1
Enrollment
570
Elementary
DISTRICT 455 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·JACKSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 370234001002
Cullowhee Valley School
240 Wisdom Drive, Cullowhee, NC 28723 · (828) 293-5667 · Jackson County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL570 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 21% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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
16.4:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.6:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
567 students
DISTRICT 96% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 16 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 49 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 54 | 9% |
| Grade 2 | 71 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 80 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 77 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 63 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 42 | 7% |
| Grade 7 | 51 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 67 | 12% |
This year's kindergarten class (49) is 27% smaller than its 8th grade class (67).
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 55% · 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
41.4%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
44.8%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 45 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
43.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% 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 →
Schools most like Cullowhee Valley School
Cullowhee Valley School's state test result (43.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cullowhee Valley School this school | 570 | 99.5% | 43.0% |
| China Grove Elementary China Grove | 592 | 99.5% | 31.1% |
| Dixon Road Elementary Willow Spring | 644 | 99.5% | 67.0% |
| Meadow School Benson | 646 | 98.3% | 65.1% |
| Sparta Elementary Sparta | 523 | 99.4% | 42.5% |
| Cape Fear Elementary Rocky Point | 533 | 99.4% | 46.6% |
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 Cullowhee Valley School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.0% | #1,024 of 1,297 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 44.8% | #1,040 of 1,296 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.4% | #897 of 1,300 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 570 | #413 of 1,485 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.4:1 | #1,093 of 1,377 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 54.8% | #880 of 1,379 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.5% | #179 of 1,414 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.5% | #767 of 937 |
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
570
-48 (-8%) vs 2020
+4% since 1990-91, when it was 546
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
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 | 570 | 34.9 | 16.4:1 | 99% (567) |
| 2023-24 | 609 | 41.8 | 14.6:1 | 100% (606) |
| 2022-23 | 619 | 44 | 14.1:1 | 68% (421) |
| 2020-21 | 618 | 42 | 14.7:1 | 41% (252) |
| 2017-18 | 603 | 40.7 | 14.8:1 | 60% (361) |
| 2015-16 | 569 | 42 | 13.6:1 | 65% (369) |
| 2010-11 | 684 | 42 | 16.3:1 | 55% (375) |
| 2000-01 | 593 | 39 | 15.2:1 | 44% (261) |
| 1990-91 | 546 | 36 | 15.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cullowhee Valley School.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (603 to 570); teachers down 14% (40.7 to 34.9).
About Cullowhee Valley School
Cullowhee, North Carolina, is home to Cullowhee Valley School, a medium-sized elementary school. The school reports 570 students in pre-K through 8. The school's enrollment is 22% bigger than the 467 average for elementary schools in North Carolina.
Jackson County Public Schools has 3,444 students spread across 9 schools.
White students are the majority at Cullowhee Valley School, with 60% of enrollment. Other groups include 30% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 4% Native American. The county population is about 79% White. Cullowhee Valley School's diversity index is 55%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school reported 34.9 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 16.4:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina. Eligible students account for 99% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. That tracks the 96% average for public schools in Jackson County.
allk12 grades Cullowhee Valley School a C-. The grade compares the school only with North Carolina public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Cullowhee Valley School, the prediction is 48.5% and the result is 43.0%.
Cullowhee Valley School is located in Jackson County, where the median household income is $55,815, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 31%, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. Besides Cullowhee Valley School, Jackson County has 10 other public schools.
The next-closest public school is Catamount School, about 1.2 miles away. Cullowhee Valley School is one of several public schools in the area, with 4 others within five miles. Cullowhee Valley School's average proficiency of 43.0% compares with 49.8% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Cullowhee Valley School is in a town some distance from an urbanized area, a location NCES labels Town: Distant.
Federal data show an 8% enrollment decrease, from 618 in 2020-21 to 570 in 2024-25. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio rose to 16.4:1, from 14.7:1.
The Cullowhee Valley School community page is open for posts about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Jackson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
43,771
Census ACS
Median income
$55,815
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
3,823 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Jackson County Public Schools
- Smoky Mountain High SchoolHigh · 881 students
- Fairview SchoolElementary · 797 students
- Scotts Creek SchoolElementary · 422 students
- Smokey Mountain ElementaryElementary · 340 students
- Blue Ridge SchoolElementary · 144 students
- Blue Ridge Early CollegeHigh · 127 students
Nearby schools
- Catamount School1.2 mi · 64
- Jackson Co Early College4.1 mi · 113
- Smoky Mountain High School4.3 mi · 881
- Fairview School4.4 mi · 797
- Jackson Community School7.7 mi · 50
- Scotts Creek School8.0 mi · 422
Frequently asked questions
About Cullowhee Valley SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Cullowhee Valley School?
Cullowhee Valley School enrolls approximately 570 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Cullowhee Valley School serve?
Cullowhee Valley School serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Cullowhee Valley School?
Approximately 16.4:1 students per teacher at Cullowhee Valley School.
How diverse is Cullowhee Valley School?
Cullowhee Valley School reports a student body of 60% White, 30% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Cullowhee Valley School public or private?
Cullowhee Valley School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Jackson County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.