Paul R Brown Leadership Academy

Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy, located in Elizabethtown, NC, is the only school in this listing and operates as its own district, Paul R Brown Leadership Academy, serving roughly 199 students in grades 6–12 with a very high poverty rate (98.49% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility) and a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio.

Since only one school is represented, the most useful insights come from comparing Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy to North Carolina state averages. The school's biggest strengths are in 8th grade: 8th-grade science proficiency is 88% versus 68.6% statewide, 8th-grade math is 76% versus 53%, and 8th-grade reading also edges out the state (60% vs. 56.1%). Biology EOC and the graduation rate beat state averages as well (62.5% vs. 58.5% for Biology; 89.3% vs. 88.8% for graduation). Challenges appear in the early middle grades, however. Only 33.3% of 6th graders and 32.3% of 7th graders scored proficient in reading — roughly 20 points below state averages — while English II (54.8% vs. 64.6%), Math I (36.4% vs. 42.1%), and Math III (61.7% vs. 68.9%) also trail the state.

The school has earned a 2-star rating for three consecutive years and currently ranks 402nd out of 662 North Carolina schools (39th percentile) for 2025-2026. The most striking pattern is year-over-year volatility, which is likely due to small cohorts spread across grades 6–12. For instance, 8th-grade science soared from 25% to 88% proficiency in a single year, while Math I EOC tumbled from 71.4% to 36.4%. For parents, this means test scores can swing meaningfully as different groups of students pass through the school. Overall, Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy posts impressive 8th-grade and science results despite its high-poverty context, but 6th- and 7th-grade reading remains a clear area of concern that deserves early intervention before students reach high school coursework.