Summary
Hawk Eye Elementary, located in Red Springs, NC, serves 328 students in grades PK–5 as part of Hoke County Schools, a small-town district in southeastern North Carolina. Nearly all of its students (around 99%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — a poverty profile shared with neighboring elementaries. Yet by statewide measures, Hawk Eye sits at the very bottom; it ranked 1,394th of 1,492 elementary schools in 2025–2026, placing it in the 7th percentile with 0 stars. A decade ago, the school ranked near the 33rd percentile, meaning the last three years in the bottom 7 percent represent a sharp, sustained decline.
Academic proficiency trails district, state, and nearby benchmarks by wide margins. Among 3rd graders, reading proficiency is just 27.5%, compared with 47.1% for Hoke County Schools and 55.6% statewide, while even the school's strongest result — 3rd-grade math at 45.1% — trails the state by roughly 21 points. Averaging grades 3–5 reading, Hawk Eye posts 33.2% proficiency, versus 67.0% at Don D Steed Elementary, 50.8% at West Hoke Elementary, and 33.8% at Wagram Elementary. Chronic absenteeism is a defining challenge: 40.2% of Hawk Eye students miss significant school time, compared with 20.6% at Don D Steed Elementary and 28.5% across the district, and the rate has hovered around 40–45% for four consecutive years.
There are bright spots amid the overall picture. English Learner students at Hawk Eye perform near the statewide median, female students' results jumped from the 2nd to the 13th percentile, and 2025–2026 scores improved notably — 5th-grade math rose from 16.4% to 40.5% proficiency and 3rd-grade reading from 19.3% to 27.5%. Since the school serves only about 300 students, annual swings can be dramatic, so cautious optimism is appropriate. Notably, Hawk Eye spends $11,413 per pupil and maintains a 12.2:1 student–teacher ratio — both favorable compared with several higher-performing neighbors. The path forward seems less about adding resources and more about reducing chronic absenteeism, strengthening early literacy, and making instructional gains stick year to year.
Thank you for your feedback!