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Sandhills Farm Life Elementary

Q: Is Sandhills Farm Life Elementary a good school?

Sandhills Farm Life Elementary ranks 206 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

206^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 86% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Sandhills Farm Life Elementary is a K–5 public school in Carthage, North Carolina, serving 379 students in the Moore County Schools district. The school currently holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the 86th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools—a strong rise from its mid-pack performance in the late 2010s, though slightly off its 5-star peak in 2022–2023.

Academically, Sandhills Farm Life outperforms both the district and state in every tested grade and subject. Its 5th grade science program is a particular standout, with about 84% of students proficient compared with roughly 68% statewide. The school also shines when it comes to attendance: only 11% of students are chronically absent, versus about 19% across Moore County and 24% across the state. Military-connected families may find this an especially good fit—the school ranks 4th among 67 elementary schools statewide in serving military-connected students. It accomplishes all of this on roughly $8,000 per student, less than many neighboring schools spend.

Sandhills Farm Life serves a less economically disadvantaged population than many nearby schools, with about 28% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Its closest academic peers are Pinehurst Elementary and McDeeds Creek Elementary, both 5-star schools with similarly low poverty and absenteeism rates. By contrast, Aberdeen Elementary, about 10 miles away, has a 98% poverty rate, 37% chronic absenteeism, and ranks in the 21st percentile. While Sandhills Farm Life continues to serve most student groups well, relative outcomes for low-income students have softened over the past three years—a trend worth watching. Overall, this is a well-regarded school with strong attendance, consistent results across grades and subjects, and a clear record of improvement.

379

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

27.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2201 Farm Life Rd
Carthage, NC 28327-9428

(910) 949-2501

District: Moore County Schools

Students who attend Sandhills Farm Life Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	New Century Middle
High:	Union Pines High

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.7%

Two or more races:

10.8%

Hispanic:

6.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Sandhills Farm Life Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 85th percentile in 2016 → 86th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (75% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school75%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg61%

206^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

63^rd of 246Moore 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	82.7	206 of 1492	86.2%	★★★★☆
2025	84.5	182 of 1490	87.8%	★★★★☆
2024	86.8	154 of 1505	89.8%	★★★★☆
2023	90.7	98 of 1502	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	72.2	367 of 1514	75.8%	★★★★☆
2021	66.9	445 of 1489	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	67.0	460 of 1473	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.9	515 of 1434	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.4	504 of 1429	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	80.4	219 of 1425	84.6%	★★★★☆
2015	82.4	195 of 1440	86.5%	★★★★☆
2014	85.5	161 of 1390	88.4%	★★★★☆
2013	88.3	124 of 1403	91.2%	★★★★★
2012	77.4	257 of 1388	81.5%	★★★★☆
2011	75.7	277 of 1381	79.9%	★★★★☆
2010	72.8	336 of 1363	75.3%	★★★★☆
2009	76.3	273 of 1354	79.8%	★★★★☆
2008	79.8	186 of 1324	86.0%	★★★★☆
2007	83.1	122 of 1293	90.6%	★★★★★
2006	81.6	152 of 1276	88.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	63.3	276 of 949	70.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	30.4	664 of 878	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.2	506 of 897	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.9	312 of 1447	78.4%	★★★★☆
2025	84.0	167 of 1451	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	83.6	175 of 1455	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	91.7	78 of 1459	94.7%	★★★★★
2022	76.6	276 of 1458	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	64.4	444 of 1440	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.1	442 of 1424	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.9	522 of 1405	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.3	170 of 743	77.1%	★★★★☆
2025	70.6	108 of 710	84.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.0	102 of 582	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	60.7	230 of 494	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.3	195 of 612	68.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.1	476 of 1434	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.4	371 of 1437	74.2%	★★★★☆
2024	85.9	86 of 1450	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	90.4	48 of 1437	96.7%	★★★★★
2022	59.2	472 of 1366	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.1	439 of 1329	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.5	963 of 1361	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.2	803 of 1332	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.5	152 of 1451	89.5%	★★★★☆
2025	82.1	202 of 1450	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	85.8	153 of 1464	89.5%	★★★★☆
2023	87.6	124 of 1461	91.5%	★★★★★
2022	64.8	475 of 1464	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.7	458 of 1444	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.8	442 of 1430	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.6	503 of 1413	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.7	4 of 67	94.0%	★★★★★
2024	78.1	9 of 75	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	8 of 81	90.1%	★★★★★
2022	56.1	40 of 85	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.3	36 of 76	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.8	41 of 72	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.3	33 of 76	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.9	197 of 815	75.8%	★★★★☆
2025	82.4	61 of 821	92.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	405 of 1146	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.4	337 of 1172	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.1	285 of 1166	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	78.2	207 of 1183	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	56.3	520 of 1194	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.3	586 of 1172	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.6	720 of 1183	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.5	690 of 1178	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Military Connected (2026)94th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)90th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)78th percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)77th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)76th percentile-10 vs school

African American (2019)71st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)67th percentile-19 vs school

