The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Math. The lowest is 44% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maysville Elementary
Maysville Elementary sits in a small rural town in southeastern Jones County, part of the New Bern metropolitan area, surrounded by pine woods and farmland. The school serves a tight kindergarten-through-fifth-grade band, with a student body that is economically stressed and racially mixed. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The enrollment skews white and Black, with a meaningful share of students identifying as multiracial.
On state assessments from the most recent year, math proficiency sits in the mid-range, with reading proficiency slightly lower. Science proficiency is notably weaker. The school tested just a small group of students in science, which reflects the grade configuration; state testing in science does not cover all elementary grades statewide. In math and reading, the test pool was somewhat larger. These results suggest that students are making progress in foundational skills but that science instruction or assessment readiness may be an area worth exploring with school leadership. A parent may want to ask what supports are in place for students who do not yet meet grade-level benchmarks in these subjects.
The school is a Title I institution, which means it receives federal funding tied to the economic need of the student body and is subject to accountability rules. The district, Jones County Schools, holds a state-level Purple Star District designation for 2025-26, a recognition that every school in the district qualifies as a Purple Star school. This designation signals active, structured support for military-connected families and military students, which matters in a region tied closely to Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point. For military families considering enrollment, this is a concrete commitment visible at the district level.
Maysville itself is a slow, low-key bedroom community of modest size with a small commercial Main Street anchored by Piggly Wiggly and Dollar General. Civic life centers around William H. Frost Park, which hosts summer movie nights and Fourth of July events, and the Maysville Public Library. The Croatan National Forest borders the town and offers outdoor recreation. The town is in the middle of a deliberate revitalization, with downtown historic buildings being reconstructed to attract new retail, a new RV park, and a repurposed train depot becoming a workforce development center in partnership with Lenoir Community College. A new apartment complex is also under development to address a regional housing shortage tied to the military population.
Housing values in the Maysville area are moderate, below the state benchmark. The local economy depends heavily on nearby military installations rather than employers within town limits. Students who continue to Jones Senior High can access paid summer work opportunities in military aircraft maintenance at Fleet Readiness Center East at Cherry Point, a connection that shapes the region's educational and career pathway.
Maysville Elementary serves its community as a small neighborhood school in a rural setting where economic hardship is widespread and where military family transition is a lived reality for many households. The school's testing results show room for growth, particularly in science, and a parent investigating this school should ask directly about how individual students who fall short of proficiency are supported, what the school's approach to science is, and how the school connects military families to district-level resources and peer networks.
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