The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in Science. The lowest is 69% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Tiller School
Tiller School is a small, single-campus charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Beaufort, a historic waterfront town on the North Carolina coast. The school enrolls roughly two hundred students across its six grades, making it a tight-knit community where most families will interact with the same staff and administration throughout their child's years there.
The school sits in Beaufort itself, at 1950 Live Oak Street, in a town that is undergoing deliberate growth. Beaufort is the county seat, a restored historic district with a walkable downtown centered on shops, galleries, and restaurants along the waterfront, where the maritime museum and historic courthouse anchor civic life. The town is flat and bike-friendly, with a new influx of master-planned residential communities—Beau Coast and its sister development Beau Coast West among them—and a townhome project called the Towns at Live Oak approved for completion by 2027. Housing values in the zip code have moved upward, and rents are moderate to moderately high for a coastal town. The area draws retirees and second-home buyers seeking water access, and it is positioned to grow as Interstate 42 improves connectivity from the Research Triangle.
Academically, Tiller's most recent state testing results show solid proficiency in reading and math, where roughly two-thirds to two-thirds-plus of tested students in grades three through five met state proficiency standards. Science proficiency is notably higher, at around three-quarters. These results come from a small tested cohort and reflect performance in the tested grades only; younger grades are not tested by the state. The school uses standards-based grading rather than traditional letter grades, a pedagogical choice that centers on students demonstrating mastery of discrete skills and concepts rather than averaging performance over time. This approach shapes how progress is reported to parents and how families support learning at home. The school's 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, titled "Creating Navigators for Life," sets a five-year direction emphasizing academics, family engagement, and operations.
Enrollment is small but stable, with roughly even cohorts across the grade band and a student body that is predominantly white, with modest representation of students identifying as Hispanic, two or more races, or Black. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available. Data on students receiving special education services or identified as English learners was also not reported. A parent may want to contact the school directly about how it serves students with learning differences or English language backgrounds if that matters to their family.
Tiller is a charter school, meaning it operates under a public charter rather than as a traditional district school and is governed by its own board. As a charter, it is not subject to all the same regulations as traditional public schools, though it remains a public school and is overseen by the state. For families in Beaufort choosing between Tiller and other options in Carteret County, the charter model, small size, standards-based approach, and waterfront location are concrete features to weigh against any preference for traditional district operations or specific programs offered elsewhere. A parent interested in this school would benefit from visiting, speaking with current families, and understanding the school's particular expectations around family involvement and learning philosophy.
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