The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 39% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on West Bertie Elementary
West Bertie Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Kelford, a very small rural town in western Bertie County in northeastern coastal North Carolina. The school sits on a rural campus outside the town center, on Governors Road, in what is classified as a remote rural setting.
The student body is small, with about even enrollment across all grades. Nearly all students—an overwhelming share—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting both the school's demographics and the economic reality of the Kelford area. The population is predominantly Black, with a small number of white and Asian students and a handful of Hispanic students enrolled.
On state testing in grades three through five, West Bertie's results show mixed performance. In math, roughly half of tested students scored at proficient or above. In reading and language arts, the proficiency rate was considerably lower, at roughly two-fifths of students. In science, where a smaller group was tested, about half of students met the standard. These results reflect a school where a meaningful share of students are reading and performing at grade level in math, but where a substantial portion are working below proficiency, particularly in literacy. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what support structures exist for students below grade level and what interventions the school uses in reading.
Kelford itself is economically stressed. The town, once a farm service center with a Coca-Cola bottling plant, has experienced decades of decline. The commercial core is now sparse, with an abandoned drugstore, defunct repair shops, and only a post office and a few small businesses remaining. Population has fallen steadily. The nearest city of any size is Rocky Mount, several dozen miles away. There is no public transit. Housing is affordable—median home values are quite low—but job prospects in town are limited. The Perdue Farms processing plant in the neighboring town is a significant regional employer, and the district itself is a public employer here.
Bertie County Schools as a whole has been consolidating. The district recently closed three school buildings while enrollment declined, and the county raised its property tax rate in the 2024-25 budget while cutting school district current-expense funding. That combination—higher tax burden and tighter school resources—is a material change for any family considering the area. The district has also launched a new Bertie County history course at the high school in partnership with a state university and embedded a mental health coach for student-athletes, signaling some intentional program building despite fiscal constraints.
West Bertie is a neighborhood school in a declining rural area. It enrolls the youngest students in a county where economic opportunity is constrained and public services are being rationalized. The proficiency picture suggests uneven academic progress, particularly in reading. For a family already rooted in Kelford, it is the local option. For a family considering relocation to the area, this school's performance and the town's trajectory are both factors worth examining closely before deciding.
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