The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Science. The lowest is 50% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Belmont Elementary School
Belmont Elementary School is a PreK through 5 public school in Roanoke Rapids serving a student body of predominantly lower-income and white students, with meaningful representation of Black and Hispanic students. The school sits in the Roanoke Rapids City Schools district, which has been on a documented academic turnaround, exiting low-performing status after the 2022-23 school year and continuing to show gains through 2024-25.
Academically, Belmont's most recent state testing results in grades 3-5 show mixed but uneven performance. On the End-of-Grade Tests, the school posted stronger results in science, where proficiency reached a meaningful level. Math proficiency stands at a lower point, and English language arts proficiency falls below that. Among county districts in Halifax County, Belmont's overall proficiency index places it in the top group, a positioning that reflects the district's broader momentum rather than necessarily suggesting the school has no area needing attention. For a parent, the takeaway is that Belmont participates in a district with demonstrable upward trajectory, though individual subject performance bears watching, particularly in English language arts and math.
The district's Vision 2030 strategic plan centers on a Multi-Tiered System of Supports focused on early literacy, with the explicit goal that all fifth graders leave elementary school reading on grade level. This framework now shapes instruction across every elementary classroom in the district, including Belmont. If that literacy-first, MTSS approach aligns with your view of how elementary students learn best, this is a defining characteristic. If you prefer a different instructional philosophy, this is worth exploring directly with the school.
A major structural reality for families entering this district is that enrollment has declined notably, falling sharply in the past year to the lowest level in at least a decade. While this reflects broader regional patterns and the growth of nearby charter schools, it means the district is navigating tighter finances and potentially smaller class cohorts. Belmont itself is not tiny; it serves a modest-sized enrollment across seven grade bands from PreK through 5.
Nearly all students at Belmont qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in an economically concentrated context. The school's student body is roughly evenly split between white and Black students, with smaller Hispanic and multiracial populations. This composition reflects Roanoke Rapids itself, a small mill-town-origin city that has shifted toward a service and manufacturing economy anchored by a paper mill and hospital employment. Housing costs in the area are low relative to state and national benchmarks, with home values modest and monthly rent affordable. This economic setting also means the school serves families with limited financial cushion.
Roanoke Rapids as a place is car-dependent and car-centric, with sprawl anchored by Interstate 95, though the historic Roanoke Avenue corridor downtown has walkable pockets and is undergoing Main Street-style revitalization. The broader city narrative is one of modest, deliberate redevelopment after decades of textile-mill closure; it is not a boomtown but a stable, working-class place with civic anchors like the public library, parks, and a recovering downtown. Families in Roanoke Rapids tend to be rooted, staying put for work and community ties rather than passing through.
For a parent considering Belmont, the key questions are whether you are comfortable with a district in recovery mode that is shedding enrollment; whether a literacy-and-MTSS instructional model fits your expectations; and whether you are seeking a school serving a high-poverty, racially mixed student body in a small industrial city. If those conditions feel right, Belmont offers the advantage of being in a district with genuine recent academic momentum and an explicit early-literacy focus. If you are drawn to a school with higher absolute proficiency levels in English language arts or math, or to a district growing in enrollment, this may not be the fit.
See more original research from School Decision →