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Mary C Williams Elementary

Q: Is Mary C Williams Elementary a good school?

Mary C Williams Elementary ranks 957 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

957^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 36% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Mary C Williams Elementary is a K-5 school in Wilmington, NC, enrolling about 355 students as part of New Hanover County Schools. The school serves an extremely economically disadvantaged population — more than 99% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch in the most recent year — and its latest state ranking places it at the 36th percentile with 2 stars, a sharp drop from its 65th-percentile showing in 2022-2023. Still, Mary C Williams outperforms several nearby schools with similarly high poverty rates: Edwin A Alderman Elementary sits at the 7th percentile and Sunset Park Elementary at the 3rd, while Pine Valley Elementary — at the 64th percentile — remains ahead.

In the most recent testing year, no grade or subject reached the district average. The upper grades are a particular concern: 5th grade math proficiency fell from 65.4% to 52.6% in a single year, and 5th grade science has dropped from 78.3% in 2022-2023 to 52.6% — roughly 20 points behind the district. Third grade reading has also remained persistently low at 46.3% proficiency. The contrast with nearby schools is stark: Heyward C Bellamy Elementary, just 1.1 miles away, ranks at the 90th percentile with 41% economic disadvantage, while Dr John Codington Elementary, 1.9 miles away, ranks at the 97th percentile with 27% economic disadvantage.

There are genuine strengths worth noting. Gifted students rank at the 96th percentile statewide, low-income students perform above the statewide median relative to their economic peers, and chronic absenteeism — at 20.8% — has improved steadily and is now better than district and state averages. The school also spends more per pupil than many higher-performing neighbors ($12,184 versus $9,518 at Masonboro Elementary and $10,025 at Holly Tree Elementary). The biggest concern, however, is the recent slide in upper-grade performance and among several student subgroups, including male, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students. If that trend can be reversed, the school has the resources and demonstrated strengths to build on.

355

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

801 Silver Lake Rd
Wilmington, NC 28412-7715

(910) 350-2150

District: New Hanover County Schools

Students who attend Mary C Williams Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Myrtle Grove Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.9%

White:

39.4%

African American:

11.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Mary C Williams Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 43rd percentile in 2016 → 36th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg61%

957^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 43% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

84^th of 246New Hanover 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	37.3	957 of 1492	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.1	800 of 1490	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.4	626 of 1505	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	531 of 1502	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.7	555 of 1514	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.0	783 of 1489	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.3	809 of 1473	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.1	839 of 1434	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.7	974 of 1429	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.3	808 of 1425	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	54.9	663 of 1440	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	30.6	997 of 1390	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	37.8	884 of 1403	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	38.6	966 of 1388	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.9	895 of 1381	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.1	918 of 1363	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	25.8	1082 of 1354	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.5	1030 of 1324	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	31.9	1000 of 1293	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	38.0	899 of 1276	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	837 of 918	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	84.3	74 of 927	92.0%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	32.5	428 of 634	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.7	261 of 878	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	58.0	292 of 897	67.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.2	424 of 519	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.7	310 of 563	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	294 of 533	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.3	110 of 514	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	27.2	313 of 385	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.3	155 of 497	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	144 of 421	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.2	849 of 1447	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.4	592 of 1451	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.7	618 of 1455	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.2	632 of 1459	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.8	591 of 1458	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.7	713 of 1440	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.3	841 of 1424	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.4	841 of 1405	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★★
2025	70.8	28 of 710	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	55.9	370 of 669	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	780 of 981	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.8	627 of 961	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.4	459 of 951	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.1	301 of 915	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.4	373 of 893	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.4	393 of 843	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.0	459 of 865	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.9	395 of 851	53.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.5	555 of 1434	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.5	493 of 1437	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.9	386 of 1450	73.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.4	154 of 1437	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	75.3	201 of 1366	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	57.1	468 of 1329	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.4	343 of 1361	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	57.2	549 of 1332	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.4	1024 of 1451	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.0	950 of 1450	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.0	611 of 1464	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.7	413 of 1461	71.7%	★★★★☆
2022	63.3	505 of 1464	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.3	812 of 1444	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.8	722 of 1430	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.1	807 of 1413	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.4	487 of 815	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	719 of 1146	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.5	559 of 1172	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.7	500 of 1166	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.5	396 of 1183	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	516 of 1194	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.9	812 of 1172	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.1	575 of 1183	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.4	765 of 1178	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)96th percentile+60 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)61st percentile+25 vs school

Female (2026)41st percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2026)40th percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)32nd percentile-31 vs school

Male (2026)29th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile-15 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)18th percentile-18 vs school

African American (2025)9th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics59%-5 vs state

Science53%-15 vs state

Reading49%-8 vs state

2.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

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2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 9, 2017

The principal is inadequate and does not meet expectations. Not fair shows favoritism and picks on the students she does not favor. I have seen this first hand. She sets her undesirable students up to fail. Close Quote

