Costner Elementary

As a moderately sized elementary school in Dallas, North Carolina, Costner Elementary caters to 430 students from grades pre-K through 5, part of Gaston County Schools.

Gaston County Schools comprises 56 schools with combined enrollment of 30,995 students; Costner Elementary is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Costner Elementary records that the largest single group is White, at 65% of enrollment. Other groups include 15% Black, 15% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. Compared to Gaston County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.1:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 14.9:1 average. Around 99% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is noticeably above Gaston County's rate of about 85%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Costner Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 48.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 52.0%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Gaston County put the typical household earns roughly $67,478 per year, about 27% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Across Gaston County's 61 public schools (combined enrollment of about 35,898 students), Costner Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Gaston Early College High School, roughly 2.3 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Costner Elementary at 1st of 6; the average score across the group is 35.0%.

Costner Elementary operates from a rural location.

Over the past 7-year window. Costner Elementary's enrollment has showed little movement since 2018, when it stood at 437 (now 430). Over the same period, the White share decreased from 82% to 65%. Class-load math has tightened: from 16.8:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.