The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Science. The lowest is 44% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Windsor Elementary
Windsor Elementary serves a small enrollment across pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Windsor area, the county seat of Bertie County in northeastern North Carolina's Inner Banks region. The school sits on Cooper Hill Road, the same address as Bertie Correctional Institution, a state prison that is one of the area's largest employers. Windsor itself is a compact historic town with a walkable downtown core centered on King Street, surrounded by farmland and forest; most residents own their homes and the area has a mixed suburban-rural character.
The student body at Windsor Elementary is economically disadvantaged. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and the school serves a predominantly Black student population with smaller shares of White, multiracial, Hispanic, and Native American students. The enrollment sits at a modest level across seven grades. Pre-kindergarten through second grade test results are not available because those grades are not assessed under North Carolina's state testing regimen. For grades three through five, the school's proficiency rates reveal mixed performance.
In English language arts, about a portion of students tested reached proficiency, a result that falls below state and national benchmarks. Mathematics shows somewhat stronger performance at about a portion proficient, still below typical state targets. Science testing was administered to a smaller subset of students and showed proficiency near the midpoint, though this assessment was redesigned in the current year so prior-year comparison is not available.
The broader Windsor community is stable but economically constrained. Home values remain affordable relative to state and national medians, and the market has declined modestly in the past year. The county's economic plan identifies housing and retail access as its top two needs; a dedicated affordable-housing project for teachers and government employees is fully occupied, and a meaningful share of the county workforce still lives outside Bertie County due to limited supply. Grocery and pharmacy services in town are of concern to residents and developers. Civic anchors include the Bertie County Public Library, Livermon Park with a small zoo, and the Roanoke-Cashie River Center on the Cashie River boardwalk; nearby Roanoke-Chowan and Martin community colleges both run branch campuses in Windsor.
At the district level, Bertie County Schools has undergone recent consolidation. The district closed three school buildings amid declining enrollment, a change that affects which schools serve the towns across Bertie County and distances students travel. In the FY 2024-25 budget, the county raised property tax rates and the district's current-expense funding was reduced, a shift parents relocating to the area would see directly in their tax bill. The district is also pursuing targeted initiatives: a new Bertie County history course co-developed with N.C. A&T State University launched in spring 2024 and serves high school students, and Bertie County Schools has maintained a dedicated mental health coach for student-athletes, a program that has received national media attention.
For a family considering Windsor Elementary specifically, the picture is one of economic hardship among the student population, modest academic proficiency in the tested grades, and a school situated within a resource-constrained rural county navigating consolidation and budget adjustment. A parent may want to look into the school's curriculum offerings, instructional approaches for reading and math, and what additional academic supports the school provides, alongside questions about the direction of the district's investments given the recent facility closures and funding changes.
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