The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Math. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Chadbourn Elementary
Chadbourn Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a small rural town in southeastern North Carolina, in Columbus County. The school enrolls a small group of students in a setting marked by substantial economic hardship and deep community ties to agriculture and blue-collar work.
The school's enrollment is small, with roughly equal cohorts across the grade span. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the town and surrounding area. The student body is majority Black, with meaningful representation of white and Hispanic students, and smaller numbers of other groups. The demographic composition reflects Chadbourn's character as a working-class community.
In state testing, the school's proficiency results show a wide gap between math and reading. In mathematics, the school performed above the midpoint among Columbus County district schools on proficiency. In English language arts, proficiency was well below that level. Science proficiency was the lowest of the three tested subjects, though the science assessment was redesigned this year, which may affect year-to-year comparison. A parent may want to look into what supports the school is putting in place to lift reading and science performance, since gains in those areas would materially improve overall achievement.
Chadbourn itself is a place of modest resources and declining population. The town was historically a lumber center and agricultural market, marketed as the Strawberry Capital of the World, but employment now centers on retail, food service, and healthcare work, with most job growth happening in nearby Whiteville and Lumberton. Housing values in the area are below state and national benchmarks. The town is pursuing downtown revitalization, having acquired several buildings for potential new retail or green space, though no major new housing development was evident in recent searches. Walkability is limited; the town relies entirely on personal vehicles and lacks public transit.
The school is part of Columbus County Schools, a district that serves eight towns across a rural county. In a significant 2025 shift, state lawmakers made Columbus County school board elections partisan rather than nonpartisan, meaning candidates now run with party labels. This changes how families and residents evaluate board members who set district policy on curriculum, budgets, and operations.
The school sits on its own campus rather than in the downtown core. Chadbourn Elementary is a regular public elementary school with no charter or magnet designation. Data on special education enrollment, English learner enrollment, staffing, or attendance was not available, so a parent interested in those dimensions should contact the school directly.
See more original research from School Decision →