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Penderlea Elementary

Q: Is Penderlea Elementary a good school?

Penderlea Elementary ranks 971 st of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

971^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Penderlea Elementary is a public elementary school located in Willard, North Carolina, serving grades K-8 with a total enrollment of 484 students. The school is part of the Pender County Schools district, which is ranked 115 out of 242 districts in the state.

Penderlea Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina elementary schools, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade. The school's key challenges include a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 52.37% to 99.38%, which is significantly higher than the surrounding schools. Academically, Penderlea Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages in proficiency rates on end-of-grade tests, with the majority of grade levels and subjects falling below the district and state levels.

While the nearby Cape Fear Elementary, Rocky Point Elementary, C.F. Pope Elementary, and Malpass Corner Elementary schools also have high percentages of free/reduced lunch recipients and generally underperform compared to state averages, Penderlea Elementary's challenges appear to be more pronounced. The school's relatively high student-teacher ratio may also be a contributing factor to its academic struggles, which require targeted interventions and support to address.

468

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,390

Per pupil spending ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11 Garden Road
Willard, NC 28478

(910) 285-2761

District: Pender County Schools

Students who attend Penderlea Elementary usually attend:

High:	Pender Early College High
	Pender High

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.2%

Hispanic:

23.1%

African American:

17.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Penderlea Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 28th percentile in 2022 → 35th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 35th (2025) from a 28th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (47% vs 56% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 13 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg56%

Elementary school

971^st of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

503^rd of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 46% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Pender County Schools

115^th of 242Pender 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
2025	36.6	971 of 1490	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	1022 of 1505	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	890 of 1502	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.2	1087 of 1514	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	1009 of 1489	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.3	856 of 1473	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.8	896 of 1434	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.3	741 of 1429	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	52.6	682 of 1425	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.2	765 of 1440	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.1	847 of 1390	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	31.0	1020 of 1403	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	47.2	809 of 1388	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.5	748 of 1381	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	58.1	647 of 1363	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	44.1	864 of 1354	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	58.8	565 of 1324	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.0	587 of 1293	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.1	775 of 1276	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	806 of 918	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	704 of 924	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	58.0	329 of 933	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.3	348 of 927	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.1	444 of 896	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.7	540 of 949	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	693 of 927	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	23.4	549 of 634	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	849 of 897	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	1028 of 1451	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	1086 of 1455	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.1	853 of 1459	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.7	1036 of 1458	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.2	858 of 1440	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	837 of 1424	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.0	783 of 1405	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	69.8	72 of 669	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	55.8	367 of 612	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	631 of 961	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.2	533 of 951	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.2	416 of 915	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.2	521 of 893	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.9	654 of 843	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.5	527 of 851	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	964 of 1437	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	856 of 1450	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.6	836 of 1437	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	902 of 1366	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.6	806 of 1329	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.5	590 of 1361	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.8	812 of 1332	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	862 of 1450	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.6	929 of 1464	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.8	873 of 1461	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.3	1080 of 1464	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.3	1078 of 1444	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.1	845 of 1430	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.3	973 of 1413	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	862 of 1172	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	985 of 1166	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	910 of 1183	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	1054 of 1194	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.0	903 of 1172	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.4	736 of 1183	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.1	858 of 1178	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	503 of 773	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.1	521 of 793	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.7	653 of 784	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	49.4	383 of 786	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.8	480 of 741	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.3	351 of 737	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.9	337 of 691	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.6	235 of 694	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.7	336 of 692	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	47.2	384 of 705	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.8	320 of 627	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.8	372 of 673	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.5	404 of 662	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	71.1	185 of 648	71.5%	★★★★☆
2010	61.7	275 of 640	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.9	338 of 630	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	53.9	317 of 620	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	66.3	208 of 606	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.7	241 of 598	59.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	41.0	306 of 546	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.2	459 of 560	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	445 of 559	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	60.1	157 of 550	71.5%	★★★★☆
2021	47.9	227 of 533	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	91.5	31 of 519	94.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	527 of 733	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	547 of 738	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	632 of 731	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.9	376 of 733	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.9	424 of 706	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.9	313 of 684	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.7	344 of 656	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	311 of 458	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	1.1	450 of 452	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	45.8	324 of 450	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.8	331 of 448	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.9	123 of 416	70.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.8	373 of 562	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.5	444 of 564	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	498 of 553	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	90.6	26 of 541	95.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	511 of 729	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.4	500 of 743	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	16.1	673 of 735	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	58.9	233 of 689	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.5	355 of 633	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.9	182 of 639	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	58.4	227 of 604	62.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.3	419 of 733	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	424 of 751	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.9	624 of 747	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	49.8	367 of 748	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	29.6	506 of 711	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.3	354 of 697	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.3	325 of 665	51.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.4	470 of 649	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.6	448 of 652	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	16.6	596 of 656	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	46.2	358 of 658	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.8	491 of 632	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.5	407 of 624	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.8	437 of 596	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Gifted and Talented (2024)89th percentile+57 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)34th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)29th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)26th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)13th percentile-15 vs school

