 8th-grade reading dropped sharply and science lags far behind. With no high school in Landis, Corriher Lipe is the last stop before students transition out of the city, making its absenteeism problem and 8th-grade reading and science gaps especially important to address.