Edwin A Alderman Elementary

Edwin A Alderman Elementary is a K–5 school in Wilmington, NC, that serves roughly 255 students in the New Hanover County Schools district, a county system that ranks above the state average. Nearly all of Alderman's students (98.8%) qualify for free/reduced lunch, and the school has a low student-teacher ratio of 11.4-to-1. Academically, Alderman has struggled for a decade but has slipped sharply in the last two years, falling from the 37th–38th percentile statewide in 2021–2023 to the 7th percentile in 2024–25 and 2025–26.

What does that low ranking look like in practice? Alderman's end-of-grade proficiency rates run 25 to 35 points below district averages. Only 35.9% of 3rd graders, 31.8% of 4th graders, and 35.0% of 5th graders score proficient in math — versus 67–70% across the district. Reading scores are similarly low, with 41.0% of 3rd graders proficient in 2025–26 and 4th and 5th grade at roughly 32%. The most important comparison, however, is to nearby schools like Pine Valley Elementary and Winter Park Model Elementary, both less than two miles away. Those schools serve almost identical populations — roughly 99% poverty — yet rank in the 64th and 65th percentiles statewide, with 5th grade math proficiency double Alderman's. This strongly suggests Alderman's challenges are not simply a product of poverty.

Alderman's chronic absenteeism rate of 26.8% is higher than the district and state averages, though lower than some neighboring schools. There are a few positive notes: 5th grade science has consistently outperformed math and reading, and the school has more teachers per student and higher per-pupil spending than several higher-performing neighbors. With so many nearby schools proving that similar students can succeed, Alderman's recent decline looks less like an inevitable outcome and more like an urgent opportunity for improvement.