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Upchurch Elementary

Q: Is Upchurch Elementary a good school?

Upchurch Elementary ranks 941 st of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

941^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Upchurch Elementary is a PK–5 school in Raeford, NC, serving 646 students within Hoke County Schools, where roughly 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In the 2025–26 state ranking, Upchurch placed 941st out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, landing at the 37th percentile with a 2-star rating. That places it slightly above the district as a whole. The school has held a steady 2-star rating for the past decade, with its best recent year coming in 2015–16 when it reached the 60th percentile.

The school's biggest academic challenges are reading and chronic absenteeism. Reading proficiency trails the state by roughly 10 to 12 points in every grade tested, while math scores are much closer to district averages — 62.5% of 3rd graders scored proficient in math, nearly matching the state rate. The clear bright spot is 5th-grade science: 76.6% of Upchurch students scored proficient, the highest rate among all 11 nearby elementary schools in this comparison and well above the state's 67.7%. Chronic absenteeism runs at 30.0%, well above the state rate of 24.2% and higher than several neighboring schools. Rockfish Hoke Elementary posts a 20.1% chronic absenteeism rate, while Don D Steed Elementary — which serves an almost identical poverty population — comes in at 20.6% yet ranks in the 61st percentile statewide.

Subgroup data reveals both strengths and vulnerabilities. African American students have outperformed the school's overall statewide standing for three consecutive years, reaching the 82nd percentile in 2023–24, and English learners jumped from the 16th to the 56th percentile in a single year. However, military-connected students, multi-racial students, and special education students all saw significant declines in the latest year — a trend worth watching given the region's large military population. The path forward for Upchurch likely depends on investing in early literacy, reducing chronic absenteeism, and applying the instructional strategies that have worked for certain groups of students more consistently across the entire school.

646

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

730 Turnpike Road
Raeford, NC 28376

(910) 875-1574

District: Hoke County Schools

Students who attend Upchurch Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	West Hoke Middle
High:	Hoke County High
	SandHoke Early College High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.9%

Hispanic:

29.1%

White:

13.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Upchurch Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2016 → 37th in 2026

Worth a look

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

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg61%

941^st of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 40% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

183^rd of 246Hoke 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	38.1	941 of 1492	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.5	823 of 1490	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.8	858 of 1505	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.3	946 of 1502	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.8	884 of 1514	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.3	780 of 1489	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.6	754 of 1473	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.9	858 of 1434	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.2	801 of 1429	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	59.6	565 of 1425	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	46.0	816 of 1440	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.7	838 of 1390	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	27.4	1072 of 1403	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.7	896 of 1388	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	32.0	1037 of 1381	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.4	1042 of 1363	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	36.0	968 of 1354	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	27.8	1040 of 1324	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	56.6	611 of 1293	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.1	602 of 1276	52.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.7	315 of 903	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.9	204 of 918	77.8%	★★★★☆
2024	72.6	164 of 924	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	277 of 933	70.3%	★★★★☆
2022	58.1	304 of 927	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.0	209 of 896	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	69.6	202 of 949	78.7%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	181 of 927	80.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	51.1	241 of 634	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.1	233 of 646	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.8	677 of 878	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.4	474 of 897	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	248 of 563	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	26.0	448 of 533	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.2	347 of 514	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	245 of 485	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.6	149 of 385	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.6	78 of 497	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	44.7	205 of 421	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	936 of 1447	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.5	924 of 1451	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	797 of 1455	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.8	954 of 1459	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.8	855 of 1458	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.1	721 of 1440	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.7	768 of 1424	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.5	932 of 1405	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.2	449 of 710	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.9	614 of 669	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	41.0	548 of 612	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	450 of 981	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.1	522 of 961	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.3	619 of 951	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	574 of 915	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.3	273 of 893	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.4	223 of 843	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	139 of 865	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	58.5	303 of 851	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.1	782 of 1434	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.9	868 of 1437	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	827 of 1450	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	920 of 1437	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.4	701 of 1366	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.5	558 of 1329	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.9	451 of 1361	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.7	571 of 1332	57.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.4	912 of 1451	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.6	691 of 1450	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.3	859 of 1464	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.5	879 of 1461	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.3	876 of 1464	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.5	794 of 1444	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.8	709 of 1430	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.6	758 of 1413	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.4	52 of 67	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	60.2	26 of 72	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.0	50 of 75	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.5	53 of 81	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.3	46 of 85	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.0	34 of 76	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.1	44 of 72	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.4	52 of 76	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	147 of 181	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	56.6	74 of 175	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	87 of 159	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	98 of 154	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	104 of 133	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	90.6	3 of 86	96.5%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	549 of 815	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.1	382 of 821	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.8	394 of 801	50.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	554 of 1172	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.3	650 of 1166	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.7	664 of 1183	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.1	424 of 1194	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.7	370 of 1172	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.0	797 of 1183	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	19.7	1066 of 1178	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)65th percentile+28 vs school

Disabled (2022)62nd percentile+20 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)56th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)54th percentile+17 vs school

White (2025)53rd percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)37th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)37th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)35th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)33rd percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2026)22nd percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)19th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science77%+9 vs state

Mathematics55%-8 vs state

Reading46%-11 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, October 15, 2018

