Enrollment
140
Elementary
DISTRICT 342 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WATAUGA COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370483001939
Mabel Elementary
404 Mabel School Road, Zionville, NC 28698 · (828) 297-2512 · Watauga County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL140 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 46% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+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
8.8:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.7:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
66%
93 students
DISTRICT 45% · 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 | 6 | 4% |
| Kindergarten | 13 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 16 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 15 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 15 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 19 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 14 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 15 | 11% |
| Grade 7 | 11 | 8% |
| Grade 8 | 16 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (13) is 19% smaller than its 8th grade class (16).
Student demographics
16%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · 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
47.1%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
63.2%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 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
57.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
58.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 59% 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 Mabel Elementary
Mabel Elementary's state test result (57.1% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mabel Elementary this school | 140 | 66.4% | 57.1% |
| Bethel Elementary Sugar Grove | 128 | 55.5% | 61.4% |
| Green Valley Elementary Boone | 292 | 64.4% | 56.5% |
| Jarvisburg Elementary Jarvisburg | 218 | 60.6% | 69.5% |
| T S Cooper Elementary Sunbury | 170 | 57.1% | 61.9% |
| Knotts Island Elementary Knotts Island | 91 | 44.0% | 78.5% |
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 Mabel Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Watauga County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.1% | #595 of 1,297 | #7 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.2% | #533 of 1,296 | #6 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.1% | #725 of 1,300 | #8 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 140 | #1,439 of 1,485 | #8 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 66.4% | #1,096 of 1,414 | #1 of 8 |
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
140
-27 (-16%) vs 2020
-44% since 1990-91, when it was 249
Student : Teacher
8.8:1
was 9.8:1
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 | 140 | 15.8 | 8.8:1 | 66% (93) |
| 2023-24 | 146 | 19.3 | 7.6:1 | 70% (102) |
| 2022-23 | 156 | 19.2 | 8.2:1 | 65% (101) |
| 2020-21 | 167 | 17 | 9.8:1 | 54% (91) |
| 2017-18 | 174 | 16.9 | 10.3:1 | 56% (97) |
| 2015-16 | 188 | 19 | 9.9:1 | 61% (115) |
| 2010-11 | 201 | 18 | 11.2:1 | 54% (109) |
| 2000-01 | 251 | 23 | 10.9:1 | 54% (136) |
| 1990-91 | 249 | 18 | 13.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mabel Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 20% (174 to 140); teachers down 6% (16.9 to 15.8).
About Mabel Elementary
Families in Zionville, North Carolina, are served by Mabel Elementary, a small elementary school. The latest federal count shows 140 students in pre-K through 8. Against the 467-student average for elementary schools in North Carolina, enrollment here is 70% lower.
Within Watauga County Schools, Mabel Elementary is one of 11 schools. The district enrolls 4,658 students.
Mabel Elementary enrolls a student body that is 91% White. Beyond that, enrollment is 4% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. The White share in Watauga County as a whole is similar, at about 90%. By the diversity index, Mabel Elementary comes in at 16%.
Mabel Elementary operates with 15.8 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 8.8:1. For comparison, elementary schools in North Carolina average 14.9:1. About 66% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits. That is higher than the 39% average for public schools in Watauga County.
Measured against North Carolina public elementary schools, Mabel Elementary receives a B-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 58.6% at Mabel Elementary; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 57.1%.
In Watauga County (population about 55,123), median household income is about $51,693, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 48%, and about 9% of people live in poverty. A total of 12 public schools operate in Watauga County, serving about 4,821 students.
Cove Creek Elementary is the public school closest to Mabel Elementary, about 4.4 miles away. Inside a ten-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Mabel Elementary ranks 5th of 7 on average proficiency.
The school's locale code, Rural: Distant, means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
The 2024-25 enrollment of 140 was 16% lower than in 2020-21, when it was 167.
The Mabel Elementary community page is open for posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Watauga County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
55,123
Census ACS
Median income
$51,693
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
48%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
12
4,821 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Watauga County Schools
- Watauga HighHigh · 1,289 students
- Hardin Park ElementaryElementary · 854 students
- Parkway ElementaryElementary · 610 students
- Blowing Rock ElementaryElementary · 409 students
- Valle Crucis ElementaryElementary · 345 students
- Green Valley ElementaryElementary · 292 students
Nearby schools
- Cove Creek Elementary4.4 mi · 289
- Bethel Elementary6.0 mi · 128
- Green Valley Elementary6.4 mi · 292
- Valle Crucis Elementary8.0 mi · 345
- Watauga Virtual Academy8.0 mi · 10
- Roan Creek Elementary8.3 mi · 343
Frequently asked questions
About Mabel ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Mabel Elementary?
Mabel Elementary enrolls approximately 140 students in grades PK-08.
Is Mabel Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Mabel Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
How many students per teacher at Mabel Elementary?
Approximately 8.8:1 students per teacher at Mabel Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Mabel Elementary?
Student demographics at Mabel Elementary are roughly 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 1% Black, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Mabel Elementary?
Mabel Elementary is overseen by Watauga County Schools in Watauga County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.