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Deep Branch Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

1178^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Located in the rural community of Lumberton, North Carolina, Deep Branch Elementary serves 374 students in grades PK-6 as part of Public Schools of Robeson County. Nearly all students (99.2%) come from economically disadvantaged households. The school's one-star state rating places it in the 21st percentile of North Carolina elementary schools — a modest improvement from the 8th percentile it posted in 2022-2023, but still consistent with a decade of bottom-quarter performance.

Academically, there are a few bright spots. Third-grade math is Deep Branch's strongest subject, with 67.8% of students proficient — right at the state average. Reading scores, however, trail the state in nearly every grade, and fifth-grade science fell to just 30.2% proficient in 2025-2026, compared with a 67.7% state average. For context, Union Elementary, a nearby school in the same district with nearly identical demographics, posted an 81.6% science proficiency rate and a 73.5% fifth-grade math rate, and it ranks in the 63rd percentile statewide. Old Main STREAM Academy, located less than five miles away and serving a student population that is 99% low-income, ranks in the 82nd percentile with four stars.

One of the clearest separating factors is attendance: over 41% of Deep Branch students were chronically absent in 2024-2025, compared with a 24% state rate and Old Main's 12.9%. Deep Branch also spends more per student ($10,490) than higher-performing neighbors like Prospect Elementary and Pembroke Elementary, so additional funding alone is not producing results. The school does serve certain groups well: low-income students reached the 40th percentile statewide in 2025-2026, and Native American students performed around the 45th percentile. Gifted students, however, rank in the bottom 4% statewide. Test scores also swing dramatically from year to year, showing that strong results in one grade are not yet translating into lasting progress across the school. Reducing absenteeism and building consistent instruction across grade levels would be the strongest next steps.

374

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4045 Deep Branch Road
Lumberton, NC 28360

(910) 738-2514

District: Public Schools of Robeson County

Students who attend Deep Branch Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Pembroke Middle
High:	PSRC Early College at RCC
	Purnell Swett High

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

75.9%

Hispanic:

8.6%

African American:

6.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Deep Branch Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (45% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg44%

North Carolina avg60%

1,178^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 10% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

190^th of 246Public Schools of Robeson County 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	25.3	1178 of 1492	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.2	1291 of 1490	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	1189 of 1505	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	1384 of 1502	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	1346 of 1514	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	1280 of 1489	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.3	1180 of 1473	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	1145 of 1434	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.4	1195 of 1429	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.3	1280 of 1425	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	8.7	1355 of 1440	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.0	1340 of 1390	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.5	1313 of 1403	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	14.1	1285 of 1388	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	20.5	1194 of 1381	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.2	1232 of 1363	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.2	1266 of 1354	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	19.4	1140 of 1324	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	22.9	1107 of 1293	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.4	1034 of 1276	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	38.4	554 of 897	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.9	1217 of 1447	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.9	1277 of 1451	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	1077 of 1455	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	1318 of 1459	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	1290 of 1458	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	1215 of 1440	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	1134 of 1424	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	1155 of 1405	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.2	711 of 743	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.9	693 of 710	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	860 of 1434	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.2	1249 of 1437	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.9	1080 of 1450	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	1338 of 1437	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	1255 of 1366	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.5	1117 of 1329	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.7	870 of 1361	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	981 of 1332	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	1015 of 1451	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.6	1153 of 1450	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	1226 of 1464	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	1334 of 1461	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	1314 of 1464	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	1201 of 1444	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	1128 of 1430	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.2	1082 of 1413	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	16 of 29	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.2	18 of 30	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.9	12 of 28	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.6	22 of 29	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.5	15 of 29	48.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.6	5 of 28	82.1%	★★★★☆
2019	53.5	14 of 27	48.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.1	11 of 28	60.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Native American (2026)45th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)40th percentile+19 vs school

Disabled (2018)38th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2026)30th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)16th percentile-5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)4th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics54%-9 vs state

