Best Public Schools in Pinetown, NC

The city of Pinetown, North Carolina, is served by just two schools: Northside High, serving grades 9–12 with 380 students, and Northeast Elementary, serving grades PK–8 with 355 students, both part of Beaufort County Schools, a district ranked 95th out of 246 in North Carolina. Both schools serve communities with exceptionally high economic need, as roughly 99 percent of students at each school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Northside High is the clear standout. Its statewide percentile ranking has climbed from the 46th to the 58th percentile over three years, and its 90.8 percent graduation rate tops both the district (88.5 percent) and the state (88.8 percent). Chronic absenteeism sits at just 17.5 percent — far better than the district's 26.9 percent and the state's 24.2 percent — an especially meaningful accomplishment given near-universal poverty. In 2025–2026, Northside beat Beaufort County in every tested End-of-Course subject and also surpassed the state in Biology, Math I, and Math III. Math III is particularly impressive at 80.7 percent proficiency versus 68.9 percent statewide, and the school posted huge single-year gains in Biology (+17.7 points) and Math I (+16.7 points).

Northeast Elementary offers a more mixed profile. Its state percentile slipped to 39th after reaching the 43rd percentile the prior year. The school's clearest strength is science: 5th grade science sits at 71.4 percent proficiency, above the state's 67.7 percent, and 8th grade science reaches 66.7 percent, above the district. It also posts solid results in 3rd and 6th grade math and 6th grade reading. However, 4th grade reading (39.1 percent) and math (39.1 percent) and 7th grade reading (32.1 percent) fall well short of district and state averages, and scores swing dramatically from year to year — a likely sign of small cohorts and uneven instructional impact. Chronic absenteeism here is 24.6 percent, near the state average but considerably higher than Northside High's 17.5 percent. Since Northeast feeds directly into Northside, improving attendance and closing middle-grade gaps may be the clearest path toward lifting this entire two-school community.