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Rocky Point Elementary

Q: Is Rocky Point Elementary a good school?

Rocky Point Elementary ranks 793 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

793^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Rocky Point Elementary serves 403 students in grades PK–5 in Rocky Point, North Carolina, and is part of Pender County Schools. Almost all of its students (roughly 99 percent) come from low-income families, making it one of the highest-poverty elementary schools in the surrounding area. The school's statewide ranking has followed a winding path: after sitting in the 19th–26th percentile from 2015 through 2017, it climbed to the 60th–65th percentile in recent years before falling sharply to the 47th percentile in the latest reporting cycle — the largest one-year drop among any neighboring school.

Academically, Rocky Point is strongest in the upper grades. In the most recent test results, 5th grade math reached 72.6 percent proficiency — well above the 62.9 percent state average — and 5th grade reading has improved steadily from 32.8 percent three years ago to 58.1 percent. Math is a relative strength at every tested grade level. The biggest concern is 3rd grade reading, which has stayed near 41 percent for four straight years while district and state averages climbed to roughly 55–56 percent, creating a 14-point gap. The school also enjoys a very low student-teacher ratio of 13.7 and per-pupil spending among the area's highest.

The school's most distinctive recent story is its results for historically underserved students. Economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, and students with disabilities at Rocky Point have consistently outperformed their counterparts statewide, posting recent rankings between the 74th and 87th percentiles. Chronic absenteeism of 23.2 percent — while still affecting roughly one in four students — is close to district and state averages and well below that of several low-performing peers. In the local landscape, Rocky Point sits between two camps: it outperforms Cape Fear Elementary, a similar high-poverty school just 2.7 miles away, but trails South Topsail Elementary, a comparable high-poverty school ranking near the 86th percentile, by a wide margin. Those comparisons suggest the school is capable of stronger results but has not yet achieved consistent, across-the-board success.

403

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

255 Elementary School Road
Rocky Point, NC 28457

(910) 675-2309

District: Pender County Schools

Students who attend Rocky Point Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cape Fear Middle
High:	Heide Trask High
	Pender Early College High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.9%

White:

36.0%

African American:

13.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Rocky Point Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 65th percentile in 2025 → 47th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 65th-percentile peak (2025) to 47th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg61%

793^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

120^th of 246Pender 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	46.6	793 of 1492	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.5	522 of 1490	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	598 of 1505	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.8	605 of 1502	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.0	918 of 1514	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.2	896 of 1489	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	861 of 1473	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.7	1155 of 1434	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	36.4	978 of 1429	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.2	1058 of 1425	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.8	1152 of 1440	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	9.0	1305 of 1390	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	87.8	54 of 918	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	70.3	190 of 927	79.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	29.7	476 of 634	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.7	545 of 897	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.5	207 of 519	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.2	86 of 563	84.7%	★★★★☆
2024	60.4	139 of 533	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	55.8	166 of 514	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.6	251 of 485	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.4	190 of 385	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	283 of 497	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	342 of 421	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	781 of 1447	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	70.4	361 of 1451	75.1%	★★★★☆
2024	56.5	609 of 1455	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.4	707 of 1459	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.9	996 of 1458	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	935 of 1440	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.2	1022 of 1424	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	1289 of 1405	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.9	645 of 710	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	606 of 612	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	335 of 981	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.3	231 of 961	76.0%	★★★★☆
2024	67.4	236 of 951	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	65.0	229 of 915	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	49.3	415 of 893	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.0	389 of 843	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.9	500 of 865	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.5	754 of 851	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	74.6	7 of 30	76.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.1	570 of 1434	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.4	338 of 1437	76.5%	★★★★☆
2024	74.2	247 of 1450	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	72.0	292 of 1437	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	56.3	535 of 1366	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.2	510 of 1329	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	523 of 1361	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.7	839 of 1332	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	791 of 1451	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.3	660 of 1450	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.7	601 of 1464	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.3	504 of 1461	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.0	778 of 1464	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.0	766 of 1444	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.6	527 of 1430	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.2	926 of 1413	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	20.0	8 of 9	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.0	103 of 815	87.4%	★★★★☆
2025	65.0	175 of 821	78.7%	★★★★☆
2024	49.2	324 of 801	59.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.4	875 of 1146	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.2	643 of 1172	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	735 of 1166	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.7	578 of 1183	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.2	927 of 1194	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.0	647 of 1172	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	771 of 1183	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.2	1082 of 1178	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)94th percentile+29 vs school

