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Coastal Elementary

Q: Is Coastal Elementary a good school?

Coastal Elementary ranks 259 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

259^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 83% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Coastal Elementary is a K-5 school in Holly Ridge, NC, serving 833 students as part of Onslow County Schools. The school ranks 259th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, putting it in the 83rd percentile with a 4-star rating, and it has stayed between the 75th and 86th percentiles for five straight years. That is especially notable because Onslow County Schools as a whole ranks in the 45th percentile statewide. In nearly every tested subject, Coastal beats state averages by wide margins: 77.2% of 3rd graders are proficient in math versus 66.4% statewide, and 73.1% of 3rd graders are proficient in reading versus 55.6% statewide.

One of Coastal's most unusual strengths is how well it serves students who are historically at higher risk. Hispanic students rank in the 94th percentile statewide, special education students in the 91st, low-income students in the 88th, and military-connected students in the 75th. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 28.5% in 2021-22 to 13.1% in 2024-25 — far better than the district's 22.7% and the state's 24.2%. Science is another highlight, with 78% of 5th graders proficient versus 67.7% statewide. The school has also improved its student-teacher ratio to 14.4, lower than nearby Dixon Elementary's 16.1.

Coastal looks more like the top Pender County Schools than its Onslow County neighbors. It ranks alongside North Topsail Elementary (91st percentile), South Topsail Elementary (86th percentile), and Surf City Elementary (82nd percentile). Among Onslow schools in the immediate area, Coastal is clearly first: Dixon Elementary sits at the 62nd percentile, Southwest Elementary at the 60th, and Clyde Erwin Elementary at the 46th. Areas to watch are 5th grade reading (64.6% proficiency, below the school's 3rd and 4th grade reading results) and gifted education outcomes, which have dropped from the 91st to the 67th percentile in recent years. Even so, Coastal's combination of strong academics, low absenteeism, and exceptional results for a wide range of learners makes it one of the most effective elementary schools in the greater Jacksonville area.

833

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

33.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

370 Folkstone Rd
Holly Ridge, NC 28445

(910) 455-2448

District: Onslow County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.5%

Hispanic:

14.8%

Two or more races:

7.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2022 → 83rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (72% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% 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 school72%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg61%

259^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 17%▼ down 1 pts since 2022

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	78.5	259 of 1492	82.6%	★★★★☆
2025	82.1	215 of 1490	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.5	210 of 1505	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	368 of 1502	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	80.0	246 of 1514	83.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	30.7	454 of 634	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	79.4	228 of 1447	84.2%	★★★★☆
2025	82.3	187 of 1451	87.1%	★★★★☆
2024	82.5	186 of 1455	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	67.0	432 of 1459	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	77.3	269 of 1458	81.6%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	243 of 743	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.5	212 of 710	70.1%	★★★★☆
2024	70.2	63 of 669	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	52.2	408 of 582	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	68.5	122 of 500	75.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	88.8	56 of 981	94.3%	★★★★★
2025	82.1	90 of 961	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	78.9	123 of 951	87.1%	★★★★☆
2023	84.1	81 of 915	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	88.4	56 of 893	93.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	173 of 1434	87.9%	★★★★☆
2025	76.2	211 of 1437	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	80.2	151 of 1450	89.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.3	440 of 1437	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.3	322 of 1366	76.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.6	332 of 1451	77.1%	★★★★☆
2025	78.5	248 of 1450	82.9%	★★★★☆
2024	78.0	266 of 1464	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	75.5	289 of 1461	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	80.0	233 of 1464	84.1%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.1	17 of 67	74.6%	★★★★☆
2025	69.4	15 of 72	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	68.6	20 of 75	73.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.4	23 of 81	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	80.9	7 of 85	91.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.5	35 of 181	80.7%	★★★★☆
2025	80.1	27 of 175	84.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.9	16 of 159	89.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	79.4	73 of 815	91.0%	★★★★★
2025	76.3	93 of 821	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	56.3	253 of 801	68.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.0	550 of 1146	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.6	438 of 1172	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.4	436 of 1166	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.8	662 of 1183	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.0	426 of 1194	64.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)94th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2026)91st percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)88th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)84th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)81st percentile~ school

Male (2026)77th percentile-6 vs school

Military Connected (2026)75th percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)67th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)52nd percentile-31 vs school

Disabled (2022)28th percentile-55 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science78%+10 vs state

Mathematics73%+9 vs state

Reading70%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Coastal 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
Coastal Elementary	Public	K-5	370 Folkstone Rd	Holly Ridge	28445	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 455-2448	833	58	14.4	33.1%	612 (73.5%)	18 (2.2%)	123 (14.8%)	6 (0.7%)	6 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	65 (7.8%)	78.5	259^th of 1492 public elementary schools	82.6%		82.1	215^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.6%	44	77.2	69.2	72.4		73.1	72.6	64.6		78.0
Dixon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	130 Betty Dixon Rd	Holly Ridge	28445	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 327-2104	760	47	16.1	33.4%	576 (75.8%)	21 (2.8%)	86 (11.3%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	69 (9.1%)	61.1	564^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.2%		66.9	448^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.9%	116	59.5	52.6	64.2		60.3	63.2	71.6		79.8	$8,351	$596	$7,756
Surf City Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12345-A Literacy Lane	Hampstead	28445	Onslow County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 928-0067	857	51	16.8	—	684 (79.8%)	25 (2.9%)	79 (9.2%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (7.2%)	78.3	264^th of 1492 public elementary schools	82.3%		66.8	451^st of 1490 public elementary schools	69.7%	187	81.9	69.7	77.2		67.8	68.3	65.5		75.9	$7,721	$547	$7,175
North Topsail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1310 Sloop Point Loop Road	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-0694	529	33	15.9	—	450 (85.1%)	12 (2.3%)	36 (6.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.3%)	89.2	129^th of 1492 public elementary schools	91.4%		85.5	165^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.9%	36	90.4	86.4	78.4		71.1	75.4	72.1		87.4	$9,936	$444	$9,492
Topsail Annandale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	17385 US Hwy 17	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-1977	580	34	17.0	19.8%	502 (86.6%)	13 (2.2%)	42 (7.2%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.9%)	89.8	116^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.2%		90.3	106^th of 1490 public elementary schools	92.9%	10	87.9	80.8			77.8	74.6				$8,786	$660	$8,125
Southwest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2601 Burgaw Hwy	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 347-0900	720	51	14.1	60.4%	441 (61.3%)	80 (11.1%)	128 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	66 (9.2%)	59.2	598^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.9%		54.4	663^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	55.5%	65	70.5	67.6	68.3		52.7	60.0	54.8		68.6	$8,706	$779	$7,927
South Topsail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	997 Hoover Road	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-2756	618	38	16.1	—	475 (76.9%)	19 (3.1%)	67 (10.8%)	8 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (7.3%)	82.1	214^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.7%		77	297^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.1%	83	80.4	74.2	85.1		66.7	64.5	73.4		85.1	$10,357	$486	$9,871
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Coastal Elementary

Is Coastal Elementary a good school?

Coastal Elementary ranks 259^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Coastal Elementary?

Students at Coastal Elementary are 73% White, 15% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Coastal Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 833 students attended Coastal Elementary.

What district is Coastal Elementary in?

Onslow 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.