Reading41%-15 vs state

Science30%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Deep Branch 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 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
Deep Branch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4045 Deep Branch Road	Lumberton	28360	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 738-2514	374	24	15.8	99.2%	11 (2.9%)	25 (6.7%)	32 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	284 (75.9%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.9%)	25.3	1178^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.0%		19.2	1291^st of 1490 public elementary schools	13.4%	113	67.8	50.0	44.4	51.6			39.7	39.5	36.5	54.8			30.2		$10,490	$1,754	$8,735
Pembroke Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	505 South Jones Street	Pembroke	28372	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 521-4204	703	44	15.8	99.6%	24 (3.4%)	40 (5.7%)	31 (4.4%)	3 (0.4%)	559 (79.5%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (6.5%)	39.6	914^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.7%		28.2	1115^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.2%	201	61.0	55.0	58.1				48.8	50.5	45.3				64.2		$9,720	$1,679	$8,041
Old Main STREAM Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	200 North Odum Street	Pembroke	28372	Robeson County	Old Main Stream	Yes	No	No	No	(910) 775-9191	437	32	13.5	99.3%	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	373 (85.4%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (10.5%)	78.3	266^th of 1492 public elementary schools	82.2%		70	395^th of 1490 public elementary schools	73.5%	129	87.0	72.9	72.9	75.5	80.4	75.6	68.1	70.8	54.2	61.2	56.5	65.9	83.3	85.4
Union Chapel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4271 Union Chapel Road	Pembroke	28372	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 521-4456	442	29	15.0	99.3%	10 (2.3%)	20 (4.5%)	134 (30.3%)	0 (0.0%)	266 (60.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.7%)	24.9	1194^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.0%		26.2	1151^st of 1490 public elementary schools	22.8%	43	47.4	49.2	51.9	60.0			30.8	47.7	44.4	39.2			50.9		$9,976	$1,620	$8,356
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2547 NC Hwy 710 South	Rowland	28383	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 521-4272	351	22	15.7	99.1%	9 (2.6%)	11 (3.1%)	18 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	295 (84.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.1%)	62.2	545^th of 1492 public elementary schools	63.5%		56	636^th of 1490 public elementary schools	57.3%	91	64.6	67.4	73.5	77.8			66.7	46.5	49.0	52.8			81.6		$9,927	$1,943	$7,984
W H Knuckles	Public	PK, KG-3	1520 Martin L King Dr	Lumberton	28358	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 671-6020	382	26	14.7	99.2%	10 (2.6%)	212 (55.5%)	100 (26.2%)	3 (0.8%)	44 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.4%)								(n/a)	46.6						31.8								$13,001	$2,268	$10,733
Piney Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1680 Piney Grove Road	Lumberton	28358	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 671-6025	452	29	15.4	97.8%	32 (7.1%)	41 (9.1%)	123 (27.2%)	1 (0.2%)	199 (44.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (12.4%)	30.4	1087^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.1%		26.6	1141^st of 1490 public elementary schools	23.4%	54	57.6	69.2	42.6	46.6			53.0	40.0	24.6	43.1			55.7		$9,844	$1,827	$8,017
Tanglewood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	400 West 29th Street	Lumberton	28358	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 671-6035	355	21	16.8	99.2%	83 (23.4%)	120 (33.8%)	47 (13.2%)	26 (7.3%)	42 (11.8%)	4 (1.1%)	33 (9.3%)								(n/a)	67.6						47.9								$9,832	$1,483	$8,349
L Gilbert Carroll	Public	4-5	300 Bailey Rd	Lumberton	28358	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 671-6098	494	26	19.0	99.4%	53 (10.7%)	204 (41.3%)	127 (25.7%)	12 (2.4%)	60 (12.1%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.3%)	12.3	1393^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	6.6%		3.9	1477^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.9%	84		45.5	45.0					39.6	25.0				26.2		$9,314	$1,452	$7,862
Rowland Norment Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	701 Godwin Ave	Lumberton	28358	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 671-6030	495	28	17.6	99.4%	33 (6.7%)	215 (43.4%)	134 (27.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (13.3%)	3 (0.6%)	44 (8.9%)								(n/a)	50.0						47.5								$10,950	$1,615	$9,335

Frequently Asked Questions about Deep Branch Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Deep Branch Elementary?

Students at Deep Branch Elementary are 76% American Indian, 9% Hispanic, 7% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% White.

What district is Deep Branch Elementary in?

Public Schools of Robeson County

What schools do graduates of Deep Branch Elementary attend?

Students who attend Deep Branch Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pembroke Middle
High : PSRC Early College at RCC
High : Purnell Swett High

Is Deep Branch Elementary a good school?

Deep Branch Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.0% of North Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Deep Branch Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 374 students attended Deep Branch Elementary.

Rate Deep Branch 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.