The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Math. The lowest is 35% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Roseboro Elementary
Roseboro Elementary serves a small rural town in southeastern North Carolina where economic life centers on agriculture, light manufacturing, and retail. The school sits within Sampson County Schools, which extends across the broader county including the nearby towns of Salemburg and Clinton. The broader region is heavily agricultural, and the town itself has been undergoing downtown revitalization in recent years, with recent grant funding helping to renovate a historic downtown building and add affordable housing; however, population has remained roughly flat.
The school's enrollment of around four hundred students spans pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, with roughly equal numbers across the elementary grades. The student body is economically disadvantaged: nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racial composition is mixed, with students who are Black, white, and Hispanic each representing meaningful shares of the enrollment, and smaller numbers of students from other backgrounds. Demographic data on the share of students with disabilities or English learners was not available.
Academic performance measured by state testing shows mixed results. In math for grades three through five, about half of tested students met proficiency. In English language arts for the same grades, just over one-third of students met proficiency. In science, tested in a subset of grades, about half were proficient. These results place the school in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts in Sampson County on an overall proficiency measure. A parent may want to look further into the school's instructional strategies and any targeted support it offers to students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards, particularly in reading and writing.
A noteworthy change affecting the school is the district's launch of the Community Schools model, a federally supported, five-year initiative focused on rural districts facing persistent poverty. Roseboro Elementary is one of four schools in the Lakewood district of Sampson County Schools now operating under this model. The school has hired a full-time Community Schools Coordinator and established a Family Resource Center to connect families, educators, and community partners. This means the school is now structured to address barriers to learning beyond the classroom—connecting families to social services, health care, mental health support, and other wraparound resources. For families who have faced barriers in the past or who benefit from integrated support services, this is a substantive shift in how the school engages with the broader family.
The town of Roseboro itself is compact and walkable in its downtown core, where a public library, town park, and civic spaces cluster together. There is no public transit, so families drive to work and school. Housing costs in the area are modest relative to the state and national averages. The broader Sampson County economy is supported by significant agricultural production, and schools are the second-largest employer in the county. The town is actively marketing itself as a destination for new residents by highlighting easy commutes to larger employment centers like Fayetteville and Fort Bragg.
Roseboro Elementary is a regular public elementary school serving the youngest grades in a rural, economically stretched community where the district is now investing in family and community engagement as a core part of schooling. For families drawn to small-town life and integrative support services, or those prioritizing proximity to extended family in the area, this school offers that setting. For families prioritizing higher academic proficiency and results, the state testing data suggests the school is still working toward stronger outcomes and would warrant a direct conversation with leadership about the school's plans for improvement.
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