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East Arcadia Elementary

Public Grades K-5

1277^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

East Arcadia Elementary is a tiny K-5 school in rural Riegelwood, NC, serving just 68 students through Bladen County Schools. The school has historically ranked in the bottom 15% of North Carolina elementary schools, and its most recent overall ranking was 14th percentile. However, this small, high-poverty school – with 95.6% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch – shows a more complex picture when you look beneath the headline numbers.

The most striking finding: in 2025-2026, East Arcadia’s economically disadvantaged students ranked in the 70th percentile statewide among similar low-income populations, earning 3 stars. That’s far better than the school’s overall 14th percentile rank, which includes all schools regardless of poverty. The school spends about $21,000 per pupil – nearly double nearby traditional schools – and has a student-teacher ratio of 8.6. But achievement swings wildly from year to year due to tiny grade cohorts. For example, 3rd-grade math jumped from 7.7% proficiency in 2022-2023 to 52.9% the next year, only to fall back to 8.3% in 2024-2025.

Comparing to nearby schools shows inconsistency. In 2025-2026, East Arcadia’s 5th-grade scores were in the middle of local schools, beating Malpass Corner Elementary but trailing Emereau: Bladen and Classical Charter Schools of Leland. Its closest peer, Acme Delco Elementary, traded leads in different years. One concern is chronic absenteeism, at 28.2% in 2024-2025, above the state’s 24.2%. Given the district’s low performance and high poverty, East Arcadia may be doing better for its students than the overall rank suggests, but its small size makes every year a gamble.

Students ?

8.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

95.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

21451 NC Hwy 87 East
Riegelwood, NC 28456-9209

(910) 247-4609

District: Bladen County Schools

Students who attend East Arcadia Elementary usually attend:

High:

East Bladen High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.0%

Hispanic:

26.5%

White:

8.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare East Arcadia Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2014 → 14th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2014

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (39% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Reading scores 27 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg47%

North Carolina avg61%

1,277^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

200^th of 246Bladen County 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.9	1277 of 1492	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.5	1401 of 1490	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	1275 of 1505	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.1	1464 of 1514	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	1303 of 1473	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	1334 of 1434	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	19.4	1223 of 1429	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	2.8	1409 of 1425	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.2	1307 of 1440	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.5	1360 of 1390	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	17.7	1227 of 1403	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	21.7	1198 of 1388	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	17.8	1230 of 1381	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.4	953 of 1363	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	23.9	1106 of 1354	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	27.1	1049 of 1324	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	22.2	1117 of 1293	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	11.9	1201 of 1276	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	55.9	363 of 927	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	10.4	1324 of 1405	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.7	434 of 1434	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.5	1032 of 1437	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.0	893 of 1450	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.0	1160 of 1361	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	1059 of 1332	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	11.5	1327 of 1413	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	6.0	660 of 691	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	20.2	570 of 694	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.9	600 of 692	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.1	531 of 705	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.1	485 of 627	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	34.5	447 of 673	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.8	449 of 662	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	24.4	541 of 648	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.1	479 of 640	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.3	502 of 630	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	18.8	523 of 620	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	37.1	449 of 606	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	34.7	452 of 598	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile+55 vs school

African American (2018)61st percentile+54 vs school

Male (2018)6th percentile~ school

Female (2018)6th percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science54%-14 vs state

Mathematics42%-20 vs state

Reading29%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near East Arcadia 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Arcadia Elementary	Public	K-5	21451 NC Hwy 87 East	Riegelwood	28456	Columbus County	Bladen County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 247-4609	68	8	8.6	95.6%	6 (8.8%)	34 (50.0%)	18 (26.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.9%)	1 (1.5%)	5 (7.4%)	19.9	1277^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.4%		11.5	1401^st of 1490 public elementary schools	6.0%	124		27.3	53.8					9.1	46.2				53.8				$21,299	$3,259	$18,039
Acme Delco Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	16337 Old Lake Road	Riegelwood	28456	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 655-2957	349	22	16.2	—	130 (37.2%)	96 (27.5%)	82 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.3%)	5 (1.4%)	21 (6.0%)	23.6	1212^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.8%		27.2	1131^st of 1490 public elementary schools	24.1%	81	41.9	45.9	40.0	58.1			32.6	45.9	40.0	46.5			55.0		95.5%	0%	$10,358	$1,643	$8,715
Classical Charter Schools of Leland	Public, Charter	K-8	7055 Bacon's Way	Leland	28451	Brunswick County	Classical Charter Schools of Leland	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 655-1214	935	39	23.9	—	635 (67.9%)	88 (9.4%)	138 (14.8%)	8 (0.9%)	7 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (6.3%)	61.2	560^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.5%		68.8	410^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.5%	150	70.9	58.6	65.7	54.7	64.3	64.4	65.0	63.6	64.6	58.9	70.2	68.9	65.7	74.4	97.3%	2.7%
Hallsboro-Artesia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1337 Giles Byrd Road	Hallsboro	28442	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 646-3510	394	23	17.0	—	102 (25.9%)	90 (22.8%)	60 (15.2%)	1 (0.3%)	73 (18.5%)	1 (0.3%)	67 (17.0%)	34.8	1010^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.3%		39.3	931^st of 1490 public elementary schools	37.5%	79	61.4	42.6	45.8	35.3			52.3	48.9	52.1	47.1			70.8		94.3%	0%	$10,419	$1,866	$8,554
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	—	188 (36.6%)	135 (26.3%)	159 (31.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.5%)	10.2	1419^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.9%		18.7	1302^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	12.6%	117	55.7	35.9	27.5				32.9	39.7	21.7				27.5		89.6%	0%	$11,511	$1,863	$9,647
Emereau: Bladen	Public, Charter	K-8	995 Airport Rd	Elizabethtown	28337	Bladen County	Emereau: Bladen	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 247-6595	629	49	12.9	—	382 (60.7%)	107 (17.0%)	71 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.2%)	58.5	609^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.2%		52.4	705^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.7%	96	87.9	72.4	61.6	40.8	38.6	35.6	80.3	64.5	52.1	43.7	51.8	47.9	65.8	72.6	92.6%	4.4%

Frequently Asked Questions about East Arcadia Elementary

What district is East Arcadia Elementary in?

Bladen County Schools

How many students attend East Arcadia Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 68 students attended East Arcadia Elementary.

What schools do graduates of East Arcadia Elementary attend?

Students who attend East Arcadia Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : East Bladen High

What is the racial makeup of East Arcadia Elementary?

Students at East Arcadia Elementary are 50% African American, 26% Hispanic, 9% White, 7% Two or more races, 6% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Is East Arcadia Elementary a good school?

East Arcadia Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.4% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate East Arcadia Elementary!

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Schools in Riegelwood, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.