Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Gardners Elementary

Q: Is Gardners Elementary a good school?

Gardners Elementary ranks 347 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

347^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Gardners Elementary is a K-5 school in Elm City, NC, serving about 280 students as part of Wilson County Schools, and it consistently delivers academic results that far exceed what is typical for a school where roughly 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has earned a 4-star state rating in each of the past four reported school years and currently ranks at the 77th percentile statewide. That makes it the second-highest-ranked elementary school in its area, behind only New Hope Elementary and well ahead of nearby schools such as Frederick Douglass Elementary and Stantonsburg Elementary.

Test scores back up that ranking. In the most recent year, the school outperformed state averages in nearly every tested subject and grade level. Third-grade math proficiency reached 77.6% versus 66.4% statewide, and 4th-grade math hit 80.4% compared with 61.4% statewide. Reading proficiency also topped state averages at every grade level, and 5th-grade science edged past the state norm. Those results are especially striking given the school's poverty rate: students from low socio-economic backgrounds ranked at the 87th percentile statewide in 2025-26, after two consecutive years in the 95th and 98th percentiles.

Attendance may be the school's secret weapon. Its chronic absenteeism rate was just 11.6% in 2024-25 — roughly half the 22.1% rate for Wilson County Schools and well below the 24.2% statewide figure. Nearby schools serving similar populations, such as Vick Elementary, B O Barnes Elementary, and Wells Elementary, all have chronic absenteeism rates two to three times higher and rank in the bottom half of the state. Notably, extra spending and smaller classes don't explain the edge: the school spends about $10,900 per student with a student-teacher ratio of 15.5, while some lower-performing neighbors spend more or staff smaller classes. The takeaway is clear: Gardners Elementary proves that a high-poverty school can deliver strong, consistent results.

280

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

5404 NC 42 Hwy E
Elm City, NC 27822-8294

(252) 399-7920

District: Wilson County Schools

Students who attend Gardners Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Speight Middle
High:	Beddingfield High
	Wilson Early College Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

36.4%

White:

35.4%

African American:

22.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Gardners Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 89th percentile in 2024 → 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

!Ranking has slipped from its 89th-percentile peak (2024) to 77th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school70%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

347^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 28% (2016) to top 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

97^th of 246Wilson 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	347 of 1492	76.7%	★★★★☆
2025	80.5	240 of 1490	83.9%	★★★★☆
2024	86.3	161 of 1505	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	83.1	196 of 1502	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	80.3	243 of 1514	83.9%	★★★★☆
2021	64.1	498 of 1489	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.4	239 of 1473	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	55.5	657 of 1434	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.8	669 of 1429	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	69.6	403 of 1425	71.7%	★★★★☆
2015	78.8	259 of 1440	82.0%	★★★★☆
2014	83.4	188 of 1390	86.5%	★★★★☆
2013	83.3	180 of 1403	87.2%	★★★★☆
2012	83.6	130 of 1388	90.6%	★★★★★
2011	74.2	316 of 1381	77.1%	★★★★☆
2010	82.6	148 of 1363	89.1%	★★★★☆
2009	75.5	287 of 1354	78.8%	★★★★☆
2008	76.8	245 of 1324	81.5%	★★★★☆
2007	74.0	279 of 1293	78.4%	★★★★☆
2006	75.6	238 of 1276	81.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.8	132 of 903	85.4%	★★★★☆
2025	73.3	167 of 918	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	99.7	2 of 927	99.8%	★★★★★
2021	64.7	195 of 896	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	99.2	2 of 949	99.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.8	275 of 1447	81.0%	★★★★☆
2025	80.9	204 of 1451	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	84.1	165 of 1455	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	83.4	170 of 1459	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	242 of 1458	83.4%	★★★★☆
2021	54.5	615 of 1440	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.5	254 of 1424	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	43.1	872 of 1405	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.8	176 of 981	82.1%	★★★★☆
2025	87.8	59 of 961	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	91.6	37 of 951	96.1%	★★★★★
2023	90.2	50 of 915	94.5%	★★★★★
2022	89.9	49 of 893	94.5%	★★★★★
2021	89.3	57 of 843	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	86.3	59 of 865	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	64.5	243 of 851	71.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.4	181 of 1434	87.4%	★★★★☆
2025	87.1	76 of 1437	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	93.7	30 of 1450	97.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.7	35 of 1437	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	89.2	58 of 1366	95.8%	★★★★★
2021	64.3	351 of 1329	73.6%	★★★★☆
2019	91.4	44 of 1361	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	72.6	267 of 1332	80.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.7	455 of 1451	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.8	311 of 1450	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	84.8	160 of 1464	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	80.1	225 of 1461	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	78.4	254 of 1464	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	73.3	347 of 1444	76.0%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	274 of 1430	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	61.9	528 of 1413	62.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	363 of 1146	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	77.1	225 of 1172	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	81.7	171 of 1166	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	86.5	101 of 1183	91.5%	★★★★★
2022	57.9	487 of 1194	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.1	719 of 1172	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.6	368 of 1183	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.1	809 of 1178	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)87th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2026)85th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)82nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)81st percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)69th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)68th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics75%+12 vs state

