1
What tradition at Blackburn Elementary should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
484
Elementary
DISTRICT 521 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CATAWBA COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370069000276
Blackburn Elementary
4377 W NC 10 Hwy, Newton, NC 28658 · (704) 462-1344 · Catawba County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL484 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
479 students
DISTRICT 86% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 65 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 51 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 68 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 82 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 70 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 75 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 73 | 15% |
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
54.2%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
68.6%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 69 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
63.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+14.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 63% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where Blackburn Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Catawba County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 63.1% | #414 of 1,297 | #10 of 23 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 68.6% | #378 of 1,296 | #11 of 23 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 54.2% | #477 of 1,300 | #9 of 23 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 484 | #666 of 1,485 | #11 of 24 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.3:1 | #1,241 of 1,377 | #21 of 24 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.9% | #626 of 1,379 | #14 of 24 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.0% | #666 of 1,414 | #18 of 24 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -23.9% | #187 of 937 | #3 of 18 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
484
-12 (-2%) vs 2020
-36% since 1990-91, when it was 755
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
was 15.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 484 | 27.9 | 17.3:1 | 99% (479) |
| 2023-24 | 488 | 31.9 | 15.3:1 | 64% (313) |
| 2022-23 | 527 | 33.5 | 15.7:1 | 56% (294) |
| 2020-21 | 496 | 33 | 15.0:1 | 43% (212) |
| 2017-18 | 636 | 37.9 | 16.8:1 | 49% (313) |
| 2015-16 | 671 | 38 | 17.7:1 | 51% (339) |
| 2010-11 | 717 | 38 | 18.9:1 | 43% (305) |
| 2000-01 | 677 | 45 | 15.0:1 | 21% (139) |
| 1990-91 | 755 | 53 | 14.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Blackburn Elementary.
About Blackburn Elementary
Blackburn Elementary is the name of a mid-sized elementary school in Newton, North Carolina. Enrollment stands at 484 students, covering kindergarten through 6.
Blackburn Elementary belongs to Catawba County Schools, a district of 28 schools and 16,003 students.
More than half of enrollment at Blackburn Elementary is White: 57%. Next come 17% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 8% multiracial, and 5% Black. The county population is about 75% White. The diversity index for Blackburn Elementary is 62%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
For every teacher at Blackburn Elementary, there are about 17.3 students; the school has 27.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, elementary schools in North Carolina average 14.9:1. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 99%. It compares with 86% for public schools in Catawba County.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Blackburn Elementary would be expected to post about 48.6%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 63.1%.
Census data for Catawba County show median household income comes to about $67,864, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 26%, and about 9% of people live in poverty. There are 44 public schools in the county, enrolling about 22,392, Blackburn Elementary among them.
Jacobs Fork Middle sits about 2.2 miles from Blackburn Elementary. Inside a five-mile radius, there are 4 other public schools. Blackburn Elementary comes in 3rd of 9 nearby schools on average proficiency.
The school's locale code, Rural: Fringe, means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 496 in 2020-21 and 484 in 2024-25. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio increased to 17.3:1, from 15.0:1.
Blackburn Elementary has a community page on allk12 for topics such as athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Catawba County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
163,573
Census ACS
Median income
$67,864
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
44
22,392 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Catawba County Schools
- Saint Stephens HighHigh · 1,268 students
- Bandys HighHigh · 935 students
- Fred T Foard HighHigh · 930 students
- Maiden HighHigh · 852 students
- Bunker Hill HighHigh · 845 students
- Saint Stephens ElementaryElementary · 711 students
Other schools in Newton
- Fred T Foard HighHigh · 930 students
- Newton-Conover HighHigh · 724 students
- Balls Creek ElementaryElementary · 686 students
- Startown ElementaryElementary · 540 students
- Jacobs Fork MiddleMiddle · 482 students
- North Newton ElementaryElementary · 388 students
Nearby schools
- Jacobs Fork Middle2.2 mi · 482
- Fred T Foard High2.2 mi · 930
- Startown Elementary3.8 mi · 540
- Mountain View Elementary4.5 mi · 708
- Banoak Elementary5.3 mi · 291
- Grandview Middle6.1 mi · 347
Frequently asked questions
About Blackburn ElementaryHow large is Blackburn Elementary?
Blackburn Elementary enrolls approximately 484 students in grades KG-06.
What age range does Blackburn Elementary serve?
Blackburn Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 06.
How many teachers does Blackburn Elementary have?
Blackburn Elementary employs 28 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.3:1.
How diverse is Blackburn Elementary?
Blackburn Elementary reports a student body of 57% White, 17% Hispanic, 5% Black, 12% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Blackburn Elementary?
Blackburn Elementary is overseen by Catawba County Schools in Catawba County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.