Dana Elementary

Dana Elementary operates as a moderately sized elementary school in Hendersonville, North Carolina, overseen by Henderson County Schools. Current enrollment sits at 403 students spanning grades pre-K through 5.

Within Henderson County Schools, which oversees 23 schools and 12,619 students, Dana Elementary is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Dana Elementary records that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 56% of enrollment. The remainder reads as 39% White, 3% multiracial. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 13%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Dana Elementary has 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.7:1. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 99% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Henderson County (around 63%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Dana Elementary falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 48.5%; this one comes in at 26.9%, -21.6 points off the demographic line.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Henderson County) shows that median household earnings sit near $68,187, about 37% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. Dana Elementary is one of 25 public schools in Henderson County (combined enrollment of about 13,572 students).

The closest other public school is Sugarloaf Elementary, roughly 1.7 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Dana Elementary ranks 7th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 49.5%.

The campus sits in a commuter-belt setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Dana Elementary's enrollment has contracted 26% since 2018, when it stood at 543 (now 403). Over the same period, the White share decreased from 46% to 39%. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 14.7:1 in 2018 to 13.7:1 today.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.