Ida Rankin Elementary School

Ida Rankin Elementary School operates as a medium-sized elementary-level community in Mount Holly, North Carolina, run under Gaston County Schools. Current enrollment sits at 533 students spanning grades pre-K through 5.

Ida Rankin Elementary School is one of 56 schools operated by Gaston County Schools, a district that instructs 30,995 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Ida Rankin Elementary School logs that the largest single group is White at 50%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 24% Black, 17% Hispanic, 8% multiracial. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 68%.

In terms of school funding signals, The school lists 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.3:1. The state averages about 14.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 98% of students at Ida Rankin Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Gaston County runs at roughly 85%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Ida Rankin Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 49.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 61.6%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Gaston County indicate median household income runs about $67,478, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Ida Rankin Elementary School is one of 61 public schools in Gaston County (combined enrollment of about 35,898 students).

The closest other public school is Mount Holly Middle, roughly 0.2 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Ida Rankin Elementary School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Ida Rankin Elementary School at 3rd of 9; the average score across the group is 51.8%.

The school occupies a residential site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Ida Rankin Elementary School has ticked down 16%, going from 636 students in 2018 to 533 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 65% to 50%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 18.1:1 in 2018 to 14.3:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.