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Copeland Elementary

Q: Is Copeland Elementary a good school?

Copeland Elementary ranks 832 nd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

832^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Copeland Elementary is a small, rural PK-5 school in Dobson, NC, serving 274 students within the Surry County Schools district, where nearly all students (98.9%) qualify for free/reduced lunch. Copeland's state ranking has declined steadily over the past five years, falling from the 85th percentile (4-star rating) in 2020–2021 to the 44th percentile (2-star rating) in 2025–2026. That slide stands out because surrounding schools in the same district — Shoals Elementary at the 95th percentile and Pilot Mountain Elementary at the 85th — serve similarly high-poverty students while posting some of the best results in the state.

Academically, Copeland's 5th graders perform well in science (79.5% proficient vs. 67.7% statewide) and math (69.2% vs. 62.9% statewide), but reading has been the school's clearest weakness for three consecutive years. In 2025–2026, 4th grade reading proficiency was just 42.5% — about 19 points below the district and 15 points below the state — while 3rd grade reading (46.7%) also lagged. Averaged across grades 3–5, Copeland's reading scores have hovered in the mid-40s while math has stayed in the upper 50s and 60s, a pattern that points to literacy instruction as the most urgent area for improvement.

Copeland does have meaningful strengths to build on. Its chronic absenteeism rate is just 10.1% — less than half the state average of 24.2% — which suggests a school climate where families are engaged and children are present. Class sizes are also small, at roughly 13 students per teacher. However, subgroup results demand attention: English Language Learners ranked in the 88th percentile statewide in 2023–2024 but fell to the 12th percentile in 2025–2026, a dramatic drop that warrants program-level review. Between the school's strong attendance, solid math and science teaching, and neighboring peer schools demonstrating what is achievable in a similar community, Copeland has a realistic path forward — but reversing its five-year decline will likely require a determined focus on early literacy and ensuring every learner is supported.

274

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

948 Copeland School Road
Dobson, NC 27017-9637

(336) 374-2572

District: Surry County Schools

Students who attend Copeland Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Central Middle
High:	Surry Central High
	Surry Early College

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.9%

Hispanic:

44.5%

Asian:

1.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Copeland Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 65th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg61%

832^nd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

106^th of 246Surry 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	44.6	832 of 1492	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.9	713 of 1490	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.3	597 of 1505	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.2	558 of 1502	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.0	403 of 1514	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.2	216 of 1489	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	71.5	381 of 1473	74.1%	★★★★☆
2018	70.3	397 of 1434	72.3%	★★★★☆
2017	71.4	382 of 1429	73.3%	★★★★☆
2016	64.1	493 of 1425	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.2	511 of 1440	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	57.9	575 of 1390	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.1	421 of 1403	70.0%	★★★★☆
2012	67.3	453 of 1388	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.9	406 of 1381	70.6%	★★★★☆
2010	60.5	605 of 1363	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.4	412 of 1354	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	76.8	244 of 1324	81.6%	★★★★☆
2007	70.5	331 of 1293	74.4%	★★★★☆
2006	53.2	660 of 1276	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.4	457 of 519	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.7	340 of 563	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	77.4	64 of 533	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	75.4	68 of 514	86.8%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	70 of 485	85.6%	★★★★☆
2021	91.9	15 of 385	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	89.3	25 of 497	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	95.0	12 of 421	97.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	878 of 1447	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.6	855 of 1451	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.2	640 of 1455	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.7	640 of 1459	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.6	466 of 1458	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.8	240 of 1440	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	75.0	299 of 1424	79.0%	★★★★☆
2018	71.6	366 of 1405	74.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	654 of 981	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.0	399 of 961	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.4	177 of 951	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	182 of 915	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	64.5	225 of 893	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	75.6	122 of 843	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	76.6	125 of 865	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	72.9	162 of 851	81.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.1	701 of 1434	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.9	609 of 1437	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	356 of 1450	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	314 of 1437	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	84.7	93 of 1366	93.2%	★★★★★
2021	93.5	28 of 1329	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	84.6	101 of 1361	92.6%	★★★★★
2018	85.5	92 of 1332	93.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	770 of 1451	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.1	582 of 1450	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.8	513 of 1464	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.3	482 of 1461	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.7	370 of 1464	74.7%	★★★★☆
2021	80.1	232 of 1444	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	59.4	554 of 1430	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.6	459 of 1413	67.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	765 of 1146	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.0	751 of 1172	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.0	753 of 1166	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.7	730 of 1183	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	63.8	395 of 1194	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	76.0	238 of 1172	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	51.7	583 of 1183	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.0	469 of 1178	60.2%	★★★☆☆

