Summary:
Zip code 27937 in Gates, NC, contains one public elementary school, Buckland Elementary, which serves grades K-5 and is part of Gates County Schools.
Buckland Elementary is a small school with 220 students and a student-teacher ratio of 15.1:1, and about half of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. It has been improving its statewide rank over the past three years, moving from the 32nd to the 46th percentile, though it still holds a two-star rating. The school’s biggest academic strength is math in the early grades: 78.8% of third graders passed the state math exam, well above the state average of 66.4%. Fourth graders also beat the state average in math. Reading is the weaker subject, with proficiency rates below state averages at every grade level. For example, only 44.4% of fourth graders were proficient in reading, compared to 57.7% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is a concern, with 27.9% of students missing enough school to be considered chronically absent, a rate higher than both the district’s 27.1% and the state’s 24.2%.
Despite the challenges, Buckland has made remarkable year-over-year gains in several areas, including a 23.5-point jump in fourth-grade math and an 18.4-point gain in third-grade reading, although progress has not been equal across all subjects. Because this zip code has only one elementary school, there are no local middle or high schools to compare; students likely move on to schools elsewhere in Gates County Schools. For parents, the key takeaway is that Buckland is on an upward path, particularly in math, but reading proficiency and student attendance are areas that need attention. The school’s improving state percentile, combined with its relatively high economic disadvantage rate, suggests genuine momentum worth watching.
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