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Gardners Elementary

Q: Is Gardners Elementary a good school?

Gardners Elementary ranks 240 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

240^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Gardners Elementary is a public elementary school located in Elm City, North Carolina, serving 242 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Wilson County Schools district, which is ranked 93 out of 242 districts in the state.

Gardners Elementary has a strong performance history, consistently ranking in the top 20% of North Carolina elementary schools. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school ranked 240 out of 1,490 elementary schools and received a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance is particularly noteworthy, with significantly higher proficiency rates in mathematics and reading compared to the district and state averages. For example, in 5th grade, Gardners Elementary had a 72.5% proficiency rate in science, compared to 61.2% for the district and 62% for the state.

Gardners Elementary's success extends beyond overall academic achievement, as the school has demonstrated exceptional performance across various student subgroups, including female students, male students, and economically disadvantaged students. This suggests a focus on equity and inclusion, ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, receive a high-quality education. When compared to nearby schools in the Wilson County Schools district, Gardners Elementary consistently outperforms its peers, particularly in mathematics and reading. The school's success could provide valuable insights and best practices that could be replicated in other schools facing similar challenges.

280

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,906

Per pupil spending ?

98.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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: Holding steady — 82nd percentile in 2015 → 84th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (71% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of North Carolina elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school71%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg57%

240^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Wilson County Schools

93^rd of 242Wilson 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 (2025)95th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)94th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)86th percentile~ school

African American (2025)82nd percentile~ school

White (2025)81st percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)79th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics76%+15 vs state

Science72%+10 vs state

Reading65%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gardners Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	98.2%	99 (35.4%)	62 (22.1%)	102 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.1%)	80.5	240^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.9%		86.3	161^st of 1505 public elementary schools	89.3%	79	78.4	69.6	80.0	56.9	73.9	65.0	72.5	$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	98.9%	8 (2.9%)	209 (76.3%)	50 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	32.3	1053^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	29.3%		26.8	1165^th of 1505 public elementary schools	22.6%	112	66.7	48.4	52.5	40.0	51.6	32.5	25.0	$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	99.2%	9 (2.5%)	251 (69.9%)	91 (25.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.2%)	14.3	1356^th of 1490 public elementary schools	9.0%		20.8	1271^st of 1505 public elementary schools	15.5%	85	26.6	26.7	46.7	15.6	41.7	36.7	48.3	$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	99.3%	19 (4.5%)	242 (57.2%)	138 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.4%)	22.8	1224^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.9%		26.7	1166^th of 1505 public elementary schools	22.5%	58	50.0	22.6	46.6	34.6	41.9	39.7	53.4	$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	98.5%	114 (33.6%)	118 (34.8%)	78 (23.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	66.5	460^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.1%		71.3	380^th of 1505 public elementary schools	74.8%	80	69.1	59.7	84.6	56.4	61.3	64.1	56.4	$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%)	46.8	805^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.0%		55.4	655^th of 1505 public elementary schools	56.5%	150	70.0	47.3	48.9	45.0	56.4	57.4	51.1	$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%)	51.2	726^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.3%		45.3	829^th of 1505 public elementary schools	44.9%	103	76.8	65.8	57.5	45.1	53.2	35.0	60.0	$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	99.3%	63 (13.8%)	294 (64.2%)	69 (15.1%)	12 (2.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	58.7	585^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.7%		54.4	673^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	55.3%	88	74.2	74.1	43.1	46.2	77.6	47.2	62.5	$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	99.3%	210 (45.7%)	111 (24.1%)	83 (18.0%)	30 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.4%)	95.3	51^st of 1490 public elementary schools	96.6%		92.2	84^th of 1505 public elementary schools	94.4%	33	92.5	91.7	93.7	75.3	81.9	87.3	79.4	$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	98.4%	38 (20.7%)	69 (37.5%)	67 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.4%)	44.8	835^th of 1490 public elementary schools	44.0%		44.6	845^th of 1505 public elementary schools	43.9%	10	69.7	52.0	52.0	51.5	52.0	44.0	44.0	$10,595	$1,784	$8,811

Frequently Asked Questions about Gardners Elementary

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.

What district is Gardners Elementary in?

Wilson County Schools

Is Gardners Elementary a good school?

Gardners Elementary ranks 240^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Gardners Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 280 students attended 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

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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.