This the worst elementary school I have ever encountered. The VP is very rude and unprofessional. This school is not accommodating for special needs children. Absolutely no security. Parents have to risk their children’s safety when walking them to class by crossing a road to get them to school. No sign to indicate where you can’t park. This is not a military friendly school. This school is a disaster waiting to happen. I am currently looking for a new home in a different school district. Close Quote

Schools Near Upchurch 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/reduced lunch	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
Upchurch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	730 Turnpike Road	Raeford	28376	Hoke County	Hoke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 875-1574	646	40	16.0		89 (13.8%)	277 (42.9%)	188 (29.1%)	5 (0.8%)	11 (1.7%)	3 (0.5%)	73 (11.3%)	38.1	941^st of 1492 public elementary schools	36.9%		45.5	823^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	44.8%	118	62.5	50.0	53.2	45.5	47.9	42.9	76.6	$9,060	$1,408	$7,652
J W McLauchlin Elementary	Public	K-5	326 N Main St	Raeford	28376	Hoke County	Hoke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 875-8721	304	25	12.1		71 (23.4%)	115 (37.8%)	72 (23.7%)	3 (1.0%)	13 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (9.9%)	25.1	1187^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.4%		30.7	1077^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.7%	110	54.9	38.6	68.9	37.3	36.4	33.3	57.8	$12,042	$1,365	$10,677
Scurlock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	775 Rockfish Rd	Raeford	28376	Hoke County	Hoke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 875-4182	611	40	15.3		86 (14.1%)	224 (36.7%)	222 (36.3%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (1.0%)	6 (1.0%)	64 (10.5%)	24	1207^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.1%		33.4	1030^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.9%	177	63.9	44.0	33.3	47.2	47.7	39.6	46.4	$8,635	$1,313	$7,322
Don D Steed Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Phillipi Church Rd	Raeford	28376	Hoke County	Hoke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 875-1125	628	54	11.6		173 (27.5%)	173 (27.5%)	201 (32.0%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.1%)	3 (0.5%)	64 (10.2%)	60	577^th of 1492 public elementary schools	61.3%		68.3	421^st of 1490 public elementary schools	71.7%	156	64.5	60.4	49.4	64.5	61.3	75.3	71.6	$9,923	$1,349	$8,574
West Hoke Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6050 Turnpike Road	Raeford	28376	Hoke County	Hoke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 875-2584	467	34	13.7		97 (20.8%)	184 (39.4%)	105 (22.5%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.1%)	4 (0.9%)	52 (11.1%)	42.3	873^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	41.5%		23	1219^th of 1490 public elementary schools	18.2%	346	56.0	60.9	54.4	45.3	55.1	51.9	67.1	$10,270	$1,466	$8,804
Hawk Eye Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4321 Old Maxton Road	Red Springs	28377	Robeson County	Hoke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 875-2470	328	27	12.2		15 (4.6%)	43 (13.1%)	106 (32.3%)	0 (0.0%)	123 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (12.5%)	12.1	1394^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.6%		5.5	1467^th of 1490 public elementary schools	1.5%	73	45.1	44.4	40.5	27.5	31.5	40.5	42.9	$11,413	$1,480	$9,933
Rockfish Hoke Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6251 Rockfish Rd	Raeford	28376	Hoke County	Hoke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 875-9343	606	39	15.7		206 (34.0%)	148 (24.4%)	151 (24.9%)	19 (3.1%)	8 (1.3%)	7 (1.2%)	67 (11.1%)	32.3	1051^st of 1492 public elementary schools	29.6%		45.3	824^th of 1490 public elementary schools	44.7%	227	62.1	37.6	46.5	38.9	44.0	52.3	70.6	$7,820	$1,036	$6,784
Sandy Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8452 North Old Wire Road	Lumber Bridge	28357	Robeson County	Hoke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 875-6008	557	40	14.1		137 (24.6%)	150 (26.9%)	137 (24.6%)	7 (1.3%)	60 (10.8%)	4 (0.7%)	62 (11.1%)	40.6	895^th of 1492 public elementary schools	40.0%		56.6	619^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.5%	276	68.4	55.0	54.0	55.7	50.0	43.0	62.0	$9,694	$1,248	$8,446
Lake Rim Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1455 Hoke Loop Road	Fayetteville	28314	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 867-1133	656	41	15.9		76 (11.6%)	376 (57.3%)	128 (19.5%)	10 (1.5%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (9.1%)	28.8	1119^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.0%		32.6	1043^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	30.0%	76	51.8	38.1	43.6	51.8	51.4	42.6	63.4	$8,613	$1,279	$7,333
Wagram Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	24081 Main Street	Wagram	28396	Scotland County	Scotland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 384-0735	508	35	14.5		89 (17.5%)	254 (50.0%)	32 (6.3%)	4 (0.8%)	83 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.1%)	10.9	1408^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.6%		15.7	1341^st of 1490 public elementary schools	10.0%	67	53.2	26.7	38.9	36.4	37.2	27.8	40.3	$11,834	$2,053	$9,781

Frequently Asked Questions about Upchurch Elementary

Is Upchurch Elementary a good school?

Upchurch Elementary ranks 941^st of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Upchurch Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 646 students attended Upchurch Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Upchurch Elementary?

Students at Upchurch Elementary are 43% African American, 29% Hispanic, 14% White, 11% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What district is Upchurch Elementary in?

Hoke County Schools

What schools do graduates of Upchurch Elementary attend?

Students who attend Upchurch Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : West Hoke Middle
High : Hoke County High
High : SandHoke Early College High

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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.