Lilesville Elementary

Lilesville Elementary is a small, rural K-6 school in Lilesville, NC, serving about 257 students as part of Anson County Schools. It is a high-poverty school, with about 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch — a typical pattern across schools in this region. Its overall state ranking places it at the 27th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools, so while it isn't among the state's lowest performers, it does trail the state average. Proficiency rates in math (about 52%) and reading (about 45%) for grades 3-6 run close to the district's averages but sit roughly 13 to 15 percentage points below the statewide averages.

The school's standout results come from its 6th grade. Roughly 58% of 6th graders are proficient in math and 61% in reading — figures that beat the district average and match or exceed the state's. That consistent strength suggests that something positive is happening by the time students reach 6th grade. Lilesville also has comparatively strong resources: a student-teacher ratio around 12.4 to 1, which is noticeably lower than neighboring Morven Elementary, Ansonville Elementary, and Peachland-Polkton Elementary. In other words, students here generally get more individual attention than at many nearby schools.

The most serious challenges are chronic absenteeism and a recent 5th-grade dip. About 41% of Lilesville students were chronically absent in 2024-25 — roughly double the statewide rate of 24%. While that is slightly better than the Anson County average, it's still high enough to interfere with consistent learning. Peachland-Polkton Elementary offers a useful comparison: it serves a similarly high-poverty population but has a much lower absenteeism rate (about 27%) and ranks at the 53rd percentile statewide — 26 points higher than Lilesville. Fifth-grade scores also fell sharply in the most recent year, especially science (31% proficient versus 52% for the district and 68% statewide), though earlier 5th-grade cohorts performed considerably better, suggesting this may be an out-of-character result for one particular class.