The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 45% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Central Elementary
Central Elementary is a small public elementary school in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits in a town of mixed residential and commercial character along the Pasquotank River, anchored by Coast Guard presence and Elizabeth City State University.
The school teaches a balanced enrollment across grades K through 5, with roughly equal class sizes in the early grades and slightly smaller numbers in fifth grade. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families the school serves. The student body is roughly evenly split between Black and white students, with smaller numbers of Hispanic, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and multiracial students, and one American Indian student.
On state End-of-Grade assessments administered in spring 2025, Central's results show mixed proficiency. In math, about half of tested students in grades 3 through 5 achieved proficiency or above. In English language arts, fewer than half of tested students met the standard. In science, proficiency was in the mid-range, though that assessment underwent scoring changes that year, so year-to-year comparison is not reliable. These outcomes sit below where many families would hope for, and a parent interested in this school may want to ask the school directly about the academic support and intervention strategies in place, particularly in reading.
The district recently underwent a structural change that affects this school. Pasquotank Elementary closed at the end of the 2023-24 school year, and its students were reassigned to four schools, including Central. That consolidation was driven by declining district enrollment over several years and reflects the fiscal reality the district faces. The reassignment means Central's enrollment and its role in the community shifted as of 2024-25.
Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools is launching a broader pathway that Central families can choose. A Spanish Dual Language Immersion program began at Central and two other schools in 2024-25 and expanded to all six elementary schools in 2025-26. Under that program, kindergarten and first grade are taught entirely in Spanish; reading in English is introduced in second grade; and from third grade forward, instruction splits between Spanish and English. The program is designed as the start of a K-12 language and global education track that continues through middle school International Baccalaureate and a high school IB diploma option. Parents can opt their kindergarten-age child into DLI when they register; the school accepts up to a small cohort per year.
Central is a regular public school with no magnet or charter status. It is not a Title I designated school according to the data provided, though nearly its entire enrollment qualifies for meal assistance. The school's testing and attendance data for chronic absenteeism were not available in the records reviewed.
Elizabeth City itself is a modest-sized river town with a walkable downtown core of historic districts and waterfront parks, though the broader city requires a car for most daily needs. Housing values are below state averages, and rents have been rising in recent years. The area is anchored by Coast Guard operations, higher education, and a new regional hospital. New suburban subdivisions are being built on the outskirts, and downtown has undergone a phased revitalization with new restaurants and public spaces.
For a family considering Central, the questions center on the school's current academic performance, the fit of a Spanish immersion program if language learning is a priority, and whether the recent consolidation has stabilized school operations and staffing. The school is small and serves a community with significant economic need; talking with the school directly about how it supports students who enter below grade level, particularly in reading, will give a clearer picture of day-to-day life there.
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