The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Science. The lowest is 45% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Carl a Furr Elementary
Carl A Furr Elementary is a public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Concord, North Carolina, part of Cabarrus County Schools. The school enrolls students across a balanced grade distribution, with a demographic makeup that reflects Concord's diverse and growing population: roughly a third Hispanic, a quarter Black, a quarter white, and smaller shares of Asian and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a community with moderate income levels and economic mobility considerations.
State testing results for grades three through five show proficiency rates in the mid-range. Math proficiency sits somewhat above language arts, while science proficiency is comparable to math. These results place Carl A Furr above the midpoint among districts in Cabarrus County when averaged across tested subjects, though a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand progress over time and what supports are in place for students not yet meeting proficiency. Science assessment data carries a caveat: North Carolina changed both the test name and cut scores for science in the current school year, so trend comparisons with prior years are not available in the data. English language learner and special education identification rates were not available.
Carl A Furr sits in a district in flux on two fronts. In 2024-25 the school board completed a major boundary realignment that reassigned roughly a tenth of the district's students, affecting school assignment across all grade levels. This redrawing is the district's foundation for managing continued rapid growth in the Concord area. Separately, in early 2025 Cabarrus County Schools adopted a uniform K-8 English Language Arts curriculum for the first time in roughly two decades. Teachers had previously built their own materials from open-source resources; the new adoption, Arts & Letters, is grounded in Science of Reading research. For families at Carl A Furr, this curriculum shift is a material change in how reading and writing are taught at the elementary level.
Concord itself is on strong growth trajectory. The city blends a revitalized historic downtown with suburban-scale commercial and residential expansion, especially along the I-85 corridor and around Concord Mills. Major employers include Atrium Health Cabarrus, Cabarrus County Schools itself, and a diverse base of manufacturing, distribution, and logistics companies. Population has grown significantly in recent years, and new apartment and housing development, including affordable town homes, is underway. Housing costs in the zip code are moderate relative to the Charlotte metro region, though home values have seen a slight year-over-year decline recently while rental prices have edged upward. The area is accessible by local transit via Rider, a fixed-route bus system jointly operated by Concord and Kannapolis, and sits about a short drive from Charlotte's downtown and major employment centers.
For a family choosing elementary schools in Concord, Carl A Furr represents a typical neighborhood public school serving a lower-income, multiracial student body in a growing part of the district. The recent boundary realignment and curriculum adoption suggest the district is actively managing growth and investing in classroom instruction. State testing results indicate room for growth in proficiency, particularly in language arts. The school's fit depends on whether a family values the neighborhood school model, whether they are comfortable with the district's current pace of change, and whether the school's approach to early literacy instruction aligns with their priorities.
See more original research from School Decision →