Emma Elementary

As an intimate elementary school in Asheville, North Carolina, Emma Elementary teaches 277 students from grades pre-K through 4, operated by Buncombe County Schools. By comparison, North Carolina's public schools average about 467 students each, so Emma Elementary sits 41% leaner than that benchmark.

Within Buncombe County Schools, which oversees 45 schools and 22,452 students, Emma Elementary is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Emma Elementary lists that 51% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder is composed of 31% White, 13% Black, 4% multiracial. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 9%.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Emma Elementary has 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.9:1, putting Emma Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. About 98% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Buncombe County (around 88%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Emma Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.9%; this one delivers 37.6%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Buncombe County indicate median household earnings sit near $74,436, roughly 46% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Emma Elementary is one of 61 public schools in Buncombe County (combined enrollment of about 29,908 students).

The closest other public school is Nesbitt Discovery Academy, roughly 0.8 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Emma Elementary ranks 4th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 52.3%.

The campus sits in a suburban setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Emma Elementary has decreased 22%, going from 356 students in 2018 to 277 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, members of the Emma Elementary community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.