Best Elementary Schools in Rockingham, NC

Rockingham, North Carolina is home to four public elementary schools serving roughly 1,610 students across grades PK-5 and K-5: L J Bell Elementary, East Rockingham Elementary, Washington Street Elementary, and West Rockingham Elementary, all part of Richmond County Schools, a district ranked 188th of 246 in North Carolina. Each school serves an extremely high-poverty community, with 96% to 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch — yet a wide gap in performance separates them.

L J Bell Elementary is the clear standout: it ranks in the 37th percentile statewide (934 of 1,492 schools), carries a 2-star rating, and leads the city with a combined EOG proficiency average of 53.5%. West Rockingham Elementary sits at the opposite end — 4th percentile — with a combined proficiency of just 33.7%, and its 4th-grade math proficiency collapsed from 47.2% to 10.9% in a single year after falling from the 30th percentile in 2023–24 to its current position. Washington Street Elementary (10th percentile) has the city's highest chronic absenteeism at 35.2% and dramatic grade-level swings, while East Rockingham Elementary (5th percentile) has slipped from the 15th percentile in 2023–24, with reading proficiency stuck near 32.5%.

Several broader insights stand out. Poverty alone does not explain the gaps — all four schools have nearly identical free/reduced-price lunch rates, yet L J Bell outperforms West Rockingham by roughly 20 points, proof that school-level practices matter. Reading is the most urgent citywide weakness: even L J Bell’s 45.3% reading average trails the state’s 56.2%, and the other three schools sit in the low 30s. Spending is not a reliable predictor of success, either: West Rockingham has the smallest classes (14:1) and the highest per-student spending ($10,508), yet the weakest results, while L J Bell spends the least ($9,668) and achieves the most. Chronic absenteeism is another serious concern, averaging 27.7% across the four schools versus 24.2% statewide. L J Bell proves strong outcomes are possible in this community; East Rockingham, Washington Street, and West Rockingham require targeted, school-specific support to reverse their downward trends.