African American (2025)12th percentile-23 vs school

Middle school

African American (2025)44th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)43rd percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)34th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)32nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)28th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)28th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics54%-3 vs state

Science48%-13 vs state

Reading41%-12 vs state

3.7

3 ratings

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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Schools Near Penderlea 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
Penderlea Elementary	Public	K-8	11 Garden Road	Willard	28478	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 285-2761	468	33	14.1	99.4%	235 (50.2%)	83 (17.7%)	108 (23.1%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (7.3%)	36.6	971^st of 1490 public elementary schools	34.8%		34.2	1022^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	32.1%	51	55.6	65.1	56.5	47.5	51.4	50.0	27.8	44.2	42.0	47.5	42.9	40.4	55.1	38.5	$9,390	$895	$8,495
Wallace Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	4266 Nc 11 S	Wallace	28466	Duplin County	Duplin County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 285-7183	1,120	67	16.8	99.7%	207 (18.5%)	289 (25.8%)	572 (51.1%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (3.1%)	6.6	1455^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.3%		6.8	1462^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	2.9%	7	38.5	32.6	22.8	23.9	22.9	14.0	23.0	34.8	27.6	24.6	22.9	31.8	23.6	45.0	$8,509	$1,271	$7,238
C.F. Pope Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 North Wright Street	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 259-0145	530	33	16.1	97.7%	189 (35.7%)	181 (34.2%)	103 (19.4%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	48 (9.1%)	13.9	1365^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.4%		15.3	1358^th of 1505 public elementary schools	9.8%	7	38.2	42.7	36.8				20.6	46.7	32.2				33.3		$9,705	$1,200	$8,505
Malpass Corner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4992 Malpass Corner Road	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 283-5889	513	29	17.5	98.1%	188 (36.6%)	135 (26.3%)	159 (31.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.5%)	18.7	1302^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	12.6%		18.2	1308^th of 1505 public elementary schools	13.1%	6	32.1	44.6	58.6				16.0	34.2	35.7				47.1		$11,511	$1,863	$9,647
Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	1329 Brooks Quinn Road	Rose Hill	28458	Duplin County	Duplin County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 289-3667	1,118	63	17.7	99.7%	99 (8.9%)	225 (20.1%)	765 (68.4%)	3 (0.3%)	12 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.2%)	11.6	1398^th of 1490 public elementary schools	6.2%		4	1485^th of 1505 public elementary schools	1.3%	87	53.7	23.9	23.9	45.6	21.8	23.9	23.9	27.4	21.2	32.0	21.8	32.7	22.1	40.7	$8,559	$1,446	$7,114
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	10400 Taylors Bridge Hwy	Clinton	28328	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 532-2104	466	39	12.0	99.4%	90 (19.3%)	92 (19.7%)	271 (58.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.7%)								(n/a)															$11,396	$1,676	$9,720
Chinquapin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3894 NC 50 South	Chinquapin	28521	Duplin County	Duplin County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 285-3476	537	35	15.3	99.4%	367 (68.3%)	68 (12.7%)	78 (14.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.1%)	45.2	826^th of 1490 public elementary schools	44.6%		46.2	816^th of 1505 public elementary schools	45.8%	10	51.9	31.7	70.6	60.0	60.0	34.9	42.6	45.0	52.9	56.4	50.0	50.8	64.7	49.2	$14,420	$1,253	$13,167
Rocky Point Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	255 Elementary School Road	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 675-2309	403	29	13.7	99.3%	145 (36.0%)	55 (13.6%)	189 (46.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	62.5	522^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	65.0%		59.2	598^th of 1505 public elementary schools	60.3%	76	68.8	68.3	78.5				40.6	55.6	50.8				72.3		$11,562	$1,485	$10,077
Cape Fear Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1882 NC Hwy 133	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 602-3767	533	37	14.4	99.4%	287 (53.8%)	46 (8.6%)	164 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.2%)	30.2	1088^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.0%		33.3	1042^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	30.8%	46	47.4	60.7	42.1				30.8	42.9	32.9				60.5		$10,210	$1,054	$9,156
Union Intermediate	Public	3-5	1190 Edmond Matthis Road	Clinton	28328	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 592-2287	396	24	16.7	97.2%	71 (17.9%)	76 (19.2%)	235 (59.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	20.6	1269^th of 1490 public elementary schools	14.8%		23.6	1220^th of 1505 public elementary schools	18.9%	49	72.2	40.3	26.2				27.2	38.7	29.2				40.8		$8,767	$1,525	$7,243

Frequently Asked Questions about Penderlea Elementary

What district is Penderlea Elementary in?

Pender County Schools

Is Penderlea Elementary a good school?

Penderlea Elementary ranks 971^st of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Penderlea Elementary attend?

Students who attend Penderlea Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Pender Early College High
High : Pender High

How many students attend Penderlea Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 468 students attended Penderlea Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Penderlea Elementary?

Students at Penderlea Elementary are 50% White, 23% Hispanic, 18% African American, 7% Two or more races.

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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.