Special Education (2026)87th percentile+41 vs school

Homeless (2019)77th percentile+35 vs school

Hispanic (2026)66th percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile+13 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)60th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2026)46th percentile~ school

Male (2026)45th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)25th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)24th percentile-23 vs school

Migrant (2019)11th percentile-30 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)9th percentile-56 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science66%~ state avg

Mathematics62%~ state avg

Reading51%-5 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Saturday, July 8, 2023

RPES promotes and rewards good student behavior in a positive learning environment for all students. Parental involvement is encouraged and is essential in our children's academics. The students seem to love learning and take an active role in academics. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, August 7, 2016

This is a great school. We have gotten lucky with some pretty great teachers so far. The teachers care about their students. There have been some bullying issues on the bus that was handled very quickly. Classes are small. All around good school. Close Quote

Schools Near Rocky Point 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	46.6	793^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	46.8%		62.5	522^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	65.0%	271	52.8	58.1	72.6	41.5	51.6	58.1	66.1	$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%)	35.5	991^st of 1492 public elementary schools	33.6%		30.2	1088^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.0%	97	50.6	53.8	59.0	37.0	46.2	40.2	73.5	$10,210	$1,054	$9,156
Castle Hayne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3925 Roger Haynes Drive	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 602-4970	531	37	14.5	99.4%	261 (49.2%)	101 (19.0%)	121 (22.8%)	6 (1.1%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.0%)	68.8	439^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.6%		70	396^th of 1490 public elementary schools	73.4%	43	70.6	72.0	79.8	56.5	57.3	60.7	78.6	$10,690	$1,150	$9,540
Murrayville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	225 Mabee Way	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 790-5067	573	40	14.2	99.5%	297 (51.8%)	79 (13.8%)	129 (22.5%)	27 (4.7%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (6.3%)	76.7	287^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.8%		66.6	454^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.5%	167	81.3	71.1	78.4	66.7	61.1	64.9	78.4	$9,901	$832	$9,069
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%)	17.9	1317^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.7%		13.9	1365^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.4%	48	48.7	33.3	36.8	41.0	33.3	42.6	60.3	$9,705	$1,200	$8,505
Wrightsboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2716 Castle Hayne Rd	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 815-6909	502	34	14.8	98.4%	123 (24.5%)	117 (23.3%)	216 (43.0%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (7.8%)	17.9	1319^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.6%		22.6	1227^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.7%	92	50.0	31.9	44.4	42.0	37.5	38.9	55.6	$11,562	$1,800	$9,762
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	99.5%	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
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%)	10.2	1419^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.9%		18.7	1302^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	12.6%	117	55.7	35.9	27.5	32.9	39.7	21.7	27.5	$11,511	$1,863	$9,647
Porters Neck Elementary	Public	K-5	416 Edgewater Club Rd	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 251-2975	666	42	16.0	22.4%	530 (79.6%)	30 (4.5%)	58 (8.7%)	16 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.4%)	79.6	246^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.5%		86.3	156^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.5%	90	74.8	79.1	71.4	71.5	73.6	65.7	75.2
Dr Hubert Eaton Senior Elementary	Public	K-5	6701 Gordon Road	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 397-1544	461	32	14.2	30.4%	342 (74.2%)	31 (6.7%)	39 (8.5%)	13 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.2%)	91	98^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.4%		91.7	86^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.2%	12	87.7	86.8	90.2	70.4	76.5	73.8	91.8	$10,965	$754	$10,211

Frequently Asked Questions about Rocky Point Elementary

What schools do graduates of Rocky Point Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rocky Point Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cape Fear Middle
High : Heide Trask High
High : Pender Early College High

What is the racial makeup of Rocky Point Elementary?

Students at Rocky Point Elementary are 47% Hispanic, 36% White, 14% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Rocky Point Elementary in?

Pender County Schools

Is Rocky Point Elementary a good school?

Rocky Point Elementary ranks 793^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Rocky Point Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 403 students attended Rocky Point Elementary.

Rate Rocky Point 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.