Waccamaw, Ash NC - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Waccamaw

Waccamaw is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade public school serving Ash, a small unincorporated rural community in Brunswick County where farmland and single-family homes on large lots define the landscape. The school sits at the heart of a clustered civic node with Waccamaw Park and the newly opened Ash-Waccamaw Multiuse Building, though there is no walkable downtown; families drive to nearby Shallotte for most shopping and dining.

The school's enrollment is small, roughly evenly distributed across grades, with a very substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is majority white, with sizable populations of Hispanic and Black students. Data on English learners and students with disabilities was not available.

In the most recent state testing results available, Waccamaw's math proficiency sits in the mid-range—about two-thirds of third-through-eighth-grade students met proficiency. English language arts proficiency is lower, at roughly half. Science proficiency, administered to a smaller cohort, approaches that of math. No multi-year trend data is available to show whether these results represent a trajectory or a single-year snapshot. The school does not host a high school, so the graduation rate is not applicable; eighth-grade students advance to West Brunswick High in Shallotte.

The broader Brunswick County Schools district is undergoing significant change. In 2024 the board adopted a strategic plan that includes adopting standardized curricula across all tested K-12 subjects and expanding work-based learning partnerships, with a goal that by 2029 substantially more students will have access to internships, apprenticeships, and college partnerships. In fall 2022 the district paused a planned shift to standards-based grading after parent and teacher pushback, preserving the conventional 0-100 scale that families use for honor roll, GPA, and college applications.

The most immediate factor shaping Waccamaw's near future is rapid residential growth in Ash. Multiple large planned developments—totaling several thousand homes—have been approved or are under review on former farmland just outside the school's attendance zone. The county's elementary schools are already operating at a substantial share of capacity, and all facilities are projected to exceed capacity within a few years. To address this, a major school bond referendum is set for the November 2026 ballot, aimed at building a new elementary school and a new high school and renovating existing facilities. If it passes, Waccamaw may face boundary shifts, enrollment changes, and facility upgrades. If it fails, the next referendum opportunity would not occur until 2028, likely leaving the district scrambling to manage overcrowding. For any family considering Ash, that referendum outcome will be a deciding factor in school experience and local property taxes over the next decade.

The housing market in the Ash area reflects both its rural character and that development pressure. Home values are below the state benchmark, and mortgage-to-income ratios suggest homes are relatively affordable for the region, though rental costs as a share of income run higher. The area's economy has historically been agriculture-based, and car-dependent living is essential; no public transit serves the community.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-868%

School 68% · District 57% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grades 3-854%

School 54% · District 51% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grades 3-867%

School 67% · District 63% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolBrunswick County Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income42%Higher-income54%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income53%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income61%Higher-income58%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income58%Higher-income71%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income80%42 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income57%10 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income48%Higher-income64%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income75%Higher-income100%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income57%Higher-income80%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income68%Higher-income58%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income81%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income57%Higher-income75%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income59%Higher-income57%2 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income64%Higher-income75%10 pp gap