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Grady Brown Elementary

Q: Is Grady Brown Elementary a good school?

Grady Brown Elementary ranks 757 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

757^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Grady Brown Elementary is a public elementary school in Hillsborough, North Carolina, serving 401 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Orange County Schools district, which is ranked 87 out of 242 districts in the state.

Grady Brown Elementary has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages in standardized test scores across grades 3-5 in mathematics, reading, and science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were significantly lower than the district and state averages in 3rd grade mathematics, 4th grade mathematics, and 5th grade reading. The school's performance has been declining over the past few years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 538 out of 1,434 elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 757 out of 1,490 in 2024-2025. Grady Brown Elementary also has significant achievement gaps between different student subgroups, with its ranking for African American students being much higher than its ranking for Hispanic students and English Language Learners.

The nearby schools, such as Seawell Elementary, Morris Grove Elementary, and Hillsborough Elementary, consistently outperform Grady Brown Elementary in academic achievement, with significantly higher proficiency rates and statewide rankings. These schools also have lower percentages of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, which may contribute to their stronger academic performance. By addressing the unique needs of its student population and learning from the successful practices of nearby high-performing schools, Grady Brown Elementary has the opportunity to improve academic outcomes and provide a more equitable education for all its students.

406

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,441

Per pupil spending ?

59.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1100 New Grady Brown Rd
Hillsborough, NC 27278-9200

(919) 732-6138

District: Orange County Schools

Students who attend Grady Brown Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	A L Stanback Middle
High:	Cedar Ridge High

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.9%

Hispanic:

36.0%

African American:

11.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Grady Brown Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 27th percentile in 2022 → 49th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 49th (2025) from a 27th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg57%

757^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Orange County Schools

87^th of 242Orange 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
2025	49.3	757 of 1490	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.2	1094 of 1505	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.7	942 of 1502	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	1111 of 1514	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.6	1015 of 1489	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.7	751 of 1473	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.8	538 of 1434	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.1	574 of 1429	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	56.2	619 of 1425	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.6	580 of 1440	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.9	411 of 1390	70.4%	★★★★☆
2013	77.9	254 of 1403	81.9%	★★★★☆
2012	67.7	444 of 1388	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.1	608 of 1381	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.3	430 of 1363	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	72.4	349 of 1354	74.2%	★★★★☆
2008	64.5	461 of 1324	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.9	566 of 1293	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	67.7	376 of 1276	70.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	413 of 918	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.0	576 of 924	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.6	289 of 927	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.0	296 of 949	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.4	138 of 927	85.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	37.6	570 of 897	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	507 of 563	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	431 of 533	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	460 of 514	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	431 of 485	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.6	306 of 497	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	185 of 421	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	834 of 1451	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	1048 of 1455	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.2	800 of 1459	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	1023 of 1458	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.2	875 of 1440	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.1	722 of 1424	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.4	498 of 1405	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	70.7	97 of 710	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	62.3	269 of 669	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.0	278 of 582	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.9	368 of 500	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.2	479 of 494	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.3	557 of 612	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	759 of 961	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	838 of 951	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	748 of 915	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	864 of 893	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	635 of 843	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	714 of 865	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	626 of 851	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	992 of 1437	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.5	1231 of 1450	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	1083 of 1437	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.4	1094 of 1366	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.9	1029 of 1329	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.5	839 of 1361	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.8	674 of 1332	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.4	696 of 1450	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.4	1113 of 1464	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.4	1009 of 1461	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.3	1126 of 1464	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.7	1111 of 1444	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.9	745 of 1430	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.2	543 of 1413	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.4	330 of 821	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.9	583 of 801	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	64.3	396 of 1172	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.6	854 of 1166	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.6	690 of 1183	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	761 of 1194	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.4	898 of 1172	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	62.5	430 of 1183	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.0	335 of 1178	71.6%	★★★★☆

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 (2025)86th percentile+37 vs school

White (2025)66th percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2025)60th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)55th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)52nd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)43rd percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2018)36th percentile-26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile-18 vs school

Hispanic (2025)21st percentile-28 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)10th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics59%~ state avg

Science56%-6 vs state

Reading52%~ state avg

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, October 12, 2021

My children had a great experience living the CHAMP life at GAB. Close Quote

by a student
Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Hi! I was a student at Grady Brown Elementary school, and I have the honour of saying that I am still suffering. They claim to be the best school in America, not even close. I experienced bad teaching practices and extreme bullying first hand. Close Quote

