Enrollment
188
Elementary
DISTRICT 354 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RUTHERFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370408001637
Cliffside Elementary School
4016 US Hwy 221-A, Cliffside, NC 28024 · (828) 288-2235 · Rutherford County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL188 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 96% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.9:1
13 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.1:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
95%
178 students
DISTRICT 97% · STATE 82%
Community
0
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 | 29 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 35 | 19% |
| Grade 2 | 32 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 23 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 43 | 23% |
| Grade 5 | 26 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (29) is 12% larger than its 5th grade class (26).
Student demographics
46%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 50% · 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
71.6%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
79.5%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 72 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 80 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
76.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.9%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+27.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 77% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 50% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 27 points, placing it in North Carolina's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Cliffside Elementary School
Cliffside Elementary School's state test result (76.9% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliffside Elementary School this school | 188 | 94.7% | 76.9% |
| W B Beam Intermediate School Cherryville | 191 | 98.4% | 56.8% |
| Westfield Elementary Pilot Mountain | 212 | 98.6% | 50.0% |
| District No 7 Elementary Wade | 211 | 96.7% | 57.1% |
| Cameron Elementary Cameron | 215 | 98.6% | 57.5% |
| Pisgah Elementary Candler | 162 | 98.1% | 55.7% |
Matched among North Carolina elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Cliffside Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Rutherford County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 76.9% | #113 of 1,297 | #1 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 79.5% | #131 of 1,296 | #1 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 71.6% | #114 of 1,300 | #1 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 188 | #1,398 of 1,485 | #10 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 94.7% | #1,064 of 1,414 | #10 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -33.3% | #58 of 937 | #1 of 6 |
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. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
188
-32 (-15%) vs 2020
-41% since 1990-91, when it was 318
Student : Teacher
14.9:1
was 14.7:1
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 | 188 | 12.6 | 14.9:1 | 95% (178) |
| 2023-24 | 196 | 13.8 | 14.2:1 | 98% (193) |
| 2022-23 | 213 | 17.4 | 12.3:1 | 99% (210) |
| 2020-21 | 220 | 15 | 14.7:1 | 99% (217) |
| 2017-18 | 282 | 19.5 | 14.4:1 | 98% (275) |
| 2015-16 | 314 | 21 | 14.9:1 | 99% (311) |
| 2010-11 | 395 | 24 | 16.5:1 | 70% (276) |
| 2000-01 | 442 | 24 | 18.4:1 | 64% (285) |
| 1990-91 | 318 | 16 | 19.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cliffside Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 33% (282 to 188); teachers down 36% (19.5 to 12.6).
About Cliffside Elementary School
Cliffside, North Carolina, is home to Cliffside Elementary School, a low-enrollment elementary school. Federal data show 188 students enrolled in kindergarten through 5 in 2024-25. Across elementary schools in North Carolina, the average enrollment is about 467.
Rutherford County Schools enrolls 7,394 students in 18 schools, including Cliffside Elementary School.
More than half of enrollment at Cliffside Elementary School is White: 71%. The next largest groups are 17% Hispanic, 6% Black, and 6% multiracial. The school's White share is 11 points below the 82% share among Rutherford County residents. The diversity index for Cliffside Elementary School is 46%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Cliffside Elementary School reports a ratio of 14.9 students per teacher, from 12.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is in line with the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina. Student poverty is often measured by lunch eligibility; at Cliffside Elementary School, 95% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Rutherford County is similar, at 98%.
Among North Carolina public elementary schools, Cliffside Elementary School outscored 96%, which works out to an A+ on the allk12 Grade.
Cliffside Elementary School outperforms its prediction by 27.0 points. The model expects 49.9% for a school with its free or reduced-price lunch share in North Carolina; the school's rate is 76.9%.
In Rutherford County, home to about 64,930 people, median household income comes to about $51,410, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 22%, and about 13% of people live in poverty. Rutherford County's 20 public schools enroll about 9,205 students and include Cliffside Elementary School.
Cliffside Elementary School's closest public school neighbor is Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, about 2.4 miles away. The five-mile area around Cliffside Elementary School holds 3 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Cliffside Elementary School at 1st of 8.
Cliffside Elementary School is coded as Rural: Distant in federal locale data.
Enrollment was 188 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 220.
The discussion board for Cliffside Elementary School is open to topics like special education services, counseling, and support programs. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Rutherford County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
64,930
Census ACS
Median income
$51,410
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
9,205 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Rutherford County Schools
- R-S Central High SchoolHigh · 763 students
- East Rutherford High SchoolHigh · 623 students
- Chase High SchoolHigh · 596 students
- Ellenboro Elementary SchoolElementary · 567 students
- R-S Middle SchoolMiddle · 561 students
- East Rutherford Middle SchoolMiddle · 533 students
Nearby schools
- Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy2.4 mi · 1,330
- Chase High School4.2 mi · 596
- Chase Middle School4.7 mi · 484
- Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School6.0 mi · 460
- Springmore Elementary6.1 mi · 618
- Boiling Springs Elementary6.4 mi · 558
Frequently asked questions
About Cliffside Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Cliffside Elementary School?
Cliffside Elementary School enrolls approximately 188 students in grades KG-05.
Is Cliffside Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Cliffside Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many students per teacher at Cliffside Elementary School?
Approximately 14.9:1 students per teacher at Cliffside Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Cliffside Elementary School?
At Cliffside Elementary School, the student body is approximately 71% White, 17% Hispanic, 6% Black, 6% Two or more.
Is Cliffside Elementary School public or private?
Cliffside Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Rutherford County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.