The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Math. The lowest is 28% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Peterson Elementary
Peterson Elementary is a small public school serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in Red Springs, a modest residential town in Upper Robeson County. The school sits on Phillips Avenue, within the in-town street grid rather than on a separate campus site, and enrolls a student body that reflects the county's demographic makeup and economic circumstances.
Enrollment is small, with roughly an equal distribution across the grade spans. The student population is diverse: American Indian students and Hispanic students each make up roughly a third of the school, Black students comprise a meaningful share, and the remaining enrollment is split among white, multiracial, and other students. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, marking Peterson as a high-poverty school. Neither English learner enrollment nor special education enrollment data were available, so a parent interested in these specific services would want to ask the school directly.
Academic results show areas of concern that merit attention. On the state's End-of-Grade Tests, reading proficiency among grades three and four students falls in the lower range, with less than a third of tested students reaching proficiency. Math proficiency is stronger but still below half. The school tested a modest number of students, suggesting the cohort is not large. State assessment data prior to the current year were not accessible, so a parent cannot see whether results are trending up, holding steady, or declining. The school's performance sits within the county's landscape, but without comparison data across all county schools, its exact standing is unclear.
The district itself, Public Schools of Robeson County, has adopted a Science of Reading curriculum at the elementary level, using structured literacy approaches through EL Education for reading and Eureka Math for mathematics. This shift toward explicit phonics and language foundations is intended to strengthen reading acquisition and affect how Peterson teachers approach literacy instruction. The district has also invested in a new Robeson Career and Technical Education Center opening in Pembroke, though that facility serves high school students and would not directly affect Peterson families.
Red Springs is a car-dependent town with a compact historic downtown and mostly rural, low-density surroundings. Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, and modest new-home subdivisions are being developed on the outskirts within the broader Fayetteville commuter shed. The town anchors civic life around the McMillan Library and municipal services, though it lacks fixed-route transit and depends entirely on personal vehicles.
For a family considering Peterson, the key question is academic trajectory. The current test results indicate that a substantial share of students are not yet meeting grade-level reading and math benchmarks, and parents should ask the school what supports exist for students who are not yet proficient, what the trend has been, and how the school's adoption of structured literacy is bearing out in student outcomes. The school serves a high-need population with very limited family wealth, and understanding what interventions, summer programs, or additional instruction are available becomes essential context. A visit and conversation with school leadership about where students stand and what the school's plan is for moving proficiency rates would help a prospective family understand what they are signing their child up for.
See more original research from School Decision →