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Pilot Mountain Elementary

Q: Is Pilot Mountain Elementary a good school?

Pilot Mountain Elementary ranks 219 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

219^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 85% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Pilot Mountain Elementary is a PK–5 school in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, serving 353 students as part of Surry County Schools. The school currently ranks 219th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, placing it in the 85th percentile with a 4-star rating, and it outperforms both district and state averages in every tested subject and grade level. In 3rd grade math, for example, 81.4% of students are proficient, compared to 65.3% for the district and 66.4% statewide. Reading results are especially strong: 5th grade reading proficiency sits at 71.2%, roughly 20 points above the district average and 16 points above the state average.

What makes these results especially noteworthy is the school's context. Nearly all of its students (99.15%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making this a high-poverty school performing at an 85th-percentile level statewide. Among nearby elementary schools, only Shoals Elementary ranks higher, sitting in the 95th percentile. Mount Olive Elementary is close behind in overall rank, but other nearby schools such as Poplar Springs Elementary, Pinnacle Elementary, Copeland Elementary, Nancy Reynolds Elementary, Westfield Elementary, King Elementary, and Flat Rock Elementary trail by wide margins. Pilot Mountain's 5th grade math proficiency rate is 76.3%, for instance, compared with just 16.1% at Flat Rock — a gap demographics alone cannot explain, since these schools serve similarly high-poverty populations.

Pilot Mountain also stands out for attendance and efficiency. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 11.0% in 2024-25 is well below the district rate of 17.9% and the state rate of 24.2%. The school has improved its state ranking for four consecutive years, climbing from 491st to 219th, and its gifted program ranks in the 96th percentile statewide. All of this is accomplished with relatively lean per-student spending of $9,756, compared with nearby schools like Westfield ($13,096) and Flat Rock ($13,728). With continued strong attendance and academic momentum, Pilot Mountain Elementary is well positioned to keep climbing.

353

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

91.8%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 6.6% (any vaccine)

218 Friends St.
Pilot Mountain, NC 27041

(336) 444-8200

District: Surry County Schools

Students who attend Pilot Mountain Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Pilot Mountain Middle
High:	East Surry High
	Surry Early College

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.2%

Hispanic:

15.0%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Pilot Mountain Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2016 → 85th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (74% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% 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 school74%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg61%

219^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 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	81.9	219 of 1492	85.3%	★★★★☆
2025	80.1	243 of 1490	83.7%	★★★★☆
2024	75.8	313 of 1505	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	434 of 1502	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	65.4	491 of 1514	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.7	323 of 1489	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	466 of 1473	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.9	442 of 1434	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	80.3	219 of 1429	84.7%	★★★★☆
2016	79.6	233 of 1425	83.6%	★★★★☆
2015	60.8	560 of 1440	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	60.0	537 of 1390	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.0	609 of 1403	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	40.9	507 of 878	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	237 of 1447	83.6%	★★★★☆
2025	77.7	249 of 1451	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	235 of 1455	83.8%	★★★★☆
2023	72.8	339 of 1459	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.8	332 of 1458	77.2%	★★★★☆
2021	66.5	407 of 1440	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	64.6	477 of 1424	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.5	532 of 1405	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★☆
2021	65.3	186 of 494	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	80.7	91 of 843	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	51.4	403 of 865	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.7	562 of 851	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.0	454 of 1434	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.3	322 of 1437	77.6%	★★★★☆
2024	79.1	168 of 1450	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.2	315 of 1437	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	68.0	307 of 1366	77.5%	★★★★☆
2021	66.1	321 of 1329	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	61.8	454 of 1361	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.5	465 of 1332	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.0	225 of 1451	84.5%	★★★★☆
2025	79.3	237 of 1450	83.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.4	394 of 1464	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	60.6	553 of 1461	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.4	648 of 1464	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.6	257 of 1444	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.6	445 of 1430	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.8	393 of 1413	72.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.5	342 of 1146	70.2%	★★★★☆
2025	66.2	372 of 1172	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.0	483 of 1166	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.5	607 of 1183	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.3	666 of 1194	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.9	518 of 1172	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.3	605 of 1183	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.9	542 of 1178	54.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)96th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2021)89th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)84th percentile~ school

