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Pilot Elementary

Q: Is Pilot Elementary a good school?

Pilot Elementary ranks 936 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

936^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Pilot Elementary is a PK-5 school in Thomasville, NC, serving 321 students within Davidson County Schools. The school currently holds a 2-star rating, ranking in the 37th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools — a step back from the 3-star rating it earned the prior year. Nearly all of Pilot's students (about 99%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it one of the highest-poverty schools in the area. That context matters: comparing Pilot's scores with those of more affluent nearby schools is less meaningful than comparing it with schools serving similar populations.

Across grades 3-5, Pilot's math proficiency is about 55%, compared with roughly 67% for the district and 64% for the state; 4th-grade math is especially low at 44.6%. Reading proficiency averages about 51%, just below the state's 56%, though Pilot's 4th-grade reading (55.4%) actually outpaces the district average, and 3rd-grade reading improved from 25.5% to 53.7% in one year. The biggest red flag is 5th-grade science, which has slipped from 77% two years ago to 58.5% now — well below both district (73.9%) and state (67.7%) averages.

The most encouraging news concerns attendance: only 8.2% of Pilot students were chronically absent this past year, better than the district's 10.5% rate and far better than the statewide 24.2%. Pilot's low-income students also compare well with similar students statewide — ranking at the 62nd percentile — but high-poverty peer schools like Hasty Elementary and Brier Creek Elementary show more consistent overall achievement. Results also vary widely by student group, with recent declines among boys, White students, and Hispanic students. If Pilot can build on its attendance and low-income successes while reversing the math and science slides, the foundations are there to return to a higher rating.

321

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

145 Pilot School Road
Thomasville, NC 27360-7800

(336) 472-7965

District: Davidson County Schools

Students who attend Pilot Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	E Lawson Brown Middle
High:	East Davidson High

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.0%

Hispanic:

19.3%

African American:

5.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Pilot Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 41st percentile in 2016 → 37th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (54% vs 61% meeting standards)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg61%

936^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

101^st of 246Davidson 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	38.3	936 of 1492	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.2	667 of 1490	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.4	902 of 1505	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.4	858 of 1502	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.4	717 of 1514	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.0	803 of 1489	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	1005 of 1473	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.9	991 of 1434	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.8	882 of 1429	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.8	841 of 1425	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	55.8	644 of 1440	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.2	641 of 1390	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.5	460 of 1403	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.5	649 of 1388	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	76.8	254 of 1381	81.6%	★★★★☆
2010	69.9	398 of 1363	70.8%	★★★★☆
2009	66.0	486 of 1354	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.8	431 of 1324	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.7	430 of 1293	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.9	604 of 1276	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	40.9	513 of 897	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	750 of 1447	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.3	595 of 1451	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.6	808 of 1455	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.3	980 of 1459	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.5	839 of 1458	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.2	717 of 1440	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.9	876 of 1424	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.8	928 of 1405	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.5	721 of 981	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	56.6	373 of 961	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.1	363 of 951	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	552 of 1434	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.9	365 of 1437	74.6%	★★★★☆
2024	53.0	639 of 1450	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.2	687 of 1437	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.1	476 of 1366	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.6	624 of 1329	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.1	846 of 1361	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.9	991 of 1332	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	1042 of 1451	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.0	744 of 1450	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.7	905 of 1464	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	651 of 1461	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.2	583 of 1464	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.5	859 of 1444	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.5	1076 of 1430	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	1041 of 1413	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	61.0	208 of 801	74.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.2	998 of 1146	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.0	814 of 1172	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.4	986 of 1166	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	939 of 1183	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.1	818 of 1194	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.5	915 of 1172	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	1114 of 1183	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	1135 of 1178	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2024)74th percentile+34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)62nd percentile+24 vs school

Female (2026)48th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2018)43rd percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)28th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)27th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)13th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science58%-9 vs state

