Summary:
Zip code 27209 in Biscoe, North Carolina is served by two elementary-level schools: Green Ridge Elementary, a traditional PK–5 public school in Montgomery County Schools, and Tillery Charter Academy, a K–8 public charter school. Neither school is a high performer by state standards, with both earning one star in 2025–26, but they differ sharply in attendance and academic patterns.
In the latest state ranking, Tillery Charter Academy ranks 1,129 out of 1,492 schools (24th percentile), about 200 places higher than Green Ridge Elementary, which ranks 1,328th (11th percentile). Looking at common 3rd–5th grade EOG tests, Tillery’s average proficiency climbed to 45.0% in 2025–26, ahead of Green Ridge’s 39.2%, and nearly matching the Montgomery County Schools average of 45.7%. Both remain far below the state average of 61.0%. A striking pattern appears in 3rd grade math: both schools beat the state average (70.6% at Green Ridge, 77.8% at Tillery), yet by 4th grade math proficiency collapses to 21.9% and 15.4% respectively versus a 61.4% state average. Tillery also shows real strengths in 8th grade reading (66.7%) and science (60.0%), but its overall math results are weak.
The biggest red flag belongs to Tillery Charter Academy, which has a 53.6% chronic absenteeism rate — more than double the state’s 24.2% and nearly triple Green Ridge’s 20.0%. That attendance success at Green Ridge Elementary is notable given that 98.9% of its students receive free or reduced lunch, yet it still does not translate into higher test scores. Both schools operate in districts ranking in the bottom 20% statewide, and data gaps (no poverty or spending figures for Tillery) limit the full picture. For parents, the choice is between a high-poverty district school with strong attendance but weaker academics and a charter with wider grade spans, pockets of excellence, and a severe absenteeism problem that threatens its recent improvement.
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