Summary:
Guilford Preparatory Academy is the only school in the Guilford Preparatory Academy district, a K-8 campus in Greensboro, NC, serving 672 students. Although the data labels it an elementary school, it actually educates students from kindergarten through 8th grade. The school serves an extremely high-poverty population, with 99.55% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite that challenge, chronic absenteeism is notably lower than the state average (18.6% vs. 24.2%), and the school has climbed from the bottom quartile of state rankings in 2023-2024 to a 2-star, near-median rating in the latest year.
Academically, Guilford Preparatory Academy shows clear strengths in early-grade math. In 2025-2026, 3rd grade math proficiency was 68.3% (above the state's 66.4%), 5th grade math was 64.4% (above the state's 62.9%), and 7th grade math hit 59.2% (above the state's 56.2%). Overall math proficiency has improved, but the school still trails the state, with the biggest concern in 8th grade where only 37.5% are proficient in math, a 15.5-point gap. Reading is consistently below state averages in every grade, with the widest deficit in 5th grade (41.4% proficient vs. 55.3% statewide). There are pockets of strength, though: 4th grade reading (55.6%) and 8th grade reading (50.0%) actually outperform math in those same grades.
Year-over-year changes have been dramatic, likely reflecting different groups of students rather than steady trends. For example, 7th grade math jumped from 32.6% to 59.2% in one year, while 5th grade reading dropped from 51.5% to 41.4%. The school's overall trajectory is positive since its 2023-2024 low point, but the biggest opportunity for improvement lies in middle-grade math, especially 8th grade, and in raising reading proficiency across all grades. Guilford Preparatory Academy is a high-need school showing notable resilience and progress, with strong early math instruction as a foundation to build on.
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