Tiller School

Schools in the Tiller School area consist of a single elementary school, Tiller School, serving grades K–5 in Beaufort, NC, operating as its own one-school district, Tiller School.

Tiller School stands out as a consistently high-performing elementary school, earning a 4-star rating from the state for three straight years and ranking in the top quartile of North Carolina elementary schools — as high as the 81st percentile in 2024–25. Reading is the school’s clearest strength: Tiller beat the state average in every grade-level reading comparison, most dramatically in 4th grade in 2024–25, where 83.3% of students were proficient versus 58.1% statewide. Math is also generally strong, with five of six grade-year results above the state average, and science proficiency exceeded the state level in both available years. Attendance is a positive supporting factor as well: the chronic absenteeism rate is 15.0%, well below the statewide 24.2%, and the student-teacher ratio of 11.4 suggests small classes and individualized attention for its 206 students.

The main area to watch is 4th grade math in 2025–26, where Tiller’s proficiency rate of 56.7% fell 4.7 points below the state average — a notable exception given that 3rd and 5th grade math in the same year were both well above the state. It is worth keeping in mind that enrollment is small, with likely only 30–35 students per grade, so even large swings from year to year can reflect just a few students. Cohort changes reinforce that: the group moving from 4th to 5th grade between 2024–25 and 2025–26 saw math jump from 63.3% to 83.3%, while reading fell from 83.3% to 73.3%. Overall, Tiller School offers a consistently strong reading program, above-average math and science in most areas, low chronic absenteeism, and a favorable student-teacher ratio, making it a solid choice for families seeking a small, effective elementary school in the Beaufort area.