The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Math. The lowest is 33% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Salemburg Elementary
Salemburg Elementary is a small public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in a quiet rural town in Sampson County. The school enrolls a small community of students, the vast majority of whom qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is diverse: roughly half Hispanic, a little over a quarter White, and a meaningful share Black and multiracial, with very small numbers of other groups. Data on English learners and students in special education programs was not available.
On state end-of-grade assessments administered in spring 2025, the school's academic results sit below the middle for its county. In math, roughly half the students tested met proficiency. In English language arts, the proportion was notably lower, with about one-third proficient. In science, a little under half tested proficient, though science was only administered to a subset of students and the state assessment itself changed this year, making year-to-year comparison uncertain. Overall, the school's combined proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Sampson County's districts. Reading these numbers, a parent might want to discuss with the school what instruction and support strategies are being used in literacy, where performance lags furthest behind.
The school sits in Salemburg, a small rural town with roots in religious and educational institutions. The town was founded on religion and education and was named the first Model Community in the United States by the Rockefeller Foundation. Today its civic anchors include the North Carolina Justice Academy and the Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy, both on the former Southwood College grounds, as well as the school itself and the nearby Lakewood High School. The town has no public transit system; residents rely on personal vehicles. New housing development is sparse and low-density, with new single-family construction scattered along roads like Laurel Lake and Forest Wood Drive. The town's population is growing very slowly.
Housing in the Salemburg zip code is substantially more affordable than state and national benchmarks. Home values are modest and mortgage costs are low relative to typical incomes. Rental housing, too, is inexpensive relative to income, which may be relevant for families considering a move into the area. The local job market includes institutional employers such as the state academies and the schools themselves, while the broader county economy leans heavily agricultural. Recent property revaluation in the county has reset tax rates downward on a revenue-neutral basis and moved the reappraisal cycle from a longer span to every four years, meaning homeowners will see property assessments updated more frequently going forward.
A significant change in how Salemburg Elementary operates is the launch of the Community Schools model across four schools in the Lakewood district, including this one. As part of a five-year federal initiative targeting rural districts with persistent poverty, the school now has a full-time Community Schools Coordinator and a Family Resource Center that connects families with educators and community partners. This is a deliberate structural shift toward wrapping support around students and families, not just academic instruction. For a parent choosing this school, this model is a concrete indicator of the school's commitment to address barriers beyond the classroom.
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