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Dobson Elementary

Q: Is Dobson Elementary a good school?

Dobson Elementary ranks 346 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

346^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Dobson Elementary is a PK–5 public elementary school in Dobson, North Carolina, serving about 350 students as part of Surry County Schools. The school currently holds a 4-star rating and ranks 346th out of 1,492 elementary schools statewide (77th percentile), making it the highest-performing elementary school in the region. Nearby schools trail by a wide margin: Mountain Park Elementary sits in the 59th percentile, Rockford Elementary in the 55th, and several others including Franklin Elementary, Copeland Elementary, and Jones Intermediate all fall below the 50th percentile.

What makes this achievement especially noteworthy is that nearly every Dobson student (99.14%) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch — yet the school outperforms district and state averages in every subject and grade on end-of-grade tests. Third grade math proficiency, for instance, is 79.2% versus the state's 66.4%; 5th grade science is 75.8% versus the state's 67.7%. Dobson's economically disadvantaged students rank in the 87th percentile statewide — a strong signal that the school effectively supports students facing poverty-related challenges. Attendance is also a bright spot: chronic absenteeism is just 9.8%, compared with the district's 17.9% and the state's 24.2%. Nearby Cedar Ridge Elementary (25.6%) and Flat Rock Elementary (20.3%) both have rates more than double Dobson's.

Dobson supports advanced learners well, too, with Gifted and Talented students ranking in the 83rd percentile statewide. Per-pupil spending is roughly the regional average ($11,029), yet Dobson's results outpace neighbors that spend more, including Flat Rock ($13,728) and Mountain Park ($12,952). The main areas for parents to watch are a slight dip in 5th grade performance compared with 3rd and 4th grades, along with some year-to-year test score variability. Still, Dobson has held a steady 4-star rating since 2023–2024, and its combination of high achievement, low absenteeism, and strong support for lower-income students makes it a standout among rural high-poverty elementary schools in western North Carolina.

350

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 W Atkins Street
Dobson, NC 27017-8712

(336) 386-8913

District: Surry County Schools

Students who attend Dobson Elementary usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.0%

Hispanic:

43.1%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Dobson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 79th percentile in 2016 → 77th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (70% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school70%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg61%

346^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

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	73.8	346 of 1492	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	70.3	386 of 1490	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	417 of 1505	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	63.4	529 of 1502	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.6	239 of 1514	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	77.1	286 of 1489	80.8%	★★★★☆
2019	75.6	293 of 1473	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	76.1	293 of 1434	79.6%	★★★★☆
2017	80.9	207 of 1429	85.5%	★★★★☆
2016	75.7	297 of 1425	79.2%	★★★★☆
2015	68.2	450 of 1440	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	76.7	289 of 1390	79.2%	★★★★☆
2013	77.2	266 of 1403	81.0%	★★★★☆
2012	83.3	136 of 1388	90.2%	★★★★★
2011	82.7	154 of 1381	88.8%	★★★★☆
2010	80.1	197 of 1363	85.5%	★★★★☆
2009	80.4	194 of 1354	85.7%	★★★★☆
2008	85.4	118 of 1324	91.1%	★★★★★
2007	83.0	124 of 1293	90.4%	★★★★★
2006	73.5	284 of 1276	77.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	30.1	668 of 878	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	65.5	201 of 897	77.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.7	164 of 519	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.1	204 of 563	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	138 of 533	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	59.3	142 of 514	72.4%	★★★★☆
2022	72.4	56 of 485	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	64.5	70 of 385	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	78.8	52 of 497	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.5	33 of 421	92.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.2	307 of 1447	78.8%	★★★★☆
2025	72.6	323 of 1451	77.7%	★★★★☆
2024	68.5	391 of 1455	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	64.6	479 of 1459	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.8	203 of 1458	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	71.8	333 of 1440	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	70.7	377 of 1424	73.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.7	399 of 1405	71.6%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	127 of 743	82.9%	★★★★☆
2021	77.0	22 of 494	95.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.3	268 of 981	72.7%	★★★★☆
2025	64.7	267 of 961	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	208 of 951	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	57.4	328 of 915	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.7	130 of 893	85.4%	★★★★☆
2021	71.3	159 of 843	81.1%	★★★★☆
2019	70.0	192 of 865	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	77.8	126 of 851	85.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.6	180 of 1434	87.4%	★★★★☆
2025	71.0	294 of 1437	79.5%	★★★★☆
2024	70.9	303 of 1450	79.1%	★★★★☆
2023	61.9	461 of 1437	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	92.6	32 of 1366	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	86.4	85 of 1329	93.6%	★★★★★
2019	78.3	178 of 1361	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	87.6	64 of 1332	95.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.7	399 of 1451	72.5%	★★★★☆
2025	65.3	455 of 1450	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.5	423 of 1464	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	59.6	574 of 1461	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.3	275 of 1464	81.2%	★★★★☆
2021	77.8	267 of 1444	81.5%	★★★★☆
2019	77.1	254 of 1430	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	78.5	238 of 1413	83.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.2	387 of 1146	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.3	371 of 1172	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.1	409 of 1166	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	449 of 1183	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.0	243 of 1194	79.6%	★★★★☆
2021	69.9	309 of 1172	73.6%	★★★★☆
2019	71.0	303 of 1183	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	69.7	342 of 1178	71.0%	★★★★☆

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)87th percentile+11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)83rd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)79th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)73rd percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)73rd percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)68th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)66th percentile-11 vs school

Disabled (2019)24th percentile-56 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science76%+8 vs state

Mathematics74%+10 vs state

Reading64%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dobson 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Cedar Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	734 Flippin Road	Lowgap	27024	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 352-4320	348	25	14.1	99.1%	244 (70.1%)	4 (1.1%)	90 (25.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.9%)	32.1	1054^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.4%		45.9	819^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.0%	235	73.2	42.2	42.9	57.1	48.4	38.1	54.0	$9,811	$1,760	$8,051
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
Flat Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1539 E Pine St	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 786-2910	217	16	13.1	98.6%	132 (60.8%)	16 (7.4%)	59 (27.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.1%)	18.5	1309^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.3%		25.5	1168^th of 1490 public elementary schools	21.6%	141	44.8	51.3	16.1	37.9	53.8	32.3	35.5	$13,728	$2,125	$11,603
Jones Intermediate	Public	3-5	2170 Riverside Drive	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Mount Airy City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 786-4131	339	25	13.5	99.1%	179 (52.8%)	33 (9.7%)	102 (30.1%)	9 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.4%)	34.9	1006^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.6%		47	802^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	46.2%	204	55.3	59.0	50.0	55.3	55.6	38.5	53.3	$10,260	$1,761	$8,499

Frequently Asked Questions about Dobson Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Dobson Elementary?

Students at Dobson Elementary are 52% White, 43% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Dobson Elementary a good school?

Dobson Elementary ranks 346^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Dobson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dobson Elementary usually go on to attend:

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

How many students attend Dobson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 350 students attended Dobson Elementary.

What district is Dobson Elementary in?

Surry County Schools

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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.