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Willow Oak Montessori

Q: Is Willow Oak Montessori a good school?

Willow Oak Montessori ranks 729 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

729^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 51% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Willow Oak Montessori is a K–8 public Montessori school in Pittsboro, NC, serving 281 students as its own single-school district with a notably low student-teacher ratio of 9.7. It currently ranks 729th out of 1,492 North Carolina schools — the 51st percentile, earning 3 stars — down from a peak at the 83rd percentile (4 stars) in 2020–2021. Every nearby school in both Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Chatham County Schools ranks higher, and its district-level rating (76th among NC districts) trails Chapel Hill-Carrboro (28th) and Chatham County (62nd).

Academically, Willow Oak shows a clear "reading strength / math weakness" split. Reading proficiency across grades 3–8 averages about 68.2% versus 56.0% statewide, with every tested grade meeting or exceeding the state average. Math tells a different story: proficiency averages 50.9% versus 59.9% statewide, and 4th grade math stands out at just 32.1% — a 39-point gap within students who scored 71.4% in reading. Science results split by grade: 8th grade science is excellent at 87.5% proficient versus 68.6% statewide, while 5th grade science trails. The strongest results come in 8th grade overall, which may reflect Montessori benefits accumulating by middle school, but early math gaps remain a red flag.

The most urgent warning sign is chronic absenteeism: 35.9% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025 — more than double the prior-year rate of 15.0% and far above the state's 24.2%. Every nearby school is lower, ranging from 5.6% to 18.7%. The closest neighbor, Chatham Grove Elementary, just 0.28 miles away, has a rate of only 10.0% and dramatically stronger scores — 4th grade math, for example, is 83.3% versus 32.1%. Despite the lowest student-teacher ratio in the area, Willow Oak has not converted that into higher overall achievement. Bottom line: it has genuine strengths in reading and strong 8th grade outcomes, but early math mastery, attendance, and the five-year sliding ranking are the most pressing priorities for parents to watch.

281

Students ?

9.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

2.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1476 Andrews Store Road
Pittsboro, NC 27312

(919) 240-7787

District: Willow Oak Montessori

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.8%

Two or more races:

8.9%

Hispanic:

7.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Willow Oak Montessori to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 63rd percentile in 2016 → 51st in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (51st percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

729^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From top 37% (2016) to top 49% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

261^st of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 18 pts since 2019

From top 16% (2019) to top 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

76^th of 246Willow Oak Montessori 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.9	729 of 1492	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.3	685 of 1490	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	691 of 1505	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.0	637 of 1502	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.3	510 of 1514	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	79.6	248 of 1489	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.6	332 of 1473	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	66.4	476 of 1434	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.2	555 of 1429	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.2	525 of 1425	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	72.3	372 of 1440	74.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	80.2	51 of 634	92.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	738 of 1447	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.7	535 of 1451	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.9	643 of 1455	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.1	636 of 1459	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.6	536 of 1458	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	80.1	222 of 1440	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	67.1	441 of 1424	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.5	643 of 1405	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	739 of 1451	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.8	832 of 1450	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.7	716 of 1464	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.9	649 of 1461	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.8	518 of 1464	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.2	384 of 1444	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	73.0	322 of 1430	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	75.0	294 of 1413	79.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	286 of 815	64.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.3	892 of 1146	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.4	877 of 1172	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.3	835 of 1166	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.6	820 of 1183	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.6	579 of 1194	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.1	335 of 1172	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	66.1	375 of 1183	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.3	574 of 1178	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.7	261 of 778	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.3	255 of 773	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.7	157 of 793	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	81.7	124 of 784	84.2%	★★★★☆
2022	85.8	90 of 786	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	88.8	60 of 741	91.9%	★★★★★
2019	80.6	118 of 737	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	316 of 731	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.8	246 of 733	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	267 of 738	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.7	123 of 733	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	84.1	79 of 706	88.8%	★★★★☆
2019	82.1	93 of 684	86.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	91.7	49 of 751	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	66.7	217 of 697	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.4	169 of 665	74.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.8	374 of 644	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.0	411 of 649	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.6	228 of 652	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.6	195 of 656	70.3%	★★★★☆
2022	80.5	115 of 658	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	81.1	94 of 632	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	77.7	120 of 624	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	61.8	220 of 596	63.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Disabled (2022)92nd percentile+26 vs school

Special Education (2026)65th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)49th percentile~ school

