Enrollment
230
Elementary
DISTRICT 334 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MCDOWELL COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370294001181
North Cove Elementary School
401 American Thread Road, Marion, NC 28752 · (828) 756-4342 · McDowell County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL230 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 24% 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.
- CBeats 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
14.5:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
227 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 | 29 | 13% |
| Kindergarten | 28 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 40 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 31 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 43 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 23 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 36 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (28) is 22% smaller than its 5th grade class (36).
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 41% · 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
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
41.3%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
43.3%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 43 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
43.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% 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 North Cove Elementary School
North Cove Elementary School's state test result (43.5% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Cove Elementary School this school | 230 | 98.7% | 43.5% |
| Stony Point Elementary Stony Point | 237 | 98.7% | 55.0% |
| Weaverville Primary Weaverville | 245 | 98.8% | N/A |
| Westfield Elementary Pilot Mountain | 212 | 98.6% | 50.0% |
| Union Grove Elementary Union Grove | 247 | 98.8% | 63.0% |
| Greenlee Primary Spruce Pine | 246 | 95.5% | N/A |
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 North Cove Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In McDowell County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.5% | #1,005 of 1,297 | #8 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 43.3% | #1,079 of 1,296 | #8 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.3% | #900 of 1,300 | #8 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 230 | #1,328 of 1,485 | #8 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.5:1 | #595 of 1,377 | #4 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 39.6% | #1,179 of 1,379 | #4 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.7% | #783 of 1,414 | #6 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.1% | #625 of 937 | #4 of 6 |
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
230
+27 (+13%) vs 2020
+15% since 1990-91, when it was 200
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
was 11.9:1
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 | 230 | 15.9 | 14.5:1 | 99% (227) |
| 2023-24 | 221 | 16.3 | 13.6:1 | 99% (218) |
| 2022-23 | 227 | 17.4 | 13.1:1 | 72% (164) |
| 2020-21 | 203 | 17 | 11.9:1 | 54% (109) |
| 2017-18 | 253 | 16.8 | 15.0:1 | 98% (249) |
| 2015-16 | 231 | 20 | 11.6:1 | 99% (228) |
| 2010-11 | 305 | 21 | 14.5:1 | 56% (171) |
| 2000-01 | 186 | 13 | 14.3:1 | 43% (80) |
| 1990-91 | 200 | 14 | 14.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for North Cove Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (253 to 230); teachers down 6% (16.8 to 15.9).
About North Cove Elementary School
North Cove Elementary School is a public elementary school in Marion, North Carolina. It is open to students in pre-K through 5 and enrolls 230 students. By comparison, elementary schools in North Carolina enroll about 467 students on average.
The district, McDowell County Schools, operates 16 schools serving 5,712 students.
About 76% of the student body at North Cove Elementary School is White. Other groups include 16% Hispanic and 7% multiracial. By comparison, McDowell County residents are about 88% White. A diversity index of 40% means there is a 40% chance two randomly chosen students at North Cove Elementary School are from different groups.
Its ratio of 14.5:1 is based on 15.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. The ratio is within a point of the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina. In all, 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 98% average for public schools in McDowell County.
North Cove Elementary School earns a C- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 24% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
In North Carolina, North Cove Elementary School is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 43.5% actual against a predicted 48.7%.
In McDowell County, home to about 44,817 people, the median household earns about $57,168 a year, roughly 18% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 10%. North Cove Elementary School shares McDowell County with 15 other public schools.
West McDowell Middle School sits about 6.2 miles from North Cove Elementary School. There are at least 8 other public schools within ten miles. North Cove Elementary School places 5th of 7 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
By NCES locale, the school is Rural: Distant, or in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Enrollment rose by 13% across 4 years, from 203 in 2020-21 to 230 in 2024-25. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 11.9:1 to 14.5:1.
The allk12 page for North Cove Elementary School lets the school community talk about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
McDowell County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
44,817
Census ACS
Median income
$57,168
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
16
5,712 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in McDowell County Schools
- McDowell High SchoolHigh · 1,379 students
- West McDowell Middle SchoolMiddle · 550 students
- Glenwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 435 students
- East McDowell Middle SchoolMiddle · 392 students
- West Marion Elementary SchoolElementary · 390 students
- Old Fort Elementary SchoolElementary · 360 students
Other schools in Marion
- McDowell High SchoolHigh · 1,379 students
- West McDowell Middle SchoolMiddle · 550 students
- Glenwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 435 students
- East McDowell Middle SchoolMiddle · 392 students
- West Marion Elementary SchoolElementary · 390 students
- Marion Elementary SchoolElementary · 333 students
Nearby schools
- West McDowell Middle School6.2 mi · 550
- McDowell Virtual Academy6.2 mi · 99
- McDowell High School6.4 mi · 1,379
- Greenlee Primary6.6 mi · 246
- Marion Elementary School7.0 mi · 333
- Pleasant Gardens Elementary School7.0 mi · 289
Frequently asked questions
About North Cove Elementary SchoolHow large is North Cove Elementary School?
North Cove Elementary School enrolls approximately 230 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does North Cove Elementary School serve?
North Cove Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at North Cove Elementary School?
Approximately 14.5:1 students per teacher at North Cove Elementary School.
How diverse is North Cove Elementary School?
North Cove Elementary School reports a student body of 76% White, 16% Hispanic, 1% Black, 7% Two or more.
What district is North Cove Elementary School in?
North Cove Elementary School is part of McDowell County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.