Winecoff Elementary

Winecoff Elementary serves roughly 740 students in grades PK–5 in Concord, NC, and is part of Cabarrus County Schools. The most recent data places the school at the 32nd percentile statewide with 2 stars — a meaningful improvement after several years in the 11th–18th percentile range. Nearly the entire student body (99.6%) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, so the school's results should be viewed within that high-poverty context.

The latest-year gains were broad and unusually strong. Proficiency rose sharply in 5th grade science (from 41.3% to 75%), 3rd grade reading (from 34.2% to 49.6%), and 5th grade math (from 42.1% to 56.7%). Achievement also improved for nearly every student subgroup. Winecoff's African American, Hispanic, English Learner, and low-income students now perform near or above the middle of their statewide peer groups. Among schools serving very high concentrations of poverty, the school's low-income subgroup rank is the 44th percentile — notably better than its overall 32nd percentile rank would suggest.

Still, Winecoff trails nearby schools with comparable demographics. Royal Oaks School of the Arts and Concord Lake STEAM Academy both serve largely low-income populations and outperform Winecoff by wide margins, while W M Irvin Elementary, with a nearly identical poverty rate, sits at about the same level. Chronic absenteeism may be the biggest barrier now: at 24.6%, it is higher than the district average (18.0%) and every nearby Cabarrus County elementary school, and it jumped sharply from 16.6% the year before. One clear bright spot is 5th grade science, where 75% proficiency tops the state average and nearly matches the district. Whether this year's progress marks a true turning point or a one-year bump may depend heavily on improving attendance.