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Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1380^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Gaston STEM Leadership Academy is a small PK–8 school in Gaston, NC, within Northampton County Schools, enrolling roughly 284 students from a rural, high-poverty area where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has struggled academically for years, with its best recent year in 2022–23 when it ranked at the 34th percentile statewide. Results have slipped since then, and Gaston now sits at the 8th percentile with a 0-star rating.

Because the school spreads about 284 students across ten grade levels, individual grade cohorts are tiny—often just 15 to 30 kids—which makes test scores swing dramatically. One year, the 5th grade posted 84.6% math proficiency; the next, just 10%. A more reliable pattern is a sharp drop in math as students enter 6th grade, pointing to the middle-school transition as a challenge. Chronic absenteeism has improved from 60% in 2021–22 to 40.7% in 2024–25—better than the Northampton County rate of 48.1%, but still double the rates at nearby Manning Elementary School (21.3%) and Belmont Elementary School (21.1%) in Roanoke Rapids City Schools, which serve a nearly identical high-poverty population with much stronger results.

The school has genuine strengths, especially 8th-grade science (64.7% proficiency in the latest year, close to state levels), along with 7th-grade math, 6th-grade reading, and 4th-grade reading, which all outpaced the district. However, the STEM academy label is not reflected in math results, which trail district and state averages in most grades. One clear internal gap: female students rank at the 28th percentile statewide, while male students rank at the 7th percentile. Gaston ranks above Everetts Elementary S.T.E.M. Academy, Aurelian Springs Institute of Global Lea, and Weldon Elementary School, but well below the Roanoke Rapids elementary schools. Per-pupil spending is high at $18,837 with a low 11.8 student-teacher ratio, yet outcomes do not match nearby Manning Elementary School and Belmont Elementary School. For parents, the picture is mixed: a school improving attendance with some strong middle-school science, but fragile and volatile test scores overall.

284

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 Broughton Street
Gaston, NC 27832

(252) 537-2520

District: Northampton County Schools

Students who attend Gaston STEM Leadership Academy usually attend:

High:

Northampton County High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.0%

White:

5.3%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Gaston STEM Leadership Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (37% vs 59% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg42%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

1,380^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 4% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

639^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 6 pts since 2022

From bottom 11% (2022) to bottom 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

217^th of 246Northampton 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.7	1380 of 1492	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.6	1095 of 1490	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	1198 of 1505	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.3	985 of 1502	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.6	1369 of 1514	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.0	1477 of 1489	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.9	1235 of 1473	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	4.7	1401 of 1434	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.3	1388 of 1429	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.9	1370 of 1425	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.3	1374 of 1440	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.2	1318 of 1390	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.4	1299 of 1403	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	19.3	1219 of 1388	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	9.7	1311 of 1381	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	14.3	1238 of 1363	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	693 of 903	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	51.2	403 of 918	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	407 of 924	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	263 of 933	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	29.4	709 of 927	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	888 of 896	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	46.0	505 of 949	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.2	857 of 927	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.7	1041 of 1447	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.7	918 of 1451	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	1042 of 1455	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	1011 of 1459	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.3	1333 of 1458	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	1412 of 1440	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	1165 of 1424	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	3.6	1386 of 1405	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	1331 of 1434	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	35.4	1009 of 1437	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.4	981 of 1450	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.4	714 of 1437	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	24.4	1148 of 1366	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.6	1325 of 1329	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.0	953 of 1361	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	12.5	1276 of 1332	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.7	1355 of 1451	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.5	1377 of 1450	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	1201 of 1464	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.5	993 of 1461	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.6	1301 of 1464	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.9	1417 of 1444	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	1222 of 1430	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.7	1353 of 1413	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	639 of 778	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	658 of 773	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.4	631 of 793	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	591 of 784	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	696 of 786	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	320 of 553	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.1	314 of 546	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.2	334 of 560	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.1	241 of 559	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.6	353 of 550	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	574 of 731	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.0	582 of 733	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.3	535 of 738	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	627 of 731	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	697 of 733	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	552 of 725	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.6	566 of 729	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.4	511 of 743	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	506 of 735	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.2	471 of 689	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.3	629 of 736	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.2	670 of 733	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	623 of 751	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.6	506 of 747	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.2	619 of 748	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2026)28th percentile+21 vs school

