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Sunset Avenue Elementary

Q: Is Sunset Avenue Elementary a good school?

Sunset Avenue Elementary ranks 1079 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

1079^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Sunset Avenue Elementary is an upper-elementary school in Clinton, NC, serving grades 3–5 with about 649 students, and is part of the Clinton City Schools district. The school serves a very high-poverty population—over 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—and its state ranking has fallen sharply in recent years, from a 3-star rating in 2017–2018 to a 1-star rating in 2025–2026, when it ranked 1,079th out of 1,492 elementary schools statewide. One relative bright spot is attendance: the chronic absenteeism rate of 16.1% is far better than the district average of 23.3% and the state average of 24.2%, which suggests that academic struggles are not simply an attendance problem.

Reading proficiency at Sunset Avenue is well below state averages in every grade, with 5th grade especially concerning at 38.6% proficient versus 55.3% statewide. Math tells a more uneven story: 3rd-grade math is close to the state average (64.1% vs. 66.4%), but 4th-grade math lags by over 18 points, and 5th-grade math dropped dramatically after three strong years, falling from 73.7% to 56.3% in a single year. Nearby schools serving similar high-poverty populations show far stronger results. For example, Hobbton Elementary posted 82.7% proficiency in 3rd-grade math and 60.3% in 5th-grade reading, while Midway Elementary reached 69.0% in 3rd-grade reading and 74.2% in 5th-grade science—all notably higher than Sunset Avenue's scores in those areas.

Subgroup data show that Sunset Avenue's recent decline is largest among several historically underserved student groups, whose rankings fell from the 60th and 70th percentiles into the 30s over the past two years. Meanwhile, Gifted and Talented students rank in the 70th percentile, and the school's per-pupil spending of $9,555 is lower than the $11,000-plus spent at Butler Avenue Elementary and Langdon C Kerr Elementary, the two lower-grade schools that feed into Sunset Avenue. The school's student-teacher ratio of 16.6 is also higher than those schools' ratios. Since Sunset Avenue is the only school in Clinton City Schools serving grades 3–5, its test results are essentially the district's results—making a turnaround here critical for the entire community.

649

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

505 Sunset Ave
Clinton, NC 28328-3943

(910) 592-5623

District: Clinton City Schools

Students who attend Sunset Avenue Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sampson Middle
High:	Clinton High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.8%

African American:

34.2%

White:

14.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Sunset Avenue Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 43rd percentile in 2016 → 28th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (50% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg50%

North Carolina avg61%

1,079^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 43% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

197^th of 246Clinton City 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	1079 of 1492	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.8	856 of 1490	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.1	797 of 1505	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.6	787 of 1502	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.0	812 of 1514	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.1	737 of 1489	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.7	701 of 1473	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.3	547 of 1434	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	45.6	824 of 1429	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.0	818 of 1425	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.5	705 of 1440	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.1	715 of 1390	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.6	816 of 1403	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	61.7	564 of 1388	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	51.8	764 of 1381	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.5	832 of 1363	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	35.1	977 of 1354	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.5	584 of 903	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.5	368 of 918	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.6	314 of 924	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	383 of 933	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.1	414 of 927	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.4	393 of 896	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.0	148 of 949	84.4%	★★★★☆
2018	81.4	92 of 927	90.1%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	37.6	371 of 634	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.4	291 of 646	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.6	308 of 878	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.7	600 of 897	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	307 of 519	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.0	170 of 563	69.8%	★★★★☆
2024	53.5	191 of 533	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.4	108 of 514	79.0%	★★★★☆
2022	58.9	125 of 485	74.2%	★★★★☆
2021	72.0	46 of 385	88.1%	★★★★☆
2019	54.9	162 of 497	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.2	41 of 421	90.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	1145 of 1447	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.5	856 of 1451	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	743 of 1455	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.4	729 of 1459	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.7	764 of 1458	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.1	720 of 1440	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.4	649 of 1424	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.5	579 of 1405	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.6	223 of 743	70.0%	★★★★☆
2025	61.4	294 of 710	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.5	239 of 669	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.8	219 of 582	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.9	379 of 500	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	68.4	138 of 494	72.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	606 of 981	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.0	326 of 961	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.8	316 of 951	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.3	213 of 915	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	196 of 893	78.1%	★★★★☆
2021	74.3	134 of 843	84.1%	★★★★☆
2019	58.1	320 of 865	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.8	165 of 851	80.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	941 of 1434	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.1	555 of 1437	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.8	585 of 1450	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.9	556 of 1437	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.9	654 of 1366	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.1	743 of 1329	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.8	472 of 1361	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.1	357 of 1332	73.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.1	960 of 1451	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.3	806 of 1450	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	817 of 1464	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.4	812 of 1461	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.4	821 of 1464	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.2	712 of 1444	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.5	698 of 1430	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.7	499 of 1413	64.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	124 of 181	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.6	139 of 175	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.3	117 of 159	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	57.2	51 of 133	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	23.6	90 of 103	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	727 of 815	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.2	646 of 821	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	673 of 801	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.2	466 of 1146	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.3	545 of 1172	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.2	338 of 1166	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	61.2	442 of 1183	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.4	458 of 1194	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.3	284 of 1172	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	70.4	315 of 1183	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	71.4	316 of 1178	73.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)70th percentile+42 vs school