Science69%~ state avg

Reading66%+9 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Gardners Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Gardners Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Gardners Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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/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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gardners Elementary	Public	K-5	5404 NC 42 Hwy E	Elm City	27822	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7920	280	18	15.5	—	99 (35.4%)	62 (22.1%)	102 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.1%)	73.8	347^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.7%		80.5	240^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.9%	107	77.6	80.4	66.7	65.3	67.4	64.3	69.0	$10,906	$1,587	$9,319
B O Barnes Elementary	Public	K-5	1913 Martin L King Parkway	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7875	274	23	11.9	—	8 (2.9%)	209 (76.3%)	50 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	45.6	812^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.6%		32.3	1053^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	29.3%	241	64.7	57.1	78.8	55.9	45.2	27.3	69.7	$11,225	$3,242	$7,983
Vick Elementary	Public	K-5	504 N Carroll Street	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7886	359	23	15.4	—	9 (2.5%)	251 (69.9%)	91 (25.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.2%)	8.9	1431^st of 1492 public elementary schools	4.1%		14.3	1356^th of 1490 public elementary schools	9.0%	75	30.6	25.4	45.6	26.4	26.9	33.3	54.4	$13,719	$3,492	$10,227
Margaret Hearne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 W Gold St	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7925	423	27	15.9	—	19 (4.5%)	242 (57.2%)	138 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.4%)	22.7	1233^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	17.4%		22.8	1224^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.9%	9	35.0	34.8	52.7	38.3	44.9	41.8	67.3	$10,414	$2,422	$7,993
Frederick Douglass Elementary	Public	K-5	1301 Corbett Ave	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 236-4574	339	22	15.1	—	114 (33.6%)	118 (34.8%)	78 (23.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	69.7	423^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	71.6%		66.5	460^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.1%	37	73.7	57.8	81.5	70.2	62.5	64.8	70.4	$9,313	$1,225	$8,089
Wells Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Grove St N	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7986	383	23	16.7	95.8%	69 (18.0%)	227 (59.3%)	58 (15.1%)	7 (1.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.0%)	41.4	888^th of 1492 public elementary schools	40.5%		46.8	805^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.0%	83	78.0	46.0	56.1	66.0	50.0	40.4	56.1	$9,928	$1,749	$8,179
G W Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	700 East Hamlet Street	Pinetops	27864	Edgecombe County	Edgecombe County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 827-2116	550	37	15.0	97.8%	249 (45.3%)	189 (34.4%)	73 (13.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.5%)	48.9	746^th of 1492 public elementary schools	50.0%		51.2	726^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.3%	20	60.6	72.9	61.5	50.0	61.4	42.3	66.7	$9,997	$1,940	$8,058
Vinson-Bynum Elementary	Public	K-5	1601 Tarboro St SW	Wilson	27893	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 399-7981	458	29	15.8	—	63 (13.8%)	294 (64.2%)	69 (15.1%)	12 (2.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	70.2	412^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.4%		58.7	585^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.7%	173	86.9	60.0	62.7	64.3	65.9	63.3	75.0	$11,625	$1,594	$10,030
New Hope Elementary	Public	K-5	4826 Packhouse Rd	Wilson	27896	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 399-7950	460	29	15.6	—	210 (45.7%)	111 (24.1%)	83 (18.0%)	30 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.4%)	93.2	69^th of 1492 public elementary schools	95.4%		95.3	51^st of 1490 public elementary schools	96.6%	18	82.1	88.9	92.5	73.1	85.6	80.6	91.0	$9,265	$666	$8,598
Stantonsburg Elementary	Public	K-5	409 S Main St	Stantonsburg	27883	Wilson County	Wilson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 238-3639	184	12	15.0	—	38 (20.7%)	69 (37.5%)	67 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.4%)	46.5	795^th of 1492 public elementary schools	46.7%		44.8	835^th of 1490 public elementary schools	44.0%	40	53.8	54.8	44.0	53.8	67.7	64.0	64.0	$10,595	$1,784	$8,811

Frequently Asked Questions about Gardners Elementary

What schools do graduates of Gardners Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gardners Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Speight Middle
High : Beddingfield High
High : Wilson Early College Academy

What is the racial makeup of Gardners Elementary?

Students at Gardners Elementary are 36% Hispanic, 35% White, 22% African American, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend Gardners Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 280 students attended Gardners Elementary.

What district is Gardners Elementary in?

Wilson County Schools

Is Gardners Elementary a good school?

Gardners Elementary ranks 347^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Gardners Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Elm City, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Gardners Elementary!

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.