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Central Elementary

Public Grades K-5

1287^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary is a K–5 school in Albemarle, NC, serving 525 students as part of Stanly County Schools. Nearly all students (99.4%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school currently ranks 1,287th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (14th percentile, 1-star rating), a low position it has held for about a decade, with most years earning 0 or 1 stars.

Academically, Central trails district and state proficiency rates by wide margins in nearly every subject. In 3rd grade math, 35.4% of students were proficient, versus 69.8% district-wide. In 3rd grade reading, 34.2% were proficient, compared with the district's 56.1% and the state's 55.6%. By 5th grade, math, reading, and science proficiency lag the district by roughly 17 to 25 points. The school's relative bright spot is 4th grade math, at 59.3% proficient, within a few points of district and state averages. These struggles stand out because nearby schools serving similarly high-poverty populations perform far better: Millingport Elementary ranks in the 87th percentile, Locust Elementary in the 85th, and Richfield Elementary in the 84th. Only East Albemarle Elementary ranks lower among the immediate comparison group.

Chronic absenteeism at Central is 22.0% — below the state average of 24.2% but above the district's 19.7%, and far higher than top-performing neighbors like Oakboro Choice STEM (5.3%) and Endy Elementary (10.1%). Attendance has improved dramatically from 42.3% in 2021–22. Spending is not the issue: Central spends $9,432 per pupil, more than several higher-performing schools, including Locust Elementary ($8,043) and Oakboro Choice STEM ($8,393). Finally, there is a promising sign in 4th grade: a cohort that scored only 30.5% proficient in 3rd grade math improved to 59.3% as 4th graders, with similar gains in reading — an emerging strength the school can build upon.

525

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

206 N 3rd Street
Albemarle, NC 28001-4011

(704) 961-3200

District: Stanly County Schools

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Albemarle Middle
High:	Albemarle High

Racial breakdown:

White:

33.1%

African American:

33.1%

Hispanic:

16.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 7th percentile in 2023 → 14th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 14th (2026) from a 7th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (43% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Science scores 24 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg61%

1,287^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

100^th of 246Stanly 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	19.4	1287 of 1492	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	1247 of 1490	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	1241 of 1505	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	1390 of 1502	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	1282 of 1514	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.5	1198 of 1489	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.4	1294 of 1473	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	1121 of 1434	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.9	1094 of 1429	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	44.8	840 of 1425	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.9	1040 of 1440	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.8	903 of 1390	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.4	878 of 1403	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.5	832 of 1388	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.8	615 of 1381	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	43.8	864 of 1363	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	28.2	1049 of 1354	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	33.1	963 of 1324	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	39.2	906 of 1293	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	54.2	641 of 1276	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.7	664 of 903	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.2	700 of 918	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	760 of 924	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	828 of 933	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	745 of 927	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.0	554 of 896	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.3	890 of 949	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	809 of 927	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	48.1	256 of 646	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.7	741 of 878	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.8	433 of 897	51.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	40.2	292 of 514	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.7	68 of 385	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	17.1	481 of 497	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	1200 of 1447	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.0	1138 of 1451	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	1179 of 1455	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	1267 of 1459	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	1154 of 1458	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	1173 of 1440	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	1298 of 1424	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	1118 of 1405	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	666 of 981	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.7	566 of 961	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.9	681 of 951	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	905 of 915	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	32.6	666 of 893	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.1	576 of 843	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.6	523 of 865	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.3	679 of 851	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.4	1077 of 1434	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.3	983 of 1437	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.1	1014 of 1450	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.5	1303 of 1437	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.3	1070 of 1366	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.2	1154 of 1329	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	1269 of 1361	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.9	1179 of 1332	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.3	1274 of 1451	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.9	1291 of 1450	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.4	1213 of 1464	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	1389 of 1461	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	1291 of 1464	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	1163 of 1444	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.7	1199 of 1430	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.9	1085 of 1413	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.0	103 of 181	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.1	142 of 175	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	123 of 159	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	3.9	152 of 154	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.3	87 of 97	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.8	43 of 103	58.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	34.0	533 of 801	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.2	1090 of 1146	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	1069 of 1172	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	1027 of 1166	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	1105 of 1183	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	1079 of 1194	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	1123 of 1172	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	1118 of 1183	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	892 of 1178	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2019)81st percentile+69 vs school

Disabled (2021)60th percentile+41 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)43rd percentile+36 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)43rd percentile+29 vs school

