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South Graham Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1391^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

In Graham, NC, South Graham Elementary is a medium-sized PK-5 school serving 518 students as part of the Alamance-Burlington Schools district. The student body reflects an extremely high level of economic need, with 99.4% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Attendance has been an area of real improvement: chronic absenteeism dropped from 33.2% in 2021-2022 to 24.4% in 2024-2025 — better than the district's 30.0% average and nearly matching the state's 24.2%. The school maintains a student-teacher ratio of roughly 15.2:1, and per-pupil spending of $10,049 is in line with neighboring schools.

Academically, the school sits in the bottom decile of North Carolina elementary schools, ranking 1,391 of 1,492 statewide (7th percentile) for 2025-2026. Proficiency rates trail the state by roughly 17–25 percentage points in every subject. For example, 43.7% of 3rd graders meet math standards versus 66.4% statewide, and only 42.5% of 5th graders meet science standards versus 67.7% statewide. The most instructive comparison may be Marvin B Smith Elementary, just five miles away. That school serves a nearly identical student population (99.3% free/reduced lunch), yet ranks in the 70th percentile, with 3rd-grade math proficiency of 80.3% versus 43.7% here — evidence that high poverty does not have to dictate low performance. Hillcrest Elementary and Eastlawn Elementary face similar demographic challenges, but no neighboring school pairs such similar poverty with such dramatically different outcomes.

There are a few relative bright spots. Reading is among the stronger subjects when compared with nearby low-performing schools, and African American students have shown meaningful gains, climbing from the 21st to the 33rd percentile statewide since 2023-2024. Still, low-income students here rank in the bottom 4% statewide, and improved attendance has not translated into higher achievement. The encouraging takeaway for parents is that the district already operates a school with nearly identical demographics and far stronger outcomes just a few miles away. These results are not inevitable — and local models worth studying already exist.

518

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

320 Ivey Road
Graham, NC 27253-3723

(336) 570-6520

District: Alamance-Burlington Schools

Students who attend South Graham Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Graham Middle
High:	Graham High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.6%

African American:

29.7%

White:

16.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2016 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg51%

North Carolina avg61%

1,391^st of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 15% (2016) to bottom 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

179^th of 246Alamance-Burlington Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.7	1391 of 1492	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.4	1272 of 1490	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	1270 of 1505	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	1327 of 1502	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	1224 of 1514	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.1	1207 of 1489	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	1219 of 1473	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	1286 of 1434	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.7	1324 of 1429	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	19.9	1211 of 1425	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.4	1275 of 1440	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.5	1227 of 1390	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	18.8	1205 of 1403	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.3	1134 of 1388	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.4	1062 of 1381	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.4	1015 of 1363	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	47.3	808 of 1354	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	39.1	880 of 1324	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.3	903 of 1293	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	48.5	737 of 1276	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.9	606 of 903	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.0	526 of 918	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.3	728 of 924	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	688 of 933	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.8	589 of 927	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.4	688 of 896	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	637 of 949	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.0	775 of 927	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	28.0	707 of 878	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.0	510 of 897	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	453 of 519	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.5	400 of 563	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.0	296 of 533	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.2	402 of 514	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.0	298 of 485	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.5	329 of 385	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	379 of 497	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.4	340 of 421	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.9	1298 of 1447	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	1205 of 1451	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	1225 of 1455	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	1263 of 1459	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	1137 of 1458	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	1060 of 1440	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	1210 of 1424	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.3	1315 of 1405	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	38.5	396 of 494	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.6	871 of 981	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.1	803 of 961	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.2	689 of 951	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	668 of 915	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.2	618 of 893	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.7	508 of 843	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.5	692 of 865	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	720 of 851	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.7	1370 of 1434	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.3	1162 of 1437	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	1202 of 1450	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	1212 of 1437	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	1140 of 1366	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.5	959 of 1329	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.0	1131 of 1361	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	1272 of 1332	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.2	1385 of 1451	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.3	1250 of 1450	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	1242 of 1464	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.7	1342 of 1461	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	1235 of 1464	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	1227 of 1444	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.5	1156 of 1430	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.9	1232 of 1413	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.4	723 of 815	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	589 of 801	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	1086 of 1172	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	950 of 1166	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	1124 of 1183	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.6	1129 of 1194	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	1111 of 1172	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	1020 of 1183	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	1112 of 1178	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)33rd percentile+26 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2021)20th percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)19th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)13th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)11th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)10th percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)7th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)5th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science42%-25 vs state

