The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Math. The lowest is 24% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Forest Hills Global Elementary
Forest Hills Global Elementary is a small public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Wilmington, North Carolina. Located on Colonial Drive, the school enrolls a student population that reflects the diversity and economic complexity of its urban neighborhood: roughly equal shares of Black and Hispanic students, with a smaller White population and a two-or-more-races group. Almost all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a direct marker of the school's role serving a low-income community.
Recent state testing results show the school facing significant academic challenges. In math, less than half of third through fifth graders tested met proficiency on North Carolina's End-of-Grade assessment. English language arts results are substantially lower, with fewer than one in four students meeting the standard. Science testing, administered to only a subset of the grade band, showed proficiency somewhat above English but still below the math rate. These numbers signal that a substantial portion of the student body is not yet demonstrating grade-level command of core academic skills, and this pattern warrants direct conversation with school leadership about what is driving these results, what interventions are in place, and what progress trajectory the school expects over the next year or two. Parents new to the school may want to look into further detail on where support is concentrated and how the school is approaching skill gaps.
The enrollment of roughly equal parts kindergarten through fifth grade suggests stable, fairly consistent cohort sizes across the grade band, with no notable bulges or drops that might indicate demographic shifts. The school's title status and special population enrollment data were not available, limiting a full picture of which students are receiving additional support services or how the school is staffed to address English learners or students with disabilities.
Forest Hills Global Elementary sits within New Hanover County Schools, a district undergoing significant change. Voters will face a school facilities bond referendum in November 2026 that would fund replacement or renovation of schools across the county, including a new elementary school in the growing Riverlights residential area. A community endowment has committed substantial funding contingent on passage, which would substantially reduce the property-tax impact for homeowners. The board has also moved to embed local African American history, including the history of the Seabreeze Resort and the Freeman family, into the curriculum, and has tightened cell phone policies to address cyberbullying. These shifts frame the district's current moment: growth pressure, infrastructure strain, and a stated commitment to both local cultural inclusion and student safety.
Wilmington itself is a mid-sized coastal city in sustained growth, with the metropolitan area ranking among the nation's fastest-expanding in recent years. The city's economy is anchored by Novant Health, UNCW, and a growing fintech cluster anchored by nCino. Downtown retains genuine civic presence along the Cape Fear Riverwalk, but most residential neighborhoods, schools, and employers sit on separated suburban campuses requiring car travel. Housing costs have doubled over the past decade, and a 2023 survey found more than half of Wilmington households cost-burdened. For families considering Forest Hills, the school's location and demographics are stable, but the broader context is one of rapid growth and rising affordability pressure. The testing results indicate the school is working with students who face real academic headwinds; whether this reflects resource constraints, staffing, instructional approach, or student mobility is a question worth asking directly of the school.
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