Special Education (2024)33rd percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2026)32nd percentile+18 vs school

African American (2026)26th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

White (2026)5th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics47%-17 vs state

Science43%-24 vs state

Reading40%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central 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
Central Elementary	Public	K-5	206 N 3rd Street	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-3200	525	39	13.4	99.4%	174 (33.1%)	174 (33.1%)	84 (16.0%)	17 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	75 (14.3%)	19.4	1287^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.7%		21.8	1247^th of 1490 public elementary schools	16.3%	40	35.4	59.3	44.6				34.2	44.4	40.2				43.4		$9,432	$1,366	$8,066
East Albemarle Elementary	Public	K-5	1813 E Main Street	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-3500	261	20	13.2	98.9%	47 (18.0%)	146 (55.9%)	33 (12.6%)	11 (4.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.8%)	4.3	1469^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.5%		6.6	1452^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	2.6%	17	29.8	19.6	31.7				36.2	19.6	26.8				29.3		$10,004	$1,532	$8,473
Badin Elementary	Public	K-5	47 Henderson St	Badin	28009	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-3900	411	29	14.2	99.3%	281 (68.4%)	56 (13.6%)	15 (3.6%)	10 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (11.7%)	76.7	285^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.9%		85.2	169^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.7%	116	76.5	78.8	74.2				54.1	65.9	75.8				84.8		$8,304	$1,053	$7,251
Endy Elementary	Public	K-5	27670 Betty Rd	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-3300	360	27	13.2	99.2%	289 (80.3%)	14 (3.9%)	35 (9.7%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	48.7	751^st of 1492 public elementary schools	49.7%		51.9	712^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.2%	39	75.0	54.2	54.1				62.5	58.3	45.9				57.4		$9,108	$956	$8,152
Millingport Elementary	Public	K-5	24198 NC Hwy 73 W	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-4300	192	15	12.9	97.9%	138 (71.9%)	2 (1.0%)	16 (8.3%)	18 (9.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.9%)	84	190^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.3%		85.7	161^st of 1490 public elementary schools	89.2%	29	82.1	69.4	84.6				78.6	75.0	63.2				84.6		$10,684	$1,258	$9,426
Richfield Elementary	Public	K-5	120 Morgan Street	Richfield	28137	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-4800	302	21	14.0	99.0%	249 (82.5%)	13 (4.3%)	9 (3.0%)	8 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.6%)	80.9	232^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	84.5%		78.6	269^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.9%	37	91.1	71.2	76.2				73.3	67.3	66.7				76.2		$9,326	$1,012	$8,313
Aquadale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11707 NC Hwy 138	Norwood	28128	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-5600	379	29	13.0	99.2%	244 (64.4%)	48 (12.7%)	34 (9.0%)	16 (4.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.2%)	49.6	737^th of 1492 public elementary schools	50.6%		52.8	695^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.4%	42	70.8	54.5	62.5				50.0	43.9	59.4				71.9		$8,983	$974	$8,009
Norwood Elementary	Public	K-5	400 South Main St	Norwood	28128	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-4000	354	23	15.0	99.2%	227 (64.1%)	41 (11.6%)	53 (15.0%)	6 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.3%)	51.5	706^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.7%		52.7	699^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.1%	7	69.2	75.9	54.4				50.8	63.0	47.4				61.4		$8,500	$935	$7,565
Oakboro Choice STEM	Public	K-8	1244 N Main St	Oakboro	28129	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-4700	353	25	13.9	99.2%	288 (81.6%)	9 (2.5%)	35 (9.9%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.5%)	80.8	234^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.3%		83	204^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.3%	30	87.0	84.8	63.8	68.2	79.3	86.7	69.6	76.1	68.1	68.2	86.2	93.3	76.6	93.3	$8,393	$828	$7,565
Mount Pleasant Elementary	Public	K-5	8555 North Drive	Mount Pleasant	28124	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-6210	679	45	14.9	43.6%	570 (83.9%)	27 (4.0%)	53 (7.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.1%)	72	379^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.6%		77.4	285^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.9%	94	71.1	67.9	77.8				58.6	59.8	65.7				89.8		$9,096	$444	$8,653

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 525 students attended Central Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Albemarle Middle
High : Albemarle High

What district is Central Elementary in?

Stanly County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 33% White, 33% African American, 16% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.7% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Central 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.