The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Math. The lowest is 42% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Elise Middle
Elise Middle is a small public middle school serving grades six through eight in Robbins, a quiet, rural former textile town in northwestern Moore County. The school enrolls roughly the size of a single cohort across three grades, with the student body drawn almost entirely from low-income households and predominantly Hispanic in composition. The school sits on West Elm Street in the town center, part of Moore County Schools alongside Robbins Elementary and North Moore High School.
On state testing, Elise Middle shows mixed results. Math proficiency stands at just under half of students tested, while English language arts trails at a lower rate. Science proficiency, measured on a different scale administered for the first time in the current test edition, sits near the midpoint. These numbers fall below what many families would hope for at the middle level, and a parent considering this school may want to explore directly with the school what supports exist for students working below proficiency and what the school's trajectory has been in prior years. The school tested a relatively stable cohort in math and English; science was tested on a smaller subset. State assessment trend data was not available, so whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability cannot be determined from the state record alone.
The student population reflects Robbins' economic reality. Substantially all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, signaling that family incomes in the school's catchment sit well below the poverty line. The enrollment is racially and ethnically diverse, with a large majority of Hispanic students, a meaningful share of white students, and smaller numbers of Black students and students of other backgrounds. No data on English learner enrollment or special education identification rates was available in the state file.
Robbins itself is a place of modest recent development activity. The town has held relatively stable in size, with a small, walkable downtown core along Middleton Street that has seen some revitalization through new storefronts, a coffee shop, bakery, and the town's first inn in decades. The area remains car-dependent, with most errands requiring a vehicle and limited public transit. Civic life centers on the library, the renovated train depot, and annual events. The housing market is affordable; median home prices sit well below the state and national benchmarks, and homeownership is within reach for families with modest incomes. The larger Moore County labor market centers on Asheboro, Southern Pines, and Pinehurst to the south, with many residents commuting outward for work.
The Moore County Schools district has undertaken significant facility investment over the past several years. Three new K-5 elementary schools opened between 2020 and 2021, financed by a voter-approved bond, replacing older buildings. A new Moore Innovative High School focused on skilled trades and dual-credit pathways opened in fall 2025 on the Sandhills Community College campus, offering students the chance to earn industry certifications or an associate degree alongside a high school diploma at no tuition cost, and a critical factor for families weighing career pathways in the county. The district also benefits from a dedicated quarter-cent local sales tax approved by voters years ago and designated for school construction, which shifts some facility costs from property tax to sales tax. A November 2026 bond referendum for a replacement Carthage Elementary School is pending and will require a property tax measure, directly affecting the county's tax outlook.
Elise Middle's academic performance data is thin by design: middle schools are tested in fewer subjects than elementary or high school, and the school's enrollment is small. The reading here is straightforward—proficiency rates are below half the student body in the core academic subjects—and without trend data or demographic breakdowns by performance, a parent should follow up with the school directly about supports for struggling readers and mathematicians, the structure of instruction in these subjects, and whether progress is being made year to year. The school is a regular public school with no magnet or charter designation, so assignment is by residence in the Robbins area.
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