The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in Math. The lowest is 65% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Gardners Elementary
Gardners Elementary sits on the eastern edge of Elm City, a small town between Wilson and Rocky Mount in Wilson County. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and is one of two elementary campuses in the town, though it sits outside the walkable historic core on a rural highway campus, while civic life clusters downtown.
The student body reflects Elm City's demographics and economic conditions. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is evenly split among white, Hispanic, and Black students, with a smaller mixed-race population. The school has about a small-to-midsize enrollment for its grade band, with relatively balanced classes across the six grades.
On North Carolina's End-of-Grade tests, Gardners Elementary's performance shows strength in math, where a solid majority of tested students in grades three through five reached proficiency. English language arts proficiency came in lower, with fewer students meeting the standard; a parent may want to ask the school about its literacy instruction and support. In science, where the state recently changed the assessment and cut scores, a substantial majority of the tested group showed proficiency. The school's math and science results suggest that quantitative reasoning is a relative strength, while reading and writing merit closer attention.
The school operates within Wilson County Schools, a district that has experienced significant shifts. The county closed two schools in 2022 and temporarily displaced Frederick Douglass Elementary, which was serving Elm City, into a building in Wilson. That displacement lasted into a third year of instruction. However, the district broke ground in December on a new Frederick Douglass Elementary building in Elm City and expects students to return to the town by the 2027-2028 school year, signaling a local capital commitment. This rebuilding required the county to borrow through bonds, and those obligations, combined with a property revaluation, have raised the school-related portion of property tax bills for homeowners in the district, a cost shift that families moving into the area should understand.
Elm City itself is a quiet, slow-growth town where most residents own their homes. New single-family construction is active on the outskirts, and the town recently received a state grant for housing and public-space improvements. The town's economy depends on manufacturing and health-care jobs, with most workers commuting to Wilson or Rocky Mount; there is no local transit, so a car is essential. The feel is rural-suburban and majority-Black, with a compact historic core that has seen recent revitalization efforts.
Gardners Elementary serves as one anchor for the town's young families. Its strong math and science proficiency rates and the incoming new Frederick Douglass building suggest the district is investing in elementary education in Elm City, even as enrollment pressures prompted consolidations elsewhere. The high lunch-eligibility rate signals a student population with limited family income, which aligns with the town's economic and demographic profile. For families already in Elm City or considering the area, Gardners offers a neighborhood school with demonstrated strength in quantitative subjects and access to a district-funded facilities upgrade on the horizon.
See more original research from School Decision →