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Acme Delco Elementary

Q: Is Acme Delco Elementary a good school?

Acme Delco Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Acme Delco Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 349 students attended Acme Delco Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Acme Delco Elementary?

Students at Acme Delco Elementary are 37% White, 28% African American, 23% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Q: What schools do graduates of Acme Delco Elementary attend?

Students who attend Acme Delco Elementary usually go on to attend: High : East Columbus Junior-Senior High

Public Grades PK, KG-6

1212^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Acme Delco Elementary is a small, rural school in Riegelwood, NC, serving 349 students in grades PK-6 within Columbus County Schools. The student body is almost entirely economically disadvantaged, with more than 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Acme Delco currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 19th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools — a sharp decline from a decade ago, when the school consistently earned 3 stars and ranked in the 55th–62nd percentile statewide.

The most pressing issue is chronic absenteeism. During the 2024–2025 school year, 35.7% of Acme Delco students were chronically absent, far exceeding the 20.1% rate at Hallsboro-Artesia Elementary — a same-district school with nearly identical poverty levels — and more than double the rates at Belville Elementary (11.8%) and Town Creek Elementary (16.1%), both of which also serve heavily impoverished populations yet rank much higher academically. Acme Delco's attendance has improved from 41.6% the previous year, but it remains roughly 11 percentage points above the state average of 24.2%. The lesson from nearby schools is clear: high poverty does not have to mean low attendance or low achievement, and getting students to school consistently appears to be one of the most important levers for improvement.

There are genuine bright spots worth noting. Acme Delco's African American students perform in the 63rd percentile among African American students statewide, and economically disadvantaged students perform near the statewide middle for their peer group. Sixth-grade math proficiency (58.1%) is nearly on par with the state average (59.2%). However, early-grade results are a concern: just 32.6% of third graders are proficient in reading, compared with 55.6% statewide, and Hispanic students have struggled relative to Hispanic students across North Carolina. Test scores swing noticeably from year to year, partly reflecting the small size of individual grade-level cohorts. Overall, Acme Delco has identifiable strengths to build on, but reducing chronic absenteeism and shoring up early literacy will be essential if the school is to reverse its long-term decline.

349

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

95.5%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

16337 Old Lake Road
Riegelwood, NC 28456

(910) 655-2957

District: Columbus County Schools

Students who attend Acme Delco Elementary usually attend:

High:

East Columbus Junior-Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

37.2%

African American:

27.5%

Hispanic:

23.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Acme Delco Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (45% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg47%

North Carolina avg60%

1,212^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 37 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

176^th of 246Columbus 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.6	1212 of 1492	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.2	1131 of 1490	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	1230 of 1505	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.9	916 of 1502	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	976 of 1514	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.0	977 of 1489	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.3	1091 of 1473	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	61.4	556 of 1434	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.4	550 of 1429	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.1	635 of 1425	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	21.9	1187 of 1440	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	14.4	1243 of 1390	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.3	1275 of 1403	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	40.3	939 of 1388	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.9	862 of 1381	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.4	714 of 1363	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	32.4	1005 of 1354	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.0	1072 of 1324	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.6	1105 of 1293	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.9	1117 of 1276	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.3	330 of 903	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.8	425 of 918	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.6	692 of 924	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	64.1	262 of 933	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	63.2	252 of 927	72.8%	★★★★☆
2021	64.5	197 of 896	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	41.4	575 of 949	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	73.7	152 of 927	83.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	73.7	68 of 497	86.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.9	1187 of 1447	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.2	1174 of 1451	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	1265 of 1455	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	1022 of 1459	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.8	1149 of 1458	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.5	901 of 1440	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	966 of 1424	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	72.0	358 of 1405	74.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.7	918 of 981	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	874 of 961	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	830 of 951	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	710 of 915	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.5	486 of 893	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.0	437 of 843	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.5	425 of 865	50.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.8	766 of 1434	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.8	722 of 1437	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.4	1033 of 1450	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	57.0	554 of 1437	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	532 of 1366	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.8	710 of 1329	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	769 of 1361	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	82.3	132 of 1332	90.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	1138 of 1451	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.6	1061 of 1450	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	1077 of 1464	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.7	753 of 1461	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.2	753 of 1464	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.0	956 of 1444	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.2	1137 of 1430	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.4	784 of 1413	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	68.0	2 of 9	77.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.6	945 of 1146	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.1	915 of 1172	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	1045 of 1166	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.2	924 of 1183	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	1072 of 1194	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.8	858 of 1172	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.5	952 of 1183	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	55.1	557 of 1178	52.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2019)86th percentile+60 vs school

Migrant (2019)78th percentile+52 vs school

African American (2026)63rd percentile+45 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)47th percentile+28 vs school

Male (2026)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)18th percentile~ school

White (2026)18th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)6th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science55%-13 vs state

Mathematics47%-16 vs state

Reading41%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Acme Delco 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
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
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
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%
Lincoln Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1664 Lincoln Road	Leland	28451	Brunswick County	Brunswick County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 371-3597	738	47	15.6	—	266 (36.0%)	135 (18.3%)	261 (35.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	69 (9.3%)	37.1	961^st of 1492 public elementary schools	35.6%		34.3	1014^th of 1490 public elementary schools	31.9%	53	71.7	51.9	56.6				47.8	45.8	39.4				62.5		68.3%	2%	$10,302	$1,172	$9,130
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
Town Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6330 Lake Park Dr SE	Winnabow	28479	Brunswick County	Brunswick County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 756-5350	702	47	14.9	—	430 (61.3%)	96 (13.7%)	95 (13.5%)	10 (1.4%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	64 (9.1%)	77.6	271^st of 1492 public elementary schools	81.8%		81.2	232^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	84.4%	39	76.6	75.8	76.9				64.3	70.2	60.1				79.7		90.6%	4.7%	$10,485	$1,345	$9,140
Belville Elementary	Public	K-5	575 River Road	Leland	28451	Brunswick County	Brunswick County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 371-0601	812	54	15.1	—	434 (53.4%)	141 (17.4%)	150 (18.5%)	9 (1.1%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	71 (8.7%)	63.2	533^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	64.3%		63.1	512^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.6%	21	67.6	71.5	60.5				51.7	63.2	63.8				76.3		89.1%	4.7%	$9,927	$957	$8,970
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
D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy	Public	K-8	813 Nixon Street	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 251-6150	162	7	30.3	94.4%	6 (3.7%)	146 (90.1%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.7%)	1.1	1490^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.1%		1	1489^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.1%	1	5.9	534.9	15.4	535.2	6.3	< 5%	5.9	30.0	537.4	537.9	6.3	25.0	334.1	50.0
Classical Charter Schools of Wilmington	Public, Charter	K-5	507 N 6th Street	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	Classical Charter Schools of Wilmington	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 763-1976	140	6	23.3	85.7%	24 (17.1%)	74 (52.9%)	25 (17.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (12.1%)	17.9	1320^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.5%		32.9	1038^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.3%	282	47.4	33.3	45.5				26.3	53.3	45.5				45.5		89.7%	10.3%

Frequently Asked Questions about Acme Delco Elementary

What district is Acme Delco Elementary in?

Columbus County Schools

What schools do graduates of Acme Delco Elementary attend?

Students who attend Acme Delco Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : East Columbus Junior-Senior High

How many students attend Acme Delco Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 349 students attended Acme Delco Elementary.

Is Acme Delco Elementary a good school?

Acme Delco Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Acme Delco Elementary?

Students at Acme Delco Elementary are 37% White, 28% African American, 23% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Rate Acme Delco Elementary!

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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.