Elementary Schools in Pender County Schools

Summary:

The Pender County Schools district in North Carolina is home to 9 elementary schools, serving students from kindergarten through 5th grade. The data reveals stark disparities in academic performance among these schools, with a few standouts consistently ranking among the top in the state.

At the top of the district are Topsail Annandale Elementary School, North Topsail Elementary, and South Topsail Elementary. These schools boast exceptional math and reading proficiency, 5-star ratings, and relatively low rates of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating more affluent student populations. In contrast, schools like Cape Fear Elementary, C.F. Pope Elementary, and Malpass Corner Elementary struggle academically, with lower proficiency rates and higher percentages of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The data suggests that socioeconomic factors play a significant role in academic achievement within the Pender County Schools district. Addressing these disparities and replicating the successful strategies of the top-performing schools could be key to improving educational outcomes across the district.

District Detail

925 Penderlea Hwy
Burgaw, NC 28425

(910) 259-2187

SchoolDigger Rank:
115^th of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2025 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-13
Students: 11,073

Primary Schools: 9
Middle Schools: 5
High Schools: 4
Alternative Schools: 1

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Malpass Corner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4992 Malpass Corner Road	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 283-5889	513	29	17.5	98.1%	188 (36.6%)	135 (26.3%)	159 (31.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.5%)	18.7	1302^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	12.6%		18.2	1308^th of 1505 public elementary schools	13.1%	6	32.1	44.6	58.6				16.0	34.2	35.7				47.1		$11,511	$1,863	$9,647
C.F. Pope Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 North Wright Street	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 259-0145	530	33	16.1	97.7%	189 (35.7%)	181 (34.2%)	103 (19.4%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	48 (9.1%)	13.9	1365^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.4%		15.3	1358^th of 1505 public elementary schools	9.8%	7	38.2	42.7	36.8				20.6	46.7	32.2				33.3		$9,705	$1,200	$8,505
Penderlea Elementary	Public	K-8	11 Garden Road	Willard	28478	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 285-2761	468	33	14.1	99.4%	235 (50.2%)	83 (17.7%)	108 (23.1%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (7.3%)	36.6	971^st of 1490 public elementary schools	34.8%		34.2	1022^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	32.1%	51	55.6	65.1	56.5	47.5	51.4	50.0	27.8	44.2	42.0	47.5	42.9	40.4	55.1	38.5	$9,390	$895	$8,495
Rocky Point Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	255 Elementary School Road	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 675-2309	403	29	13.7	99.3%	145 (36.0%)	55 (13.6%)	189 (46.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	62.5	522^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	65.0%		59.2	598^th of 1505 public elementary schools	60.3%	76	68.8	68.3	78.5				40.6	55.6	50.8				72.3		$11,562	$1,485	$10,077
South Topsail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	997 Hoover Road	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-2756	618	38	16.1	99.5%	475 (76.9%)	19 (3.1%)	67 (10.8%)	8 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (7.3%)	77	297^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.1%		84	187^th of 1505 public elementary schools	87.6%	110	78.2	77.6	68.4				61.8	70.6	63.2				65.0		$10,357	$486	$9,871
North Topsail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1310 Sloop Point Loop Road	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-0694	529	33	15.9	99.1%	450 (85.1%)	12 (2.3%)	36 (6.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.3%)	85.5	165^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.9%		88.8	130^th of 1505 public elementary schools	91.4%	35	82.5	89.3	80.0				51.8	75.7	76.8				75.8		$9,936	$444	$9,492
Cape Fear Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1882 NC Hwy 133	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 602-3767	533	37	14.4	99.4%	287 (53.8%)	46 (8.6%)	164 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.2%)	30.2	1088^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.0%		33.3	1042^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	30.8%	46	47.4	60.7	42.1				30.8	42.9	32.9				60.5		$10,210	$1,054	$9,156
Topsail Annandale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	17385 US Hwy 17	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-1977	580	34	17.0	19.8%	502 (86.6%)	13 (2.2%)	42 (7.2%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.9%)	90.3	106^th of 1490 public elementary schools	92.9%		93.3	68^th of 1505 public elementary schools	95.5%	38	85.0	80.2					64.7	80.2							$8,786	$660	$8,125
Surf City Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12345-A Literacy Lane	Hampstead	28445	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 928-0067	857	51	16.8	99.6%	684 (79.8%)	25 (2.9%)	79 (9.2%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (7.2%)	66.8	451^st of 1490 public elementary schools	69.7%		78.4	274^th of 1505 public elementary schools	81.8%	177	67.9	68.1	57.4				47.4	72.3	63.9				67.1		$7,721	$547	$7,175

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
New Hanover County Schools	14.11 mi	43	78^th
NCDPS Juvenile Education Services	15.7 mi	10
Columbus County Schools	15.72 mi	12	177^th
STEM Education for a Global Society-SEGS	15.85 mi	1
Classical Charter Schools of Leland	16.06 mi	1	32^nd

See the top NC North Carolina districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.