The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on B. Everett Jordan Elementary
B. Everett Jordan Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Graham, the county seat of Alamance County. The school sits on Church Road and enrolls a student body of about that size, with a student population that reflects the changing demographics of the Piedmont: a majority white enrollment, a substantial Hispanic population, a smaller Black and Asian enrollment, and a growing representation of multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Graham is a small Piedmont city undergoing visible change. It sits along the I-40 and I-85 corridor between the Research Triangle and the Piedmont Triad, and over the past decade has shifted from a longtime-textile-mill town toward a more transient population of younger people and young families. Downtown has undergone significant revitalization, with new restaurants, breweries, and shops filling restored commercial buildings around Court Square. A major housing project converted an old textile mill into income-restricted apartments, and newer subdivisions of Craftsman-inspired homes are filling the city's southern and eastern edges. This is a place in transition, where older and newer Graham coexist, and where families moving in are as common as families who have always been there. The community has maintained a traditional small-town character: a walkable downtown with a movie theater, public art, and outdoor concert series; public transit via Link Transit; and a May Memorial Library serving the county. Major employers include Labcorp, Cone Health Alamance Regional Medical Center, Alamance Community College, county government, and Elon University.
The Alamance-Burlington School System, created in a merger, serves the county as a whole rather than a single city. Recent bond-funded renovations and security upgrades have touched schools across the district, including Graham, adding key-card entry, security vestibules, and new security cameras. Southeast Alamance High School, the district's first new high school in more than a half century, opened in 2023, redrawing boundaries on the east side of the county. The district also implemented classroom cell phone restrictions for the 2025-26 school year, requiring students to power off devices during class.
Academically, B. Everett Jordan's most recent state test results show proficiency at low levels. In math, English language arts, and science, the school's proficiency rate—the share of students testing at Level 2 or above—sits in the low-to-mid range. In math, fewer than roughly one-third of tested third through fifth graders met proficiency. In English language arts, the rate was modestly higher. In science, measured on a smaller tested cohort, proficiency was again in the low-to-mid range. These are the most recent reported results; state testing changes in science make comparison to prior years unavailable. A parent may want to look into the school's response to these results and what academic support and intervention structures are in place for students not yet proficient.
The school enrollment breaks fairly evenly across the kindergarten-through-fifth grade span, with no unusual concentrations in any single grade. Housing in the Graham zip code is moderately priced relative to state and national benchmarks, and median rents are moderate; the affordability profile suggests that renting is slightly more accessible than buying for families with typical county incomes. The school's location in an area experiencing population growth and housing development means that enrollment may shift over time.
No data was available on the school's chronic absenteeism rate, special education enrollment, English learner population, staff composition, or discipline practices. No multi-year academic trend was available, as state assessment changes limit year-to-year comparison. These are topics a parent or school visitor could ask about directly with the school.
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