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Bell Fork Elementary

Q: Is Bell Fork Elementary a good school?

Bell Fork Elementary ranks 1093 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1093^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Bell Fork Elementary is a K-5 school in Jacksonville, NC, serving 551 students in Onslow County Schools. About 74% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school ranks at the 27th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools, 1,093rd of 1,492, with a 1-star rating — down from the 36th percentile in the last two years and from the 53rd percentile in 2020-21. Its district sits at the 45th percentile statewide.

Among nearby elementary schools, Bell Fork Elementary sits in the lower half of a wide range. Lower-poverty schools like Carolina Forest Elementary, Morton Elementary, Parkwood Elementary, and Clyde Erwin Elementary all rank above it, but Bell Fork outperforms high-poverty peers including Northwoods Elementary, Hunters Creek Elementary, Jacksonville Commons Elementary, and Blue Creek Elementary. Performance inside the school varies a lot by group. Compared with the same groups statewide, African American students rank at the 64th percentile, gifted students at the 96th with 5 stars, and low-income students at the 38th — above the school's overall 27th-percentile rank. By comparison, White students rank at the 15th percentile, Hispanic students at the 25th, and special education students at the 24th. Grade-level results are uneven as well: 5th grade reading and science are about average for North Carolina, while 3rd grade math and reading run 16 to 21 points behind.

Chronic absenteeism is a clear bright spot, dropping from nearly 33% in 2021-22 to 18.2% in 2024-25, better than the district and state averages. Two concerns stand out, though: military-connected students have fallen from the 49th to the 3rd percentile statewide over three years, and math gains appear to fade as cohorts move up — one cohort that was above the state average in 3rd grade math ended nearly 16 points below by 5th grade. Bell Fork Elementary is not uniformly low-performing; instead, the challenge is making its pockets of success — gifted education, African American student achievement, and 5th grade reading and science — into consistent schoolwide practice.

551

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

74.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

500 Bell Fork Rd
Jacksonville, NC 28540-6309

(910) 347-4459

District: Onslow County Schools

Students who attend Bell Fork Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jacksonville Commons Middle
High:	Northside High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

39.7%

Hispanic:

24.9%

White:

24.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Bell Fork Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2016 → 27th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (49% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg61%

1,093^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

136^th of 246Onslow 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	30.1	1093 of 1492	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.1	949 of 1490	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.9	970 of 1505	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	952 of 1502	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	928 of 1514	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.7	693 of 1489	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.6	826 of 1473	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.8	682 of 1434	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.6	752 of 1429	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.3	889 of 1425	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	60.0	572 of 1440	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	57.6	580 of 1390	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.8	553 of 1403	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	74.8	302 of 1388	78.2%	★★★★☆
2011	78.9	222 of 1381	83.9%	★★★★☆
2010	71.0	379 of 1363	72.2%	★★★★☆
2009	49.7	768 of 1354	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	63.4	482 of 1324	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.2	440 of 1293	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.3	434 of 1276	66.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	327 of 903	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.6	278 of 918	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.0	454 of 924	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.5	418 of 933	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.0	415 of 927	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.3	278 of 896	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.6	251 of 949	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	73.2	156 of 927	83.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	34.5	413 of 634	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.2	284 of 646	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.0	385 of 878	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	23.4	776 of 897	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.1	1049 of 1447	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.5	890 of 1451	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	900 of 1455	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.3	809 of 1459	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	814 of 1458	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.4	583 of 1440	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.6	848 of 1424	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.0	723 of 1405	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★★
2019	53.6	410 of 612	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	734 of 981	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.2	542 of 961	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.3	375 of 951	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.2	524 of 915	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.2	336 of 893	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.4	151 of 843	82.1%	★★★★☆
2019	57.6	330 of 865	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.5	251 of 851	70.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.8	884 of 1434	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.4	731 of 1437	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	857 of 1450	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	767 of 1437	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.5	873 of 1366	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.5	328 of 1329	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	55.2	571 of 1361	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.1	453 of 1332	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	1073 of 1451	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.8	974 of 1450	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	978 of 1464	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	1036 of 1461	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.9	981 of 1464	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.9	734 of 1444	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.3	756 of 1430	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.3	627 of 1413	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.3	65 of 67	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	38.5	52 of 72	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.1	38 of 75	49.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.5	39 of 81	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.8	49 of 85	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.3	55 of 76	27.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.0	50 of 72	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.3	35 of 76	53.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.7	70 of 175	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.8	45 of 159	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	78.6	30 of 154	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	58.8	32 of 97	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.1	39 of 103	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.3	33 of 86	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	618 of 815	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.4	644 of 821	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.9	455 of 801	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	976 of 1146	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.7	969 of 1172	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	841 of 1166	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.2	790 of 1183	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	704 of 1194	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.6	725 of 1172	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.8	922 of 1183	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	50.7	626 of 1178	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

