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Alumni: what's one memory from Lowell Elementary that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
367
Elementary
DISTRICT 457 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GASTON COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370162000696
Lowell Elementary
1500 Power Drive, Lowell, NC 28098 · (704) 836-9118 · Gaston County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL367 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 61% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- BTest 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
13.0:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
364 students
DISTRICT 88% · STATE 82%
Community
1
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 | 29 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 47 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 52 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 58 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 70 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 58 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 53 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (47) is 11% smaller than its 5th grade class (53).
Student demographics
68%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
48.6%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
61.0%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 61 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
58.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 58% 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 Lowell Elementary
Lowell Elementary's state test result (58.1% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell Elementary this school | 367 | 99.2% | 58.1% |
| Springfield Primary Stanley | 352 | 99.1% | N/A |
| Oakwood Elementary Hickory | 336 | 99.1% | 72.4% |
| New Hope Elementary Wilson | 460 | 99.3% | 84.5% |
| George Watts Elementary Durham | 358 | 99.2% | 66.9% |
| Eastover-Central Elementary Eastover | 401 | 99.3% | 75.7% |
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 Lowell Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Gaston County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 58.1% | #563 of 1,297 | #9 of 27 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 61.0% | #587 of 1,296 | #11 of 27 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 48.6% | #663 of 1,300 | #11 of 27 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 367 | #1,006 of 1,485 | #23 of 31 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.0:1 | #214 of 1,377 | #4 of 29 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.2% | #301 of 1,379 | #7 of 29 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.2% | #520 of 1,414 | #17 of 31 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -33.0% | #61 of 937 | #1 of 22 |
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
367
-66 (-15%) vs 2020
-26% since 1990-91, when it was 498
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
was 13.5:1
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 | 367 | 28.3 | 13.0:1 | 99% (364) |
| 2023-24 | 373 | 26.7 | 13.9:1 | 99% (370) |
| 2022-23 | 409 | 29.6 | 13.8:1 | 71% (291) |
| 2020-21 | 433 | 32 | 13.5:1 | 51% (219) |
| 2017-18 | 548 | 34.3 | 16.0:1 | 58% (316) |
| 2015-16 | 535 | 31 | 17.3:1 | 56% (300) |
| 2010-11 | 555 | 29 | 19.1:1 | 56% (310) |
| 2000-01 | 473 | 28 | 16.9:1 | 29% (135) |
| 1990-91 | 498 | 26 | 19.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Lowell Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 33% (548 to 367); teachers down 17% (34.3 to 28.3).
About Lowell Elementary
Lowell Elementary is the name of a small elementary school in Lowell, North Carolina. The school had 367 students in pre-K through 5 in 2024-25. An average school in this group (elementary schools in North Carolina) has about 467 students.
Lowell Elementary belongs to Gaston County Schools, a district of 56 schools and 30,995 students.
Lowell Elementary has no majority group; White students are the largest, at 48%. The remaining students are 20% Hispanic, 20% Black, 6% multiracial, and 5% Asian. Among people living in Gaston County, the White share is about 68%. Lowell Elementary's diversity index is 68%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school employs the equivalent of 28.3 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 13.0:1. That is lower than the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 99%. It compares with 85% for public schools in Gaston County.
allk12 grades Lowell Elementary a B. The grade compares the school only with North Carolina public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
On the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure, Lowell Elementary is 9.5 points above the average proficiency rate on state tests predicted for its free or reduced-price lunch share: 58.1% actual, 48.5% predicted. That is outside both the top and bottom 10% in North Carolina.
According to the American Community Survey, in Gaston County, the median household income is $67,478, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of people live in poverty. Lowell Elementary is one of 61 public schools in the county.
The shortest distance from Lowell Elementary to another public school is about 1.2 miles, to Holbrook Middle. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. The school's 58.1% average proficiency ranks 3rd among 8 nearby schools.
Lowell Elementary has an NCES locale of Rural: Fringe.
Federal data show a 15% enrollment decrease, from 433 in 2020-21 to 367 in 2024-25.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Lowell Elementary covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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 Lowell Elementary schools
24 other US public schools in 15 states are named Lowell Elementary. Lowell Elementary is the 10th largest of the 25.
- Lowell ElementaryLong Beach, CA · 609 students
- Lowell Elementary SchoolWaterloo, IA · 538 students
- Lowell ElementaryEverett, WA · 531 students
- Lowell Elementary SchoolIndianapolis, IN · 466 students
- LOWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLLOWELL, AR · 451 students
Nearby schools
- Holbrook Middle1.2 mi · 712
- McAdenville Elementary1.9 mi · 190
- North Belmont Elementary2.3 mi · 371
- Warlick Academy2.5 mi · 175
- East Gaston High2.7 mi · 917
- Stuart W Cramer High2.9 mi · 953
Frequently asked questions
About Lowell ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Lowell Elementary?
Lowell Elementary enrolls approximately 367 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Lowell Elementary serve?
Lowell Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lowell Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Lowell Elementary is approximately 13.0:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Lowell Elementary?
At Lowell Elementary, the student body is approximately 48% White, 20% Hispanic, 20% Black, 5% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Lowell Elementary?
Lowell Elementary is overseen by Gaston County Schools in Gaston County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.