The SCORE Center

The SCORE Center is a K-12 alternative school in Reidsville, NC, serving just 32 students within Rockingham County Schools, a district that ranks below average among North Carolina's 246 districts. In North Carolina, alternative schools typically serve students who need a more structured or therapeutic learning environment, and this school's student population reflects that mission. Nearly 91% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, one of the highest poverty rates in the surrounding area.

The most striking concern at The SCORE Center is chronic absenteeism. During 2024-2025, roughly 76% of students were chronically absent—more than double the district rate of 36.5% and triple the state's 24.2%. This pattern has persisted for years, never dropping below 51% in any reported period. Reading proficiency is also very low: just 10% of 6th graders and 8.3% of 8th graders scored proficient on state reading tests, compared with district rates of 42.9% and 46.2%. Nearby Gateway Education Center, another alternative program, shows a similarly high at-risk profile at 69.6% chronic absenteeism. By contrast, Clover Garden and Revolution Academy—which also carry the "alternative" label but serve far larger, very different student populations—report rates of just 22.7% and 15.1%.

The SCORE Center spends about $46,500 per student and keeps class sizes very small, reflecting the intensive, individualized nature of alternative education. Yet those resources have not translated into strong test scores, and no recent graduation rate is publicly available because the senior cohort is too small to report. Parents should understand that this is not a typical school; its metrics reflect the serious educational barriers its students face. The 8th grade science proficiency rate of 41.7% is a relative bright spot, though with only 32 students in the entire school, a single small cohort can shift these percentages significantly from year to year.