Summary
Virginia Williamson Elementary is a public PK–5 school in Bolivia, NC — a small town in Brunswick County Schools — serving about 610 students, nearly all of whom (about 99.5%) qualify for free/reduced-price lunch. In the most recent state ranking cycle, the school placed in the middle of the pack: 728th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, earning a 3-star rating at the 51st percentile. That's a small dip from the prior year (631st, 58th percentile), but consistent with its longer-term pattern of hovering near the state average.
The school's most distinctive academic pattern is a clear "3rd grade cliff." Third graders perform above both district and state averages in math and reading, but proficiency falls off noticeably in 4th and 5th grades — a trend that has repeated across multiple years. In the most recent data, 73.5% of 3rd graders were proficient in math versus 50.9% of 4th graders and 60.9% of 5th graders; reading follows a similar arc. Fifth grade science, though, is a genuine bright spot at roughly 73% proficient, well above the state average. Results also vary across student groups: the school has posted notably strong outcomes for its African American and low-income students — both groups outperform state averages for similar students — while recent results for Hispanic students, English language learners, and gifted students have lagged, pointing to where extra support is needed.
Compared with neighboring schools, Virginia Williamson is a relative bright spot: it clearly outperforms Supply Elementary, just 2.4 miles away and ranked at the 26th percentile, and also bests Bolivia Elementary (39th). But two slightly farther district schools — Union Elementary and Town Creek Elementary, both about 13 miles away — reach the 84th and 82nd percentiles while serving a nearly identical population of students, suggesting untapped potential. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism improved sharply, from 29.4% to 22.2%, putting the school below both district and state averages. However, the student-to-teacher ratio has crept up to 16.5:1, the highest among traditional public elementary schools in the district. If Virginia Williamson can carry its 3rd grade success into the upper grades while building on its attendance gains, it has a clear path from the middle of the pack toward the top of the district.
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