Summary:
The city of Efland, North Carolina is home to two schools - Efland Cheeks Elementary and Gravelly Hill Middle, which serve students from elementary through middle school grades. While the schools share some similarities, such as higher-than-average spending per student and smaller class sizes, they also exhibit distinct differences in their student demographics and academic performance.
Efland Cheeks Elementary stands out for its relatively diverse student population, with a mix of White, African American, Hispanic, and Asian students. However, the school has been facing a concerning trend of declining performance, with its statewide ranking dropping from 1187 out of 1514 in 2021-2022 to 884 out of 1505 in 2023-2024. In contrast, Gravelly Hill Middle has a higher percentage of White students compared to the district and state averages, and has shown some improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from 662 out of 786 in 2021-2022 to 461 out of 793 in 2023-2024.
Both schools face significant socioeconomic challenges, as evidenced by their high free/reduced lunch rates, which are substantially higher than the state average. This suggests that the Efland community faces economic disadvantages that may be impacting the academic performance of the students. To address these challenges, the schools could benefit from targeted interventions and support to improve student proficiency in core academic areas, particularly in math and reading, as well as strategies to address the underlying socioeconomic factors that may be contributing to the academic challenges.
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