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Pathways Elementary

Q: Is Pathways Elementary a good school?

Pathways Elementary ranks 238 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

238^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Pathways Elementary is a public elementary school located in Hillsborough, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 352 students. The school is part of the Orange County Schools district, which is ranked 87 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pathways Elementary has shown consistent improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from 1008 out of 1489 North Carolina elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 238 out of 1490 in 2024-2025, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in Mathematics, Reading, and Science are significantly higher than the district and state averages, particularly in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rates range from 74.6% to 82.5% in 2024-2025, compared to 63.8% to 73.4% for the district and 58.9% to 64.1% for the state. Similarly, the school's Reading proficiency rates range from 56.7% to 70%, outperforming the district (50.9% to 64.7%) and the state (46.7% to 58.1%).

While Pathways Elementary excels in overall academic performance, the school must continue to address the achievement gaps for its African American and Hispanic student subgroups. The school's higher per-student spending and lower student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools, such as E M Yoder Elementary and South Mebane Elementary, suggest that the school is allocating resources effectively to support student learning, which is reflected in the school's strong academic performance.

371

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,700

Per pupil spending ?

54.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

431 Strouds Creek Road
Hillsborough, NC 27278

(919) 732-9136

District: Orange County Schools

Students who attend Pathways Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Orange Middle
High:	Orange High

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.0%

African American:

17.8%

Hispanic:

15.4%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Pathways Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 60th percentile in 2015 → 84th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (72% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg57%

238^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to top 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	80.8	238 of 1490	84.0%	★★★★☆
2024	52.0	715 of 1505	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.3	841 of 1502	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	880 of 1514	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.3	1008 of 1489	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.5	867 of 1473	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	946 of 1434	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.4	675 of 1429	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.8	501 of 1425	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.7	578 of 1440	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	75.0	312 of 1390	77.6%	★★★★☆
2013	59.1	534 of 1403	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.2	543 of 1388	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.3	657 of 1381	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.4	692 of 1363	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	69.7	407 of 1354	69.9%	★★★★☆
2008	69.8	352 of 1324	73.4%	★★★★☆
2007	71.4	317 of 1293	75.5%	★★★★☆
2006	68.8	359 of 1276	71.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.4	354 of 918	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	14.9	881 of 933	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	701 of 927	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.5	849 of 896	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	45.4	514 of 949	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.7	681 of 927	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	28.7	692 of 878	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.9	703 of 897	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	72.5	326 of 1451	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	50.9	700 of 1455	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.5	669 of 1459	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.5	696 of 1458	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.1	908 of 1440	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.9	940 of 1424	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.1	1009 of 1405	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.7	237 of 710	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.9	484 of 669	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.4	438 of 582	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	438 of 494	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.6	421 of 612	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	6.3	844 of 851	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.3	197 of 1437	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	30.9	1103 of 1450	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	1178 of 1437	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.3	726 of 1366	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.6	1111 of 1329	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.5	1173 of 1361	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	1261 of 1332	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	83.6	186 of 1450	87.2%	★★★★☆
2024	50.2	742 of 1464	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.8	937 of 1461	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	960 of 1464	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.9	1008 of 1444	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.5	750 of 1430	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.9	880 of 1413	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.5	85 of 821	89.6%	★★★★☆
2024	62.1	194 of 801	75.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	76.1	239 of 1172	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	43.9	703 of 1166	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	829 of 1183	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	894 of 1194	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.5	983 of 1172	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.9	755 of 1183	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	899 of 1178	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)90th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)87th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)86th percentile~ school

White (2025)80th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)78th percentile-6 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)67th percentile-17 vs school

African American (2025)61st percentile-23 vs school

Disabled (2019)21st percentile-20 vs school

Hispanic (2018)1st percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science79%+17 vs state

Mathematics78%+17 vs state

Reading62%+10 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, March 5, 2017

Great school with awesome teachers! We are very blessed to have our kids attend Pathways. Close Quote

Schools Near Pathways Elementary

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
E M Yoder Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 N Charles Street	Mebane	27302	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 563-3722	336	26	13.0	51.5%	179 (53.3%)	66 (19.6%)	45 (13.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (13.1%)	60.3	561^st of 1490 public elementary schools	62.3%		70	400^th of 1505 public elementary schools	73.4%	161	66.7	59.6	68.6				41.7	61.7	58.8				64.7		$10,935	$817	$10,118
South Mebane Elementary	Public	K-5	600 S 3rd Street	Mebane	27302	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 563-6905	506	31	16.3	57.1%	168 (33.2%)	170 (33.6%)	81 (16.0%)	16 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (13.6%)	48.3	772^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	48.2%		60.5	575^th of 1505 public elementary schools	61.8%	197	65.3	38.9	69.1				35.6	47.4	56.7				70.1		$8,634	$587	$8,048

Frequently Asked Questions about Pathways Elementary

What schools do graduates of Pathways Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pathways Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Orange Middle
High : Orange High

What district is Pathways Elementary in?

Orange County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Pathways Elementary?

Students at Pathways Elementary are 55% White, 18% African American, 15% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Pathways Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 371 students attended Pathways Elementary.

Is Pathways Elementary a good school?

Pathways Elementary ranks 238^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Pathways Elementary!

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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.