Schools Near Mary C Williams 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
Mary C Williams Elementary	Public	K-5	801 Silver Lake Rd	Wilmington	28412	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2150	355	31	11.2	99.2%	140 (39.4%)	40 (11.3%)	156 (43.9%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	37.3	957^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.9%		47.1	800^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.3%	157	59.7	62.7	52.6				46.3	55.2	43.9				52.6		$12,184	$1,615	$10,569
Heyward C Bellamy Elementary	Public	K-5	70 Sanders Rd	Wilmington	28412	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-2039	533	35	15.0	41.1%	377 (70.7%)	25 (4.7%)	88 (16.5%)	12 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.6%)	88	147^th of 1492 public elementary schools	90.1%		88.1	136^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.9%	11	84.3	85.2	91.5				68.7	68.0	75.6				89.0		$10,008	$775	$9,233
Dr John Codington Elementary	Public	K-5	4321 Carolina Beach Road	Wilmington	28412	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 790-2236	470	31	15.0	26.6%	374 (79.6%)	26 (5.5%)	32 (6.8%)	8 (1.7%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	25 (5.3%)	94.8	45^th of 1492 public elementary schools	97.0%		86.7	149^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.0%	104	98.6	81.9	84.8				87.3	84.7	78.8				93.9		$10,516	$680	$9,836
Island Montessori Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	6339 Carolina Beach Rd	Wilmington	28412	New Hanover County	Island Montessori Charter	Yes	No	No	No	(910) 795-4860	220	19	11.5		185 (84.1%)	1 (0.5%)	14 (6.4%)	5 (2.3%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.4%)	23.9	1209^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.0%		43	864^th of 1490 public elementary schools	42.0%	345	44.0	40.0	50.0	22.7	41.7	33.3	44.0	56.0	41.7	50.0	66.7	57.1	50.0	61.9
Edwin A Anderson Elementary	Public	K-5	455 Halyburton Memorial Parkwa	Wilmington	28412	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 798-3311	514	39	13.1	47.7%	395 (76.8%)	20 (3.9%)	62 (12.1%)	6 (1.2%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	26 (5.1%)	82.5	209^th of 1492 public elementary schools	86.0%		82.3	209^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.0%		75.3	74.5	80.6				66.3	67.3	75.3				88.2		$10,418	$855	$9,563
Pine Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	440 John S Mosby Dr	Wilmington	28412	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2121	465	29	15.8	99.4%	311 (66.9%)	61 (13.1%)	49 (10.5%)	8 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.5%)	63.2	532^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	64.3%		68.2	424^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.5%	108	72.5	61.9	69.2				55.1	60.3	66.7				67.9		$10,137	$902	$9,235
Cape Fear Center for Inquiry	Public, Charter	K-8	2525 Wonder Way	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	Cape Fear Center for Inquiry	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 362-0000	395	30	13.1		320 (81.0%)	29 (7.3%)	26 (6.6%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	12 (3.0%)	68.6	447^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.0%		75.8	309^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.3%	138	58.1	71.1	70.8	66.7	56.5	68.1	55.8	73.3	64.6	62.2	73.9	72.3	77.1	91.5
Masonboro Elementary	Public	K-5	3518 Masonboro Loop Road	Wilmington	28409	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 790-2355	564	35	15.9	20.6%	460 (81.6%)	10 (1.8%)	55 (9.8%)	22 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.8%)	96.3	23^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	98.5%		96.4	34^th of 1490 public elementary schools	97.7%	11	93.3	87.6	93.9				81.0	86.5	87.0				94.8		$9,518	$523	$8,996
Holly Tree Elementary	Public	K-5	3020 Web Trace	Wilmington	28409	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 790-2250	383	28	13.5	26.1%	289 (75.5%)	28 (7.3%)	44 (11.5%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.4%)	83.9	191^st of 1492 public elementary schools	87.2%		83.2	200^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.6%	9	82.8	73.4	81.8				71.9	70.3	67.3				83.6		$10,025	$585	$9,440
Edwin A Alderman Elementary	Public	K-5	2025 Independence Blvd	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2031	255	22	11.4	98.8%	108 (42.4%)	89 (34.9%)	32 (12.5%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.1%)	12.1	1395^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.5%		12.1	1392^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	6.6%	3	35.9	31.8	35.0				41.0	31.8	32.5				57.5		$14,178	$1,969	$12,209

Frequently Asked Questions about Mary C Williams Elementary

Is Mary C Williams Elementary a good school?

Mary C Williams Elementary ranks 957^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mary C Williams Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 355 students attended Mary C Williams Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Mary C Williams Elementary?

Students at Mary C Williams Elementary are 44% Hispanic, 39% White, 11% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Mary C Williams Elementary in?

New Hanover County Schools

What schools do graduates of Mary C Williams Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mary C Williams Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Myrtle Grove Middle

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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.