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What's the most underrated thing about Gaston Virtual Academy that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
283
Combined
DISTRICT 223 · STATE 731
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GASTON COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370162003433
Gaston Virtual Academy
1 Learning Place, Gastonia, NC 28052 · (704) 836-9125 · Gaston County
GRADES KG–12COMBINED13-CITYVIRTUALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL283 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
Virtual schools are not graded, because they enroll students from across the state rather than a local area. How grades work
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.0:1 · STATE 16.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
58%
163 students
DISTRICT 88% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 14 | 5% |
| Grade 1 | 10 | 4% |
| Grade 2 | 4 | 1% |
| Grade 3 | 18 | 6% |
| Grade 4 | 11 | 4% |
| Grade 5 | 16 | 6% |
| Grade 6 | 17 | 6% |
| Grade 7 | 34 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 44 | 16% |
| Grade 9 | 28 | 10% |
| Grade 10 | 20 | 7% |
| Grade 11 | 34 | 12% |
| Grade 12 | 33 | 12% |
This year's kindergarten class (14) is 68% smaller than its 8th grade class (44).
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · 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
61.2%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
50.6%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 51 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 →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
283
+171 (+153%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
was 6.6:1
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 | 283 | 20.6 | 13.7:1 | 58% (163) |
| 2023-24 | 323 | 26.8 | 12.0:1 | 54% (174) |
| 2022-23 | 462 | 32.1 | 14.4:1 | 52% (241) |
| 2020-21 | 112 | 17 | 6.6:1 | 26% (29) |
| 2017-18 | 26 | N/A | N/A | 15% (4) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Gaston Virtual Academy.
About Gaston Virtual Academy
Gaston Virtual Academy is a small combined-grade school located in Gastonia, North Carolina. Grades offered run from kindergarten through 12, with 283 students enrolled. The average among combined schools in North Carolina is roughly 731 students; this school is 61% smaller than that.
Gaston County Schools has 30,995 students spread across 56 schools.
White students are the majority at Gaston Virtual Academy, with 54% of enrollment. After that, the student body is 29% Black, 10% Hispanic, and 6% multiracial. Among all residents of Gaston County, the White share is about 68%. Pick two students at random and there is a 61% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
At Gaston Virtual Academy, 20.6 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 13.7:1. That is lower than the 16.1:1 average for combined schools in North Carolina. Roughly 58% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. That is 27 points below the 85% average for public schools in Gaston County.
Census Bureau estimates for Gaston County show that the median household income is $67,478, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 27% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. There are 61 public schools in Gaston County, enrolling about 35,898 students in all.
Hunter Huss High is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.3 miles away. Within five miles of Gaston Virtual Academy, there are at least 8 other public schools.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is City: Small: inside a principal city with a population under 100,000. The school's NCES record marks it as virtual.
Federal counts for Gaston Virtual Academy: 112 students in 2020-21, 283 in 2024-25. A gap this wide can follow a change in the grades offered. The ratio was 6.6:1 in 2020-21 and 13.7:1 in 2024-25.
If you have questions about school safety, transportation, and start times at Gaston Virtual Academy, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Gaston County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
234,881
Census ACS
Median income
$67,478
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
61
35,898 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Gaston County Schools
- Ashbrook HighHigh · 1,386 students
- Hunter Huss HighHigh · 1,165 students
- Forestview HighHigh · 1,133 students
- North Gaston HighHigh · 1,061 students
- South Point HighHigh · 989 students
- Cramerton MiddleMiddle · 959 students
Other schools in Gastonia
- Piedmont Community Charter SchoolCombined · 1,963 students
- Ashbrook HighHigh · 1,386 students
- Hunter Huss HighHigh · 1,165 students
- Forestview HighHigh · 1,133 students
- Pleasant Ridge ElementaryElementary · 887 students
- Southwest MiddleMiddle · 832 students
Nearby schools
- Hunter Huss High1.3 mi · 1,165
- Pleasant Ridge Elementary1.4 mi · 887
- Southwest Middle1.5 mi · 832
- Webb Street School1.6 mi · 163
- Edward D Sadler Jr Elementary School2.0 mi · 374
- Lingerfeldt Elementary2.1 mi · 450
Frequently asked questions
About Gaston Virtual AcademyHow many students attend Gaston Virtual Academy?
Gaston Virtual Academy enrolls approximately 283 students in grades KG-12.
Is Gaston Virtual Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
Gaston Virtual Academy is a combined-grade school covering grades KG-12.
How many teachers does Gaston Virtual Academy have?
Gaston Virtual Academy employs 21 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Gaston Virtual Academy?
Student demographics at Gaston Virtual Academy are roughly 54% White, 10% Hispanic, 29% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Gaston Virtual Academy in?
Gaston Virtual Academy is part of Gaston County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.