Cedar Ridge Elementary

Cedar Ridge Elementary, a low-enrollment primary school in Lowgap, North Carolina, overseen by Surry County Schools, caters to 348 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 25% below the typical public school in North Carolina, which averages around 467 students.

Across the 20 schools in Surry County Schools (7,318 students total), Cedar Ridge Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Cedar Ridge Elementary logs that 70% of the student body identifies as White; the rest looks like 26% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 84% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.9:1, putting Cedar Ridge Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 99% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Cedar Ridge Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.6%; this one delivers 55.0%.

In the surrounding community, Surry County reports that the typical household earns roughly $55,656 per year, 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 13%. In all, Surry County runs 30 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,139 students), of which Cedar Ridge Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: North Surry High, around 7.0 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Cedar Ridge Elementary ranks 4th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 56.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cedar Ridge Elementary has decreased 10%, going from 388 students in 2018 to 348 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 74% to 70%.

On this page, members of the Cedar Ridge Elementary community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.