Mathematics55%-8 vs state

Reading51%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pilot 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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pilot Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	145 Pilot School Road	Thomasville	27360	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 472-7965	321	21	15.0	98.8%	228 (71.0%)	18 (5.6%)	62 (19.3%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	38.3	936^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.3%		54.2	667^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.2%	269	61.1	44.6	60.4	53.7	55.4	43.4	58.5	$9,751	$959	$8,792
Fair Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	217 Cedar Lodge Road	Thomasville	27360	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 472-7020	524	33	15.9	99.4%	377 (71.9%)	12 (2.3%)	102 (19.5%)	9 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.2%)	42.1	876^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.3%		42.9	865^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.9%	11	55.3	46.1	77.4	37.2	43.8	49.5	79.6	$8,539	$842	$7,696
Liberty Drive Elementary	Public	4-5	401 Liberty Drive	Thomasville	27360	Davidson County	Thomasville City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 474-4186	306	19	16.5	99.0%	39 (12.7%)	122 (39.9%)	115 (37.6%)	5 (1.6%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (6.5%)	11.5	1400^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.2%		14.9	1350^th of 1490 public elementary schools	9.4%	50		41.5	43.0		37.1	28.7	42.0	$11,739	$2,365	$9,374
Thomasville Primary	Public	PK, KG-3	915 E Sunrise Avenue	Thomasville	27360	Davidson County	Thomasville City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 474-4160	753	44	17.1	99.5%	108 (14.3%)	301 (40.0%)	257 (34.1%)	9 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (10.1%)								(n/a)	64.0			36.6				$11,267	$2,277	$8,990
Hasty Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	325 Hasty School Road	Thomasville	27360	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 475-1924	385	28	13.7	99.2%	227 (59.0%)	15 (3.9%)	111 (28.8%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.7%)	65.8	493^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	67.0%		74.7	318^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.7%	175	75.8	53.1	87.7	53.0	54.7	63.0	80.8	$8,648	$1,018	$7,630
Davis-Townsend Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	975 Heath Church Road	Lexington	27292	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 249-9880	430	26	16.5	99.3%	344 (80.0%)	15 (3.5%)	59 (13.7%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	58.5	606^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.4%		61.5	538^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.9%	68	63.0	58.2	71.2	64.2	53.7	57.7	75.0	$10,132	$1,065	$9,067
Friendship Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1490 Friendship-Ledford Road	Winston Salem	27107	Forsyth County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 231-8744	470	29	16.2	43.0%	298 (63.4%)	50 (10.6%)	75 (16.0%)	29 (6.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.6%)	73.6	351^st of 1492 public elementary schools	76.5%		78.5	271^st of 1490 public elementary schools	81.8%	80	75.8	73.0	74.2	61.3	58.4	68.2	81.8	$8,255	$444	$7,811
Brier Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	175 Watford Road	Thomasville	27360	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 474-8200	210	16	13.2	98.6%	172 (81.9%)	3 (1.4%)	25 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.8%)	62.2	544^th of 1492 public elementary schools	63.5%		68	426^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.4%	118	89.2	73.8	74.1	56.8	54.8	44.4	63.0	$10,467	$1,149	$9,319
Midway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	318 Midway School Road	Lexington	27295	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 764-0064	546	33	16.5	48.9%	421 (77.1%)	16 (2.9%)	73 (13.4%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.7%)	72.3	371^st of 1492 public elementary schools	75.1%		66.6	458^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.3%	87	74.3	64.7	78.8	68.3	54.1	63.8	85.0	$8,371	$538	$7,833
Hopewell Elementary School	Public	K-5	6294 Welborn Road	Trinity	27370	Randolph County	Randolph County School System	No	No	No	No	(336) 861-2030	679	47	14.4	99.6%	555 (81.7%)	13 (1.9%)	56 (8.2%)	14 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.9%)	69	434^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.9%		80.5	241^st of 1490 public elementary schools	83.8%	193	66.1	80.2	78.8	59.1	62.1	57.5	74.3	$8,788	$503	$8,285

Frequently Asked Questions about Pilot Elementary

Is Pilot Elementary a good school?

Pilot Elementary ranks 936^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Pilot Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pilot Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : E Lawson Brown Middle
High : East Davidson High

What is the racial makeup of Pilot Elementary?

Students at Pilot Elementary are 71% White, 19% Hispanic, 6% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Pilot Elementary in?

Davidson County Schools

How many students attend Pilot Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 321 students attended Pilot Elementary.

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Schools in Thomasville, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.