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)51st percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)47th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)39th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)33rd percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)33rd percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)12th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science80%+12 vs state

Mathematics60%-4 vs state

Reading47%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Copeland 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
Copeland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	948 Copeland School Road	Dobson	27017	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 374-2572	274	21	13.0	98.9%	145 (52.9%)	2 (0.7%)	122 (44.5%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	44.6	832^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	44.2%		51.9	713^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.1%	119	53.3	57.5	69.2	46.7	42.5	51.3	79.5	$11,205	$1,950	$9,256
Rockford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	719 Rockford Rd	Dobson	27017	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 374-6300	335	25	13.4	99.1%	176 (52.5%)	0 (0.0%)	146 (43.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.9%)	53.6	671^st of 1492 public elementary schools	55.0%		63.1	511^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.7%	160	58.7	67.9	69.8	34.8	60.4	50.9	77.4	$10,901	$1,542	$9,360
Dobson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 W Atkins Street	Dobson	27017	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 386-8913	350	23	14.9	99.1%	182 (52.0%)	0 (0.0%)	151 (43.1%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	73.8	346^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.8%		70.3	386^th of 1490 public elementary schools	74.1%	40	79.2	76.8	66.1	66.0	64.3	62.9	75.8	$11,029	$1,718	$9,312
White Plains Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	710 Cadle Ford Rd	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 320-3434	328	22	14.8	99.1%	230 (70.1%)	1 (0.3%)	85 (25.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.4%)	47.4	776^th of 1492 public elementary schools	48.0%		50.7	737^th of 1490 public elementary schools	50.5%	39	57.1	71.4	54.8	53.1	66.1	40.5	57.1	$10,986	$1,465	$9,521
Shoals Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 Shoals Road	Pinnacle	27043	Stokes County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 325-2518	235	18	13.3	98.7%	208 (88.5%)	3 (1.3%)	11 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.5%)	92.5	79^th of 1492 public elementary schools	94.7%		91.1	94^th of 1490 public elementary schools	93.7%	15	93.3	82.8	80.6	93.3	79.3	77.8	83.3	$10,986	$1,064	$9,923
Fall Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2720 Smithtown Rd	East Bend	27018	Yadkin County	Yadkin County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 551-1128	251	13	19.6	96.4%	224 (89.2%)	5 (2.0%)	21 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	49.9	732^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	50.9%		72.3	358^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.0%	374	69.4	65.9	68.3	50.0	56.1	51.2	53.7	$9,927	$1,038	$8,888
Franklin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	519 S Franklin Road	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 786-2459	473	35	13.4	98.9%	311 (65.8%)	18 (3.8%)	118 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.5%)	40.6	896^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.9%		47.8	785^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.3%	111	62.5	46.7	54.8	55.6	54.7	41.7	67.9	$10,170	$1,823	$8,347
Pilot Mountain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	218 Friends St.	Pilot Mountain	27041	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 444-8200	353	23	15.2	99.2%	283 (80.2%)	4 (1.1%)	53 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	81.9	219^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.3%		80.1	243^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	83.7%	24	81.4	74.2	76.3	71.2	71.0	71.2	76.3	$9,756	$1,118	$8,638
Bruce H. Tharrington Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	315 Culbert Street	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Mount Airy City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 789-9046	432	29	14.8	99.3%	219 (50.7%)	34 (7.9%)	151 (35.0%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)								(n/a)								$12,455	$1,917	$10,538
Mountain Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	505 Mountain Park Rd	State Road	28676	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 874-3933	188	16	12.0	98.4%	134 (71.3%)	1 (0.5%)	46 (24.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.7%)	57.5	619^th of 1492 public elementary schools	58.5%		72.4	355^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.2%	264	42.3	61.1	66.7	46.2	83.3	57.1	81.0	$12,952	$1,919	$11,033

Frequently Asked Questions about Copeland Elementary

What district is Copeland Elementary in?

Surry County Schools

Is Copeland Elementary a good school?

Copeland Elementary ranks 832^nd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Copeland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Copeland Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central Middle
High : Surry Central High
High : Surry Early College

What is the racial makeup of Copeland Elementary?

Students at Copeland Elementary are 53% White, 45% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Copeland Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 274 students attended Copeland Elementary.

Rate Copeland 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.