Mathematics40%-24 vs state

Reading39%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Graham Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
South Graham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	320 Ivey Road	Graham	27253	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6520	518	34	15.2	99.4%	86 (16.6%)	154 (29.7%)	226 (43.6%)	12 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.7%)	12.7	1391^st of 1492 public elementary schools	6.8%		20.4	1272^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	14.6%	119	43.7	37.2	38.4				36.6	40.7	38.4				42.5		$10,049	$1,265	$8,783
North Graham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1025 Trollinger Road	Graham	27253	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 578-2272	362	26	13.9	99.2%	62 (17.1%)	124 (34.3%)	134 (37.0%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	37 (10.2%)	3	1486^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.4%		2.5	1486^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.3%		34.0	32.8	18.8				21.3	29.3	16.7				18.8		$11,600	$1,691	$9,909
Harvey R Newlin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	316 Carden Street	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6125	491	32	15.2	99.4%	51 (10.4%)	146 (29.7%)	252 (51.3%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.5%)	7.3	1449^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.9%		4.3	1474^th of 1490 public elementary schools	1.1%	25	35.4	19.4	37.8				27.7	28.4	32.4				50.0		$9,853	$1,732	$8,121
Alamance Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	195 Kronbergs Court	Haw River	27258	Alamance County	Alamance Community School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(336) 270-5052	736	50	14.6		285 (38.7%)	238 (32.3%)	137 (18.6%)	15 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (8.0%)	35	1005^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.6%		32.5	1044^th of 1490 public elementary schools	29.9%	39	42.7	50.6	53.8	25.6	50.6	34.4	59.6	51.7	54.8	39.5	63.0	71.9	67.7	68.8
R Homer Andrews Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2630 Buckingham Road	Burlington	27217	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6170	498	40	12.3	99.4%	36 (7.2%)	112 (22.5%)	321 (64.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.4%)	29.1	1111^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.5%		15.6	1342^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	9.9%	231	60.2	46.3	38.1				52.3	43.9	42.9				57.1		$10,821	$1,898	$8,923
Alexander Wilson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2518 Nc 54	Graham	27253	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 578-1366	609	38	16.0	55.7%	317 (52.1%)	77 (12.6%)	155 (25.5%)	14 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.6%)	47.7	772^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	48.3%		46.3	813^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.4%	41	50.0	62.3	65.3				49.1	54.7	59.4				67.3		$8,547	$664	$7,883
Haw River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	701 E Main Street	Haw River	27258	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 578-0177	490	33	15.0	98.8%	40 (8.2%)	117 (23.9%)	301 (61.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.5%)	14.4	1370^th of 1492 public elementary schools	8.2%		9.4	1430^th of 1490 public elementary schools	4.0%	60	53.6	22.5	52.2				42.6	22.5	29.0				47.8		$10,856	$1,654	$9,202
Eastlawn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	502 N Graham Hopedale Road	Burlington	27217	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6180	528	35	15.2	99.4%	32 (6.1%)	133 (25.2%)	320 (60.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	38 (7.2%)	1.6	1489^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.2%		2.5	1485^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.3%	4	26.1	14.8	29.4				17.4	23.5	19.1				29.4		$9,376	$1,578	$7,799
Grove Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	141 Trail One	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 570-6115	437	30	14.7	99.3%	55 (12.6%)	188 (43.0%)	140 (32.0%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	45 (10.3%)	12.9	1387^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.0%		9.5	1429^th of 1490 public elementary schools	4.1%	42	32.3	35.4	51.9				24.2	31.7	40.4				55.8		$10,942	$1,874	$9,068
Marvin B Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2235 Delaney Drive	Burlington	27215	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 570-6140	556	36	15.2	99.3%	217 (39.0%)	127 (22.8%)	141 (25.4%)	14 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (10.3%)	68.7	444^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.2%		74.6	322^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	78.4%	122	80.3	71.8	69.5				59.2	67.1	57.3				68.3		$9,448	$690	$8,757

Frequently Asked Questions about South Graham Elementary

How many students attend South Graham Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 518 students attended South Graham Elementary.

What district is South Graham Elementary in?

Alamance-Burlington Schools

What schools do graduates of South Graham Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Graham Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Graham Middle
High : Graham High

Is South Graham Elementary a good school?

South Graham Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of South Graham Elementary?

Students at South Graham Elementary are 44% Hispanic, 30% African American, 17% White, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate South Graham Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.