Female (2026)49th percentile~ school

White (2026)22nd percentile-29 vs school

Middle school

Male (2024)93rd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2026)57th percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)42nd percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Reading68%+12 vs state

Science67%~ state avg

Mathematics50%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willow Oak Montessori

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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
Willow Oak Montessori	Public, Charter	K-8	1476 Andrews Store Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Willow Oak Montessori	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 240-7787	281	29	9.7		227 (80.8%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.1%)	6 (2.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.9%)	49.9	729^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.1%		53.3	685^th of 1490 public elementary schools	54.0%	44	62.2	32.1	45.5	51.9	57.1	56.3	70.3	71.4	63.6	59.3	57.1	87.5	57.6	87.5
Chatham Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1301 Andrews Store Rd	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 642-7069	683	42	16.2	18.0%	496 (72.6%)	46 (6.7%)	81 (11.9%)	29 (4.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.2%)	92.9	73^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	95.1%		89.6	113^th of 1490 public elementary schools	92.4%	40	90.0	83.3	81.1				84.4	78.7	85.5				89.2
Perry W Harrison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2655 Hamlet Chapel Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 967-9925	262	20	12.8	98.9%	188 (71.8%)	19 (7.3%)	26 (9.9%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.6%)	83.5	196^th of 1492 public elementary schools	86.9%		88.4	132^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	91.1%	64	82.0	78.3	81.1				66.0	67.4	78.4				81.1		$9,108	$369	$8,739
North Chatham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3380 Lystra Road	Chapel Hill	27517	Orange County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 967-3094	588	46	12.8	99.5%	313 (53.2%)	35 (6.0%)	175 (29.8%)	20 (3.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.3%)	85.4	175^th of 1492 public elementary schools	88.3%		83.1	202^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	86.4%	27	69.3	77.0	89.6				70.5	77.2	77.1				84.4		$10,576	$485	$10,091
Scroggs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	501 Kildaire Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 918-7165	410	34	12.0	30.0%	212 (51.7%)	58 (14.1%)	56 (13.7%)	55 (13.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.1%)	86	165^th of 1492 public elementary schools	88.9%		74.5	325^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.2%	160	86.1	69.4	80.3				76.4	69.4	76.3				84.2		$13,218	$771	$12,446
FPG Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	101 Smith Level Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 942-6491	536	40	13.2	36.4%	206 (38.4%)	20 (3.7%)	275 (51.3%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.0%)	72.8	363^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	75.7%		76	305^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.5%	58	70.9	68.6	72.3				64.0	68.6	69.9				72.3		$11,908	$501	$11,407
Carrboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Shelton St	Carrboro	27510	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 968-3652	515	40	12.8	32.6%	286 (55.5%)	17 (3.3%)	174 (33.8%)	13 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.9%)	85.5	171^st of 1492 public elementary schools	88.5%		82.1	216^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.5%	45	82.7	81.5	77.0				72.8	79.0	72.7				76.1		$13,407	$564	$12,843
Pittsboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	375 Pittsboro School Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 542-3987	503	38	13.3	99.4%	275 (54.7%)	108 (21.5%)	74 (14.7%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.0%)	75	321^st of 1492 public elementary schools	78.5%		73.7	334^th of 1490 public elementary schools	77.6%	13	70.7	73.9					66.7	69.3							$11,009	$698	$10,311
Northside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	350 Caldwell St	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 918-2220	412	32	12.9	52.9%	172 (41.7%)	110 (26.7%)	50 (12.1%)	51 (12.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.3%)	51.8	697^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.3%		46.8	808^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.8%	111	72.6	65.5	54.8				59.7	63.8	53.4				53.4		$14,816	$528	$14,288
McDougle Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	890 Old Fayetteville Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 969-2435	497	39	12.9	31.4%	281 (56.5%)	76 (15.3%)	90 (18.1%)	14 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.2%)	76.9	280^th of 1492 public elementary schools	81.2%		79.4	253^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	83.0%	27	72.0	69.8	77.0				68.8	68.6	68.9				77.0		$12,936	$505	$12,431

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Oak Montessori

Is Willow Oak Montessori a good school?

Willow Oak Montessori ranks 729^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Willow Oak Montessori?

In the 2024-25 school year, 281 students attended Willow Oak Montessori.

What district is Willow Oak Montessori in?

Willow Oak Montessori

What is the racial makeup of Willow Oak Montessori?

Students at Willow Oak Montessori are 81% White, 9% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

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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.