Female (2026)84th percentile~ school

White (2026)70th percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)68th percentile-17 vs school

Disabled (2019)42nd percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics77%+14 vs state

Science76%+9 vs state

Reading71%+15 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, June 8, 2019

Discrimination against the disabled children by the administrators is an issue within this school. If your child has an IEP in place or will need one, I advise you look into a different school. Close Quote

Schools Near Pilot Mountain 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	—	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	91.8%	6.6%	$9,756	$1,118	$8,638
Shoals Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 Shoals Road	Pinnacle	27043	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 325-2518	235	18	13.3	—	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	100%	0%	$10,986	$1,064	$9,923
Pinnacle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1095 Surry Line Rd	Pinnacle	27043	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 368-2990	162	12	13.3	—	147 (90.7%)	3 (1.9%)	5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.3%)	54.9	655^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.1%		70.9	376^th of 1490 public elementary schools	74.8%	279	80.0	45.5	64.3	65.0	54.5	57.1	64.3	94.1%	5.9%	$11,967	$1,242	$10,725
Westfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	273 Jessup Grove Church Rd	Pilot Mountain	27041	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 351-2745	212	18	11.7	—	157 (74.1%)	6 (2.8%)	39 (18.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	28.7	1122^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	24.8%		35.4	992^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	33.4%	130	48.6	63.0	46.2	32.4	59.3	38.5	57.7	86.2%	10.3%	$13,096	$1,838	$11,258
Mount Olive Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2145 Chestnut Grove Road	King	27021	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 983-4351	316	20	15.9	—	291 (92.1%)	3 (0.9%)	10 (3.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	79.4	250^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.2%		80.1	244^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.6%	6	82.4	80.3	79.5	62.7	71.8	63.6	70.5	96.5%	3.5%	$8,969	$1,028	$7,941
Nancy Reynolds Elementary School	Public	K-5	1585 NC 66 Hwy North	Westfield	27053	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 351-2480	192	13	15.0	97.4%	172 (89.6%)	5 (2.6%)	12 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	41.8	882^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	40.9%		51.1	729^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.1%	153	80.6	45.0	59.5	61.3	47.5	37.8	62.2	100%	0%	$11,998	$1,651	$10,348
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	152 East School St	King	27021	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 983-5824	383	31	12.2	—	307 (80.2%)	2 (0.5%)	50 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (6.0%)	23.1	1225^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.9%		24.6	1196^th of 1490 public elementary schools	19.7%	29	39.7	50.0	44.3	46.0	48.1	41.0	54.8	96.1%	2%	$12,007	$2,205	$9,803
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	—	219 (50.7%)	34 (7.9%)	151 (35.0%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)								(n/a)								97.8%	2.2%	$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	—	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	95%	5%	$13,728	$2,125	$11,603
Poplar Springs Elementary School	Public	K-5	223 Hobe Kiser Road	King	27021	Stokes County	Stokes County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(336) 985-0234	495	31	15.9	—	413 (83.4%)	10 (2.0%)	49 (9.9%)	11 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	68.7	441^st of 1492 public elementary schools	70.4%		66.1	464^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.9%	23	73.0	71.6	68.8	59.6	68.6	58.4	70.1	98.8%	1.2%	$9,813	$1,074	$8,739

Frequently Asked Questions about Pilot Mountain Elementary

Is Pilot Mountain Elementary a good school?

Pilot Mountain Elementary ranks 219^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Pilot Mountain Elementary in?

Surry County Schools

How many students attend Pilot Mountain Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 353 students attended Pilot Mountain Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Pilot Mountain Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pilot Mountain Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pilot Mountain Middle
High : East Surry High
High : Surry Early College

What is the racial makeup of Pilot Mountain Elementary?

Students at Pilot Mountain Elementary are 80% White, 15% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.