Schools Near Grady Brown 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Grady Brown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 New Grady Brown Rd	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 732-6138	406	31	13.2	59.6%	170 (41.9%)	46 (11.3%)	146 (36.0%)	12 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.6%)	49.3	757^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.2%		30.2	1094^th of 1505 public elementary schools	27.3%	337	65.7	58.6	51.5				49.3	55.7	50.0				55.9		$12,441	$1,012	$11,429
The Expedition School	Public, Charter	K-8	437 Dimmocks Mill Rd Ste 33	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	The Expedition School	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 245-8432	380	29	13.1		282 (74.2%)	14 (3.7%)	37 (9.7%)	17 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	28 (7.4%)	95.1	52^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	96.5%		94.3	56^th of 1505 public elementary schools	96.3%	4	95.4	69.8	81.8	88.4	88.4	92.1	88.6	95.4	88.6	93.0	86.0	94.7	97.7	94.7
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	154 Hayes St	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 732-3622	261	23	11.1	98.9%	105 (40.2%)	72 (27.6%)	63 (24.1%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.5%)	34.1	1017^th of 1490 public elementary schools	31.7%		29.8	1102^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	26.8%	85	54.0	58.1	52.7				36.0	41.9	45.5				50.9		$14,465	$1,168	$13,297
Hillsborough Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	402 North Nash Street	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 732-6137	435	30	14.6	17.5%	337 (77.5%)	28 (6.4%)	30 (6.9%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.7%)	90.8	98^th of 1490 public elementary schools	93.4%		90.6	108^th of 1505 public elementary schools	92.8%	10	88.9	75.0	74.3				68.1	80.6	82.4				87.8		$11,531	$386	$11,145
River Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	240 St. Mary's Road	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 732-9326	523	36	14.4	37.5%	309 (59.1%)	27 (5.2%)	131 (25.0%)	10 (1.9%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.6%)	81	234^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.3%		70.7	390^th of 1505 public elementary schools	74.1%	156	78.2	71.3	76.0				56.4	70.6	71.0				73.0		$10,994	$454	$10,540
New Hope Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1900 New Hope Church Rd	Chapel Hill	27514	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 942-9696	528	46	11.5	99.1%	142 (26.9%)	62 (11.7%)	273 (51.7%)	10 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.6%)	47.4	791^st of 1490 public elementary schools	46.9%		42.9	872^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	42.1%	81	67.8	65.4	58.5				36.8	56.8	39.4				58.5		$13,203	$1,160	$12,043
Efland Cheeks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4401 Fuller Rd	Efland	27243	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 245-4042	532	36	14.7	99.4%	175 (32.9%)	129 (24.2%)	154 (28.9%)	26 (4.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (8.8%)	61.9	533^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	64.2%		42.1	884^th of 1505 public elementary schools	41.3%	351	75.0	78.7	56.1				50.6	67.4	54.1				52.0		$11,292	$882	$10,410
Pathways Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	431 Strouds Creek Road	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 732-9136	371	27	13.7	54.4%	204 (55.0%)	66 (17.8%)	57 (15.4%)	6 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (10.0%)	80.8	238^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.0%		52	715^th of 1505 public elementary schools	52.5%	477	82.5	78.0	74.6				62.5	70.0	56.7				79.1		$14,700	$1,138	$13,561
Morris Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	215 Eubanks Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 918-4800	383	32	12.1	22.5%	211 (55.1%)	30 (7.8%)	54 (14.1%)	56 (14.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.8%)	93.5	67^th of 1490 public elementary schools	95.5%		95.1	46^th of 1505 public elementary schools	96.9%	21	86.2	83.3	89.8				79.3	72.7	83.0				86.4		$12,863	$298	$12,565
Seawell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9115 Seawell School Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 967-4343	416	34	12.4	30.0%	142 (34.1%)	55 (13.2%)	44 (10.6%)	136 (32.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.4%)	86.9	145^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.3%		90.7	104^th of 1505 public elementary schools	93.1%	41	55.2	78.9	85.7				60.3	80.0	81.9				90.5		$13,527	$419	$13,108

Frequently Asked Questions about Grady Brown Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Grady Brown Elementary?

Students at Grady Brown Elementary are 42% White, 36% Hispanic, 11% African American, 8% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Grady Brown Elementary attend?

Students who attend Grady Brown Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : A L Stanback Middle
High : Cedar Ridge High

What district is Grady Brown Elementary in?

Orange County Schools

Is Grady Brown Elementary a good school?

Grady Brown Elementary ranks 757^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Grady Brown Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 406 students attended Grady Brown Elementary.

Rate Grady Brown Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

2023–24 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 4, 2024

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.