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Helena Elementary

Q: Is Helena Elementary a good school?

Helena Elementary ranks 436 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

436^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Helena Elementary is a K–5 school in Timberlake, NC, serving about 512 students within Person County Schools. Nearly every student (98.8%) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, making this a very high-poverty school — yet Helena consistently outperforms both its district and the state across most subjects.

Helena’s academic results are its strongest calling card. In the most recent testing year, the school beat the North Carolina state average in every reported subject and grade level, including 3rd-grade reading (68.4% proficient vs. 55.6% statewide) and 5th-grade science (72.4% vs. 67.7%). Science is a notable signature strength, with Helena running 10 to 20 points above the state in recent years. The school has earned a stable 4-star rating for four consecutive years, ranking in the 71st–76th percentile statewide. It is the second-highest-rated elementary school in Person County, trailing only Woodland Elementary, though Helena actually posts stronger 5th-grade reading scores than Woodland. Low-income students at Helena rank in the top quarter statewide when compared to similar student populations.

Attendance and efficiency further set Helena apart. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 17.5% is well below the district rate of 24.9% and the statewide rate of 24.2%, a significant advantage for a high-poverty school. Notably, Helena achieves these results with a student–teacher ratio of 20.8-to-1 and lower per-pupil spending ($9,643) than nearby schools like Easley Elementary (12.8-to-1) or Mangum Elementary (13.5-to-1), making it a relatively cost-efficient school. However, families should know that results are uneven across student groups. Special education students ranked at only the 15th percentile statewide in the most recent year, a sharp drop from prior years, and recent declines among African American and Hispanic subgroups are worth watching. Overall, Helena is a solid, dependable school that does more with less — but ensuring every subgroup shares in that success remains its key challenge.

512

Students ?

20.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

355 Helena Moriah Rd
Timberlake, NC 27583

(336) 364-7715

District: Person County Schools

Students who attend Helena Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Southern Middle
High:	Person High

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.2%

African American:

14.3%

Hispanic:

13.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Helena Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2016 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (68% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg63%

North Carolina avg61%

436^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

104^th of 246Person 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	69.0	436 of 1492	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	69.5	401 of 1490	73.1%	★★★★☆
2024	69.8	406 of 1505	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	73.3	356 of 1502	76.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.1	516 of 1514	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.9	372 of 1489	75.0%	★★★★☆
2019	67.9	443 of 1473	69.9%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	193 of 1434	86.5%	★★★★☆
2017	84.8	154 of 1429	89.2%	★★★★☆
2016	90.2	84 of 1425	94.1%	★★★★★
2015	89.6	92 of 1440	93.6%	★★★★★
2014	88.2	123 of 1390	91.2%	★★★★★
2013	73.7	312 of 1403	77.8%	★★★★☆
2012	78.8	236 of 1388	83.0%	★★★★☆
2011	84.2	137 of 1381	90.1%	★★★★★
2010	81.9	163 of 1363	88.0%	★★★★☆
2009	83.9	143 of 1354	89.4%	★★★★☆
2008	78.2	218 of 1324	83.5%	★★★★☆
2007	75.4	250 of 1293	80.7%	★★★★☆
2006	75.8	236 of 1276	81.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	514 of 903	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	72.3	177 of 918	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	61.2	272 of 924	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.0	99 of 933	89.4%	★★★★☆
2021	93.6	30 of 896	96.7%	★★★★★
2019	69.4	206 of 949	78.3%	★★★★☆
2018	55.7	365 of 927	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	55.3	200 of 634	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.4	195 of 646	69.8%	★★★★☆
2019	68.3	168 of 878	80.9%	★★★★☆
2018	80.6	79 of 897	91.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.3	446 of 1447	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.6	292 of 1451	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	79.5	219 of 1455	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	77.8	251 of 1459	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	76.0	285 of 1458	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	62.2	482 of 1440	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	589 of 1424	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	81.4	196 of 1405	86.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	432 of 743	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.8	311 of 710	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.1	598 of 669	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.3	458 of 582	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.9	76 of 612	87.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	621 of 981	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.5	359 of 961	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	311 of 951	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	291 of 1434	79.7%	★★★★☆
2025	66.0	379 of 1437	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	75.1	233 of 1450	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	77.6	206 of 1437	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	69.2	288 of 1366	78.9%	★★★★☆
2021	80.8	140 of 1329	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	63.8	417 of 1361	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.2	291 of 1332	78.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.7	403 of 1451	72.2%	★★★★☆
2025	60.8	528 of 1450	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.4	620 of 1464	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.5	458 of 1461	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.4	700 of 1464	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	76.5	288 of 1444	80.1%	★★★★☆
2019	74.7	289 of 1430	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	81.7	190 of 1413	86.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	66.8	51 of 159	67.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	689 of 815	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	53.4	290 of 821	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	265 of 801	66.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.0	404 of 1146	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.3	487 of 1172	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.8	531 of 1166	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.1	525 of 1183	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.4	664 of 1194	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.3	501 of 1172	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.9	510 of 1183	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.9	238 of 1178	79.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)72nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)69th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)68th percentile+3 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)68th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)65th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2026)43rd percentile-28 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)42nd percentile-29 vs school

