Stokes

Stokes is a small, rural pre-kindergarten through 8th grade school in Stokes, NC, serving 218 students in the Pitt County Schools district. With nearly all of its students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, it is a very high-poverty school, yet it has climbed to a 3-star SchoolDigger rating and the 57th percentile statewide — a meaningful improvement from the 36th percentile in 2018-2019. Compared with neighboring schools, Stokes outperforms Bethel Elementary, Belvoir Elementary, Wahl Coates Elementary, South Greenville Elementary, Pactolus, and South Creek Elementary, while only trailing G R Whitfield, Eastern Elementary, and ECU Community School.

The school shines in science. In the latest year, 5th grade science proficiency hit 89.5% and 8th grade reached 87.0%, both far above district and state averages and stronger than every nearby school, including G R Whitfield. Fifth-grade math was also excellent at 89.5%. But academic performance is inconsistent across grades. For example, 7th graders had only 23.5% reading proficiency and 35.3% math proficiency, starkly below state averages, while other grades fared much better. With roughly 20 students per grade, one cohort can cause big swings from one year to the next — 8th grade math jumped from 20% to 69.6% between years. That small-school volatility, not overall quality, is what drives the uneven results.

For parents, the biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism. Stokes reports 29.0% of students missing enough school to be considered chronically absent, which is higher than the district rate of 21.7% and the state rate of 24.2%. In contrast, G R Whitfield has the same near-universal poverty level but only 15.1% chronic absenteeism and stronger academic outcomes. Only Pactolus and South Creek Elementary have worse attendance. Because Stokes already invests heavily per student and keeps class sizes small, improved attendance may be its most powerful lever to build consistent success and continue climbing the state rankings.