White (2026)59th percentile+32 vs school

Disabled (2022)41st percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)41st percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)38th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2026)35th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)34th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)34th percentile+6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)31st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science56%-12 vs state

Mathematics55%-8 vs state

Reading44%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sunset Avenue 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 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
Sunset Avenue Elementary	Public	3-5	505 Sunset Ave	Clinton	28328	Sampson County	Clinton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 592-5623	649	39	16.6	99.5%	94 (14.5%)	222 (34.2%)	278 (42.8%)	3 (0.5%)	20 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.9%)	30.6	1079^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.7%		43.8	856^th of 1490 public elementary schools	42.6%	223	64.1	43.0	56.3				42.9	50.2	38.6				55.8		$9,555	$1,262	$8,293
Butler Avenue Elementary	Public	1-2	301 Butler Ave	Clinton	28328	Sampson County	Clinton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 592-2629	469	36	12.8	99.4%	64 (13.6%)	154 (32.8%)	213 (45.4%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.8%)								(n/a)															$11,399	$1,711	$9,688
Langdon C Kerr Elementary	Public	PK-K	112 Kimbrough Rd	Clinton	28328	Sampson County	Clinton City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 592-3066	366	26	13.8	99.2%	65 (17.8%)	104 (28.4%)	159 (43.4%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.5%)								(n/a)															$11,331	$1,705	$9,625
Hargrove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7725 Faison Hwy	Faison	28341	Duplin County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 533-3444	361	24	14.7	99.2%	89 (24.7%)	40 (11.1%)	211 (58.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	17 (4.7%)	50.2	725^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.4%		65.3	480^th of 1490 public elementary schools	67.8%	245	75.8	62.2	63.2				51.5	60.0	48.7				57.9		$11,435	$2,015	$9,421
Salemburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	404 E. College Street	Salemburg	28385	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 525-5547	502	27	18.3	99.4%	144 (28.7%)	76 (15.1%)	248 (49.4%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.4%)	34.8	1008^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.4%		22.4	1235^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.1%	227	62.1	54.3	58.2				36.2	51.4	37.3				64.2		$10,122	$1,174	$8,949
Union Intermediate	Public	3-5	1190 Edmond Matthis Road	Clinton	28328	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 592-2287	396	24	16.7	97.2%	71 (17.9%)	76 (19.2%)	235 (59.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	18.9	1297^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.1%		20.6	1269^th of 1490 public elementary schools	14.8%	28	49.3	47.2	36.5				35.7	37.1	39.1				60.9		$8,767	$1,525	$7,243
Roseboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	180 Butler Island Road	Roseboro	28382	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 525-4538	369	26	14.2	95.4%	127 (34.4%)	117 (31.7%)	92 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.4%)	36.6	965^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.3%		30.3	1083^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	27.3%	118	54.1	57.1	57.8				47.5	41.3	44.4				73.3		$9,907	$1,572	$8,336
Hobbton Elementary	Public	K-5	12361 Hobbton Hwy	Newton Grove	28366	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 594-0392	453	28	16.1	95.6%	154 (34.0%)	48 (10.6%)	229 (50.6%)	4 (0.9%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)	72.9	361^st of 1492 public elementary schools	75.8%		68.1	425^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.5%	64	82.7	87.3	79.3				66.7	50.6	60.3				70.7		$10,154	$1,621	$8,533
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	10400 Taylors Bridge Hwy	Clinton	28328	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 532-2104	466	39	12.0	99.4%	90 (19.3%)	92 (19.7%)	271 (58.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.7%)								(n/a)															$11,396	$1,676	$9,720
Warsaw Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	158 Lanefield Road	Warsaw	28398	Duplin County	Duplin County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 293-3121	808	58	14.0	99.6%	51 (6.3%)	361 (44.7%)	352 (43.6%)	4 (0.5%)	10 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (3.6%)	11.6	1399^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.2%		18.6	1307^th of 1490 public elementary schools	12.3%	92	51.9	36.0	15.4	28.6	37.0	31.7	38.0	44.9	24.4	30.0	38.3	30.5	46.2	45.1	$10,886	$1,586	$9,300

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunset Avenue Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Sunset Avenue Elementary?

Students at Sunset Avenue Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 34% African American, 14% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% American Indian.

How many students attend Sunset Avenue Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 649 students attended Sunset Avenue Elementary.

What district is Sunset Avenue Elementary in?

Clinton City Schools

What schools do graduates of Sunset Avenue Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunset Avenue Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sampson Middle
High : Clinton High

Is Sunset Avenue Elementary a good school?

Sunset Avenue Elementary ranks 1079^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Sunset Avenue Elementary!

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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.