Enrollment
399
Elementary
DISTRICT 390 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BUNCOMBE COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370045000154
Leicester Elementary
31 Gilbert Road, Leicester, NC 28748 · (828) 683-2341 · Buncombe County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL399 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 44% 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.
- B-Beats 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
15.4:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
394 students
DISTRICT 96% · STATE 82%
Community
0
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 | 17 | 4% |
| Kindergarten | 76 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 85 | 21% |
| Grade 2 | 64 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 82 | 21% |
| Grade 4 | 75 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (76) is about the same size as its 4th grade class (75).
Student demographics
32%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 54% · 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
51.0%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
52.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 51 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 53 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
52.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% 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 Leicester Elementary
Leicester Elementary's state test result (52.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester Elementary this school | 399 | 98.7% | 52.1% |
| Iotla Valley Elementary Franklin | 408 | 99.3% | 50.9% |
| Hominy Valley Elementary Candler | 399 | 99.2% | 59.1% |
| Mitchell Elementary School Bakersville | 373 | 98.4% | 45.4% |
| King Elementary School King | 383 | 99.0% | 39.0% |
| Davis-Townsend Elementary Lexington | 430 | 99.3% | 61.6% |
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 Leicester Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Buncombe County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.1% | #754 of 1,297 | #17 of 27 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.9% | #815 of 1,296 | #17 of 27 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 51.0% | #581 of 1,300 | #17 of 27 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 399 | #902 of 1,485 | #14 of 33 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.4:1 | #865 of 1,377 | #21 of 26 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.5% | #1,257 of 1,379 | #22 of 26 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.7% | #765 of 1,414 | #7 of 29 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.1% | #744 of 937 | #13 of 18 |
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
399
+28 (+8%) vs 2020
-5% since 1990-91, when it was 418
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
was 12.8:1
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 | 399 | 26 | 15.4:1 | 99% (394) |
| 2023-24 | 394 | 29 | 13.6:1 | 99% (391) |
| 2022-23 | 367 | 30.5 | 12.0:1 | 70% (257) |
| 2020-21 | 371 | 29 | 12.8:1 | 54% (202) |
| 2017-18 | 425 | 33.1 | 12.8:1 | 73% (310) |
| 2015-16 | 470 | 34 | 13.8:1 | 73% (344) |
| 2010-11 | 615 | 38 | 16.2:1 | 61% (378) |
| 2000-01 | 605 | 40 | 15.1:1 | 41% (246) |
| 1990-91 | 418 | 26 | 16.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Leicester Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 6% (425 to 399); teachers down 22% (33.1 to 26).
About Leicester Elementary
Leicester Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school based in Leicester, North Carolina. Enrollment is 399 students in 2024-25, and the school serves pre-K through 4.
Across its 45 schools, Buncombe County Schools enrolls 22,452 students. Leicester Elementary is one of those schools.
Most students at Leicester Elementary are White: 81% of enrollment. Other groups include 15% Hispanic and 2% Black. County-wide, about 82% of residents are White. By the diversity index, Leicester Elementary comes in at 32%.
Staffing totals 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 15.4:1. Across elementary schools in North Carolina, the average ratio is about 14.9:1. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 99%. That rate is above the 88% average among public schools in Buncombe County.
Measured against North Carolina public elementary schools, Leicester Elementary receives a C+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Leicester Elementary, the prediction is 48.7% and the result is 52.1%.
County data help place the school in context: in Buncombe County, median household income is about $74,436, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 46%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Leicester Elementary is among the 61 public schools in Buncombe County.
Nearby, Erwin Middle is about 5.2 miles away. Other public schools within ten miles number at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, Leicester Elementary places 2nd out of 9 schools in its immediate area.
Leicester Elementary has an NCES locale of Rural: Fringe.
The 2024-25 enrollment of 399 was 8% higher than in 2020-21, when it was 371. Students per teacher rose from 12.8 in 2020-21 to 15.4 in 2024-25.
To ask about school safety, transportation, and start times, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Buncombe County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
274,360
Census ACS
Median income
$74,436
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
46%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
61
29,908 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Buncombe County Schools
- Roberson HighHigh · 1,479 students
- Reynolds HighHigh · 1,169 students
- Enka HighHigh · 1,051 students
- Erwin HighHigh · 1,013 students
- North Buncombe HighHigh · 896 students
- Estes ElementaryElementary · 754 students
Other Leicester Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Leicester Elementary. Leicester Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Leicester ElementaryLeicester, MA · 467 students
Nearby schools
- Erwin Middle5.2 mi · 545
- Erwin High5.3 mi · 1,013
- West Buncombe Elementary5.6 mi · 580
- Eblen Intermediate5.6 mi · 566
- Johnston Elementary7.0 mi · 217
- Woodfin Elementary7.1 mi · 111
Frequently asked questions
About Leicester ElementaryHow many students attend Leicester Elementary?
Leicester Elementary enrolls approximately 399 students in grades PK-04.
What age range does Leicester Elementary serve?
Leicester Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 04.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Leicester Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Leicester Elementary is approximately 15.4:1 (26 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Leicester Elementary?
Leicester Elementary reports a student body of 81% White, 15% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Two or more.
What district is Leicester Elementary in?
Leicester Elementary is part of Buncombe County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.