Wallace Elementary

Wallace Elementary is a large PK-8 school in Wallace, NC, serving roughly 1,120 students in the Duplin County Schools district. Nearly every student (99.7%) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, making this a very high-poverty school, and the school currently ranks in the 4th percentile statewide—1,438th out of 1,492 North Carolina schools. Wallace's performance has been consistently low for over a decade and has sat in the bottom 2-6% of the state since the 2020-21 school year.

Wallace trails both its district and the state in all 14 grade and subject testing categories. The gaps are particularly wide in 4th grade math (26.8% proficient versus 45.0% for the district), 7th grade math (22.3% versus 40.8%), and 5th grade science (22.5% versus 40.7%). Among nearby schools, only Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary ranks lower at the 2nd percentile, while Kenansville Elementary (30th percentile), Chinquapin Elementary (25th), and Beulaville Elementary (16th) all outperform Wallace. Penderlea Elementary in Pender County Schools ranks at the 45th percentile despite serving a similarly high-poverty population and posts dramatically higher scores—63.5% proficiency in 4th grade math versus Wallace's 26.8%. Wallace also operates with the lowest per-pupil spending among comparable schools ($8,509) and a higher student-teacher ratio (16.8 to 1) than many higher-performing neighbors.

There are a few bright spots. Wallace's 3rd grade math proficiency (54.5%) is nearly on par with its district average, but that progress does not carry into later grades. Eighth grade science results have often met or exceeded the district average in recent years. Chronic absenteeism at 22.2% is below the state average of 24.2%. However, special education students at Wallace ranked at the 1st percentile statewide in 2024-25, an urgent concern. Since other high-poverty schools nearby achieve much better results, Wallace's low performance is not inevitable—school-level resources, staffing, and programs likely play a major role.