White (2026)65th percentile-22 vs school

Disabled (2019)24th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science84%+16 vs state

Mathematics77%+13 vs state

Reading71%+15 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Sandhills Farm Life 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 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sandhills Farm Life Elementary	Public	K-5	2201 Farm Life Rd	Carthage	28327	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 949-2501	379	22	16.8	27.7%	287 (75.7%)	21 (5.5%)	23 (6.1%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	41 (10.8%)	82.7	206^th of 1492 public elementary schools	86.2%		84.5	182^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	87.8%	24	79.7	71.2	79.0				71.3	69.9	71.0				83.9		$8,014	$534	$7,480
McDeeds Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	2953 Camp Easter Rd	Southern Pines	28387	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 722-4248	707	38	18.4	21.1%	525 (74.3%)	40 (5.7%)	88 (12.4%)	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (6.4%)	88	148^th of 1492 public elementary schools	90.1%		91.5	88^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.1%	60	90.3	87.5	75.2				76.1	76.8	72.4				77.1
Carthage Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	312 Rockingham St	Carthage	28327	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 947-2781	350	22	15.5	99.1%	227 (64.9%)	40 (11.4%)	40 (11.4%)	5 (1.4%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	33 (9.4%)	73.8	345^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.9%		63.4	504^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.2%	159	85.2	59.7	70.2				70.4	69.4	66.0				72.3		$11,202	$879	$10,323
STARS Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	140 Southern Dunes Dr	Vass	28394	Moore County	Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaiss	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 695-1004	885	57	15.6		638 (72.1%)	57 (6.4%)	121 (13.7%)	5 (0.6%)	11 (1.2%)	3 (0.3%)	50 (5.6%)	87.3	153^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	89.7%		92.1	80^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.6%	73	90.7	91.3	65.6	87.6	82.5	90.1	78.4	83.5	68.8	83.5	77.3	86.8	74.0	85.7
Vass-Lakeview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	141 James Street	Vass	28394	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 245-3444	511	31	16.7	40.7%	319 (62.4%)	38 (7.4%)	92 (18.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (11.5%)	63.1	534^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.2%		71.7	366^th of 1490 public elementary schools	75.4%	168	78.0	72.6	52.6				59.8	66.3	51.3				71.1		$10,090	$843	$9,248
Southern Pines Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	115 South Carlisle Street	Southern Pines	28987	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 947-8077	600	37	16.1	99.3%	236 (39.3%)	208 (34.7%)	78 (13.0%)	8 (1.3%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (11.0%)	57.1	624^th of 1492 public elementary schools	58.2%		57.4	603^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	59.5%	21	65.7	63.4	67.7				51.5	62.2	62.6				63.6		$10,663	$1,069	$9,594
Pinehurst Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Dundee Road	Pinehurst	28374	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 295-6969	584	35	16.9	18.7%	433 (74.1%)	37 (6.3%)	49 (8.4%)	20 (3.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (7.0%)	94	57^th of 1492 public elementary schools	96.2%		96.6	27^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.2%	30	89.4	86.0	89.7				74.4	86.8	80.4				90.7		$8,340	$531	$7,809
Moore Montessori Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	255 S. May Street	Southern Pines	28387	Moore County	Moore Montessori Community School	Yes	No	No	No	(910) 636-1325	259	17	15.5		158 (61.0%)	32 (12.4%)	33 (12.7%)	3 (1.2%)	4 (1.5%)	3 (1.2%)	26 (10.0%)	70.2	413^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.3%		56.8	614^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.8%	201	67.9	75.8	73.1	53.8	68.0	52.6	64.3	84.8	57.7	53.8	80.0	52.6	69.2	78.9
Cameron Elementary	Public	K-5	2636 NC Hwy 24 27	Cameron	28326	Harnett County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 245-7814	215	14	15.6	98.6%	145 (67.4%)	15 (7.0%)	42 (19.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	55.9	641^st of 1492 public elementary schools	57.0%		52.9	690^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.7%	49	59.5	57.9	79.3				54.8	55.3	62.1				72.4		$11,016	$911	$10,105
West Pine Elementary	Public	K-5	272 Archie Rd	West End	27376	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 673-2004	383	25	15.1	99.2%	242 (63.2%)	47 (12.3%)	51 (13.3%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.4%)	71.7	384^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.3%		78	280^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.2%	104	82.0	71.8	64.0				65.6	71.8	66.7				65.3		$8,736	$550	$8,186

Frequently Asked Questions about Sandhills Farm Life Elementary

How many students attend Sandhills Farm Life Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 379 students attended Sandhills Farm Life Elementary.

What district is Sandhills Farm Life Elementary in?

Moore County Schools

What schools do graduates of Sandhills Farm Life Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sandhills Farm Life Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : New Century Middle
High : Union Pines High

What is the racial makeup of Sandhills Farm Life Elementary?

Students at Sandhills Farm Life Elementary are 76% White, 11% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 6% African American.

Is Sandhills Farm Life Elementary a good school?

Sandhills Farm Life Elementary ranks 206^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Sandhills Farm Life Elementary!

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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.