Hispanic (2026)37th percentile-34 vs school

Special Education (2026)15th percentile-55 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science72%+5 vs state

Mathematics68%+5 vs state

Reading65%+9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Helena 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 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
Helena Elementary	Public	K-5	355 Helena Moriah Rd	Timberlake	27583	Person County	Person County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 364-7715	512	25	20.8	—	339 (66.2%)	73 (14.3%)	68 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.3%)	69	436^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.8%		69.5	401^st of 1490 public elementary schools	73.1%	35	77.6	62.5	67.3	68.4	62.5	64.3	72.4	$9,643	$1,033	$8,609
South Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1333 Hurdle Mills Rd	Roxboro	27573	Person County	Person County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 599-7133	463	27	16.9	—	132 (28.5%)	201 (43.4%)	101 (21.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.4%)	49.9	733^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	50.9%		51.5	720^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.7%	13	65.1	73.1	60.6	60.3	59.6	42.4	57.6	$11,522	$2,811	$8,711
Oak Lane Elementary	Public	K-5	2076 Jim Morton Rd	Hurdle Mills	27541	Person County	Person County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 364-2204	224	13	17.4	—	144 (64.3%)	32 (14.3%)	33 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.7%)	54	667^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.3%		61.2	542^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	63.6%	125	48.6	70.0	59.6	48.6	60.0	57.4	78.7	$10,257	$1,033	$9,224
Carolina Community Academy	Public	K-2	260 Henderson Rd	Roxboro	27573	Person County	Carolina Community Academy	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(919) 962-9378	91	8	8.9	96.7%	17 (18.7%)	50 (54.9%)	14 (15.4%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (9.9%)								(n/a)
Mangum Elementary	Public	K-5	9008 Quail Roost Road	Bahama	27503	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-3948	315	23	13.5	—	194 (61.6%)	30 (9.5%)	62 (19.7%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.3%)	84.2	186^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.5%		85.9	160^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.3%	26	84.2	80.3	70.2	73.7	73.8	68.1	80.9	$12,453	$1,036	$11,417
Stories Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	133 Stories Creek School Road	Roxboro	27574	Person County	Person County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 503-8071	397	26	15.3	—	147 (37.0%)	157 (39.5%)	59 (14.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (8.1%)	50.7	718^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.9%		49.7	747^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.9%	29	80.0	71.2	67.2	45.0	57.6	39.3	57.4	$11,227	$1,891	$9,336
North End Elementary	Public	K-5	378 Mill Creek Rd	Roxboro	27574	Person County	Person County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 599-3313	283	18	15.8	—	106 (37.5%)	115 (40.6%)	41 (14.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	19 (6.7%)	49.4	740^th of 1492 public elementary schools	50.4%		49	760^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.0%	20	82.1	52.0	62.8	57.1	44.0	48.8	74.4	$11,830	$2,515	$9,315
Little River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2315 Snow Hill Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3940	326	29	11.3	—	127 (39.0%)	74 (22.7%)	87 (26.7%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (10.4%)	48.9	747^th of 1492 public elementary schools	49.9%		52.3	706^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.6%	41	56.1	60.0	53.1	53.7	67.5	53.1	65.6	$12,393	$773	$11,620
Woodland Elementary	Public	K-5	7391 Semora Rd	Semora	27343	Person County	Person County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 599-7442	217	16	13.9	—	135 (62.2%)	51 (23.5%)	15 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.9%)	81.1	228^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.7%		70.2	389^th of 1490 public elementary schools	73.9%	161	85.7	72.4	75.0	80.0	75.9	60.0	77.5	$11,497	$1,330	$10,167
Eno Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	117 Milton Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3915	440	34	13.0	—	32 (7.3%)	215 (48.9%)	154 (35.0%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.8%)	36.5	970^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.0%		22.2	1240^th of 1490 public elementary schools	16.8%	270	62.1	45.5	59.0	53.4	45.5	52.5	54.8	$11,447	$1,613	$9,835

Frequently Asked Questions about Helena Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Helena Elementary?

Students at Helena Elementary are 66% White, 14% African American, 13% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Is Helena Elementary a good school?

Helena Elementary ranks 436^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Helena Elementary in?

Person County Schools

What schools do graduates of Helena Elementary attend?

Students who attend Helena Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southern Middle
High : Person High

How many students attend Helena Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 512 students attended Helena Elementary.

Rate Helena 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.