African American (2026)23rd percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile~ school

Male (2026)7th percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2026)42nd percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)15th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science46%-22 vs state

Mathematics36%-24 vs state

Reading35%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

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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
Gaston STEM Leadership Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	400 Broughton Street	Gaston	27832	Northampton County	Northampton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 537-2520	284	24	11.8	98.9%	15 (5.3%)	247 (87.0%)	10 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.2%)	13.7	1380^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.5%		29.6	1095^th of 1490 public elementary schools	26.5%	285	45.5	36.7	10.0	38.1	45.5	32.4	39.4	46.7	20.0	42.9	30.3	29.4	15.0	64.7	$18,837	$3,552	$15,285
Belmont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1517 Bolling Road	Roanoke Rapids	27870	Halifax County	Roanoke Rapids City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 519-7500	614	38	16.0	99.5%	324 (52.8%)	181 (29.5%)	57 (9.3%)	14 (2.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.7%)	43.1	857^th of 1492 public elementary schools	42.6%		49.1	758^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.1%	99	56.3	52.2	63.2				57.7	40.0	52.9				73.5		$10,381	$1,618	$8,763
Manning Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	940 Park Avenue	Roanoke Rapids	27870	Halifax County	Roanoke Rapids City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 519-7400	630	41	15.2	99.5%	323 (51.3%)	173 (27.5%)	75 (11.9%)	19 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.2%)	47.2	779^th of 1492 public elementary schools	47.8%		47.5	789^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.0%	10	64.2	56.4	73.9				38.9	46.5	51.1				76.1		$10,540	$1,066	$9,474
Weldon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	805 Washington Ave	Weldon	27890	Halifax County	Weldon City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 536-4815	272	16	17.4	98.9%	5 (1.8%)	254 (93.4%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.3%)	3.7	1476^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.1%		2.9	1483^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	0.5%	7	25.6	30.2	33.3				25.6	25.6	12.8				41.0		$16,062	$2,258	$13,804
Everetts Elementary S.T.E.M. Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	4391 Highway 158	Roanoke Rapids	27870	Halifax County	Halifax County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 537-5484	254	17	14.9	98.8%	11 (4.3%)	207 (81.5%)	17 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	16 (6.3%)	11.1	1405^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.8%		6.6	1454^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.4%	49	47.9	26.5	40.5				33.3	30.6	32.4				54.1		$11,194	$2,551	$8,642
Aurelian Springs Institute of Global Lea	Public	PK, KG-5	10536 Hwy 48	Littleton	27850	Halifax County	Halifax County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 586-4944	140	13	10.7	97.9%	17 (12.1%)	109 (77.9%)	7 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	5 (3.6%)	10.1	1421^st of 1492 public elementary schools	4.8%		37	961^st of 1490 public elementary schools	35.5%	460	38.1	27.3	43.8				19.0	31.8	43.8				50.0		$15,972	$2,777	$13,194
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	9742 NC Hwy 305	Jackson	27845	Northampton County	Northampton County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 534-3381	283	22	12.8	98.9%	39 (13.8%)	203 (71.7%)	28 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.6%)								(n/a)	54.0						44.6								$17,593	$3,541	$14,052
Pittman Elementary Leadership Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	25041 Hwy 561	Enfield	27823	Halifax County	Halifax County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 445-5268	147	11	13.8	98.0%	2 (1.4%)	137 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.4%)	18.6	1305^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.5%		12.5	1385^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.0%	80	52.2	41.7	37.5				47.8	41.7	41.7				37.5		$18,006	$3,302	$14,705

Frequently Asked Questions about Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

How many students attend Gaston STEM Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 284 students attended Gaston STEM Leadership Academy.

Is Gaston STEM Leadership Academy a good school?

Gaston STEM Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 7.5% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Gaston STEM Leadership Academy attend?

Students who attend Gaston STEM Leadership Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Northampton County High School

What is the racial makeup of Gaston STEM Leadership Academy?

Students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy are 87% African American, 5% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What district is Gaston STEM Leadership Academy in?

Northampton County Schools

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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.