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+69 vs school

African American (2026)64th percentile+37 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)60th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2022)35th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)28th percentile~ school

Male (2026)26th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)25th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)24th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile-12 vs school

Military Connected (2026)3rd percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science66%~ state avg

Reading48%-8 vs state

Mathematics45%-19 vs state

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Schools Near Bell Fork 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bell Fork Elementary	Public	K-5	500 Bell Fork Rd	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 347-4459	551	38	14.5	74.0%	136 (24.7%)	219 (39.7%)	137 (24.9%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (9.6%)	30.1	1093^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	26.7%		38.1	949^th of 1490 public elementary schools	36.3%	144	45.6	41.7	47.0		39.2	48.6	55.4		66.3	$9,844	$1,331	$8,513
Clyde Erwin Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	323 New River Dr	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(910) 347-1261	283	24	12.0	61.8%	72 (25.4%)	66 (23.3%)	114 (40.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	29 (10.2%)	45.6	811^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.6%		33.5	1029^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.9%	218	60.8	75.7	50.0		52.9	73.0	36.1		52.8	$10,965	$929	$10,036
Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology	Public, Charter	K-8	1249 Hargett Street	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 219-8603	104	6	17.8	95.2%	13 (12.5%)	61 (58.7%)	18 (17.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (11.5%)	10.6	1410^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.5%		10.1	1420^th of 1490 public elementary schools	4.7%	10			10.0	33.3			40.0	33.3	338.5
Northwoods Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	617 Henderson Dr	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(910) 347-2808	439	33	13.3	72.2%	168 (38.3%)	114 (26.0%)	84 (19.1%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.4%)	64 (14.6%)	20.5	1270^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.9%		37.1	960^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.6%	310	38.2	47.4	42.6		39.5	47.4	39.3		57.4	$9,947	$1,028	$8,919
Jacksonville Commons Elementary	Public	K-5	1121 Commons Drive North	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 347-1056	506	37	13.6	69.8%	165 (32.6%)	140 (27.7%)	103 (20.4%)	11 (2.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	83 (16.4%)	26	1169^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.6%		30.7	1078^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.7%	91	43.8	59.1	37.3		40.0	47.7	49.3		52.0	$10,168	$1,161	$9,007
Hunters Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3450 Hunters Trail	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 353-4443	585	45	13.0	71.8%	189 (32.3%)	130 (22.2%)	176 (30.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	86 (14.7%)	24.4	1197^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.8%		37.7	954^th of 1490 public elementary schools	36.0%	243	41.1	36.3	39.8		44.2	53.8	51.1		55.7	$9,669	$1,315	$8,354
Parkwood Elementary	Public	K-5	2900 Northwoods Dr	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 347-6711	457	32	14.2	52.5%	221 (48.4%)	81 (17.7%)	93 (20.4%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	51 (11.2%)	42.1	875^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.4%		53.8	675^th of 1490 public elementary schools	54.7%	200	60.0	45.7	52.3		45.0	51.9	61.6		68.6	$9,969	$731	$9,237
Carolina Forest Elementary	Public	K-5	141 Carolina Forest Boulevard	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 346-1778	570	39	14.6	47.9%	207 (36.3%)	140 (24.6%)	118 (20.7%)	32 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	66 (11.6%)	70	416^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.1%		73	344^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.9%	72	82.1	54.1	71.3		75.0	63.3	60.0		77.5	$8,201	$658	$7,543
Morton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	485 Old 30 Road	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 353-0930	715	46	15.6	59.9%	330 (46.2%)	137 (19.2%)	154 (21.5%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.8%)	81 (11.3%)	58.3	611^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.0%		58.8	584^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.8%	27	65.1	69.7	57.1		62.8	66.3	48.8		69.0	$8,688	$926	$7,762
Blue Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	1260 Burgaw Hwy	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 347-1717	498	38	13.2	67.3%	235 (47.2%)	87 (17.5%)	118 (23.7%)	4 (0.8%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (9.4%)	19.6	1286^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.8%		26	1158^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.3%	128	47.0	42.5	36.7		37.9	53.8	36.1		49.2	$10,673	$1,191	$9,482

Frequently Asked Questions about Bell Fork Elementary

What district is Bell Fork Elementary in?

Onslow County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Bell Fork Elementary?

Students at Bell Fork Elementary are 40% African American, 25% Hispanic, 25% White, 10% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Bell Fork Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bell Fork Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jacksonville Commons Middle
High : Northside High

Is Bell Fork Elementary a good school?

Bell Fork Elementary ranks 1093^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Bell Fork Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 551 students attended Bell Fork Elementary.

Rate Bell Fork 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.