Enrollment
379
Elementary
DISTRICT 252 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·POLK COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370372000780
Polk Central Elementary School
2141 South NC9 Hwy, Mill Spring, NC 28756 · (828) 894-8233 · Polk County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL379 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 66% 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.
- A-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
16.0:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.0:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
376 students
DISTRICT 98% · 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 | 47 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 53 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 52 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 62 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 57 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 55 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 53 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (53) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (53).
Student demographics
36%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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Polk Central Elementary School→Polk County Middle School
Based on grade levels within Polk County Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Polk Central Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
53.0%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
65.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 53 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 66 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
59.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 60% 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 Polk Central Elementary School
Polk Central Elementary School's state test result (59.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk Central Elementary School this school | 379 | 99.2% | 59.5% |
| Cherryville Elementary Cherryville | 378 | 99.2% | 54.0% |
| Iron Station Elementary Iron Station | 367 | 98.6% | 70.8% |
| West Marion Elementary School Marion | 390 | 99.2% | 51.7% |
| Endy Elementary Albemarle | 360 | 99.2% | 54.4% |
| Oakboro Choice STEM Oakboro | 353 | 99.2% | 79.1% |
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 Polk Central Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 59.5% | #516 of 1,297 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 65.9% | #450 of 1,296 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 53.0% | #516 of 1,300 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 379 | #969 of 1,485 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.0:1 | #1,016 of 1,377 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 36.1% | #1,216 of 1,379 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.2% | #495 of 1,414 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.0% | #308 of 369 |
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
379
+37 (+11%) vs 2020
-48% since 2000-01, when it was 732
Student : Teacher
16.0:1
was 12.2:1
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 | 379 | 23.7 | 16.0:1 | 99% (376) |
| 2023-24 | 382 | 27.9 | 13.7:1 | 99% (379) |
| 2022-23 | 341 | 30.1 | 11.3:1 | 99% (338) |
| 2020-21 | 342 | 28 | 12.2:1 | 99% (339) |
| 2017-18 | 368 | 27.5 | 13.4:1 | 97% (358) |
| 2015-16 | 349 | 29 | 12.0:1 | 99% (346) |
| 2010-11 | 430 | 32 | 13.4:1 | 70% (301) |
| 2000-01 | 732 | 47 | 15.6:1 | 41% (303) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Polk Central Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (368 to 379); teachers down 14% (27.5 to 23.7).
About Polk Central Elementary School
Polk Central Elementary School is a small elementary school based in Mill Spring, North Carolina. It teaches 379 students in pre-K through 5.
Besides Polk Central Elementary School, Polk County Schools runs 6 other schools. The district enrolls 2,110 students.
More than half of enrollment at Polk Central Elementary School is White: 79%. The remaining shares are 10% Hispanic, 5% Black, and 5% multiracial. Polk County as a whole is about 87% White, so the school's share is lower. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 36%.
Staffing at Polk Central Elementary School comes to 23.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 16.0:1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in North Carolina is 14.9:1. Polk Central Elementary School counts 99% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Polk County is similar, at 99%.
Among North Carolina public elementary schools, Polk Central Elementary School outscored 66%, which works out to a B+ on the allk12 Grade.
After adjusting for student poverty, Polk Central Elementary School lands between the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 59.5%; the prediction is 48.5%.
Polk County is the school's county. There, median household income comes to about $67,758, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 36%, and about 11% of people live in poverty. Polk County's 7 public schools enroll about 2,110 students and include Polk Central Elementary School.
Polk Central Elementary School's nearest public school is Polk County Middle School (about 2.6 miles). There are 3 more public schools inside five miles. By average proficiency, Polk Central Elementary School is 4th among 5 schools close by.
The school's locale code, Rural: Distant, means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Enrollment was 379 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 342. The student-to-teacher ratio went up from 12.2:1 to 16.0:1.
This page collects posts and questions about Polk Central Elementary School, such as athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
19,891
Census ACS
Median income
$67,758
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
7
2,110 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Polk County Schools
- Polk County High SchoolHigh · 596 students
- Polk County Middle SchoolMiddle · 454 students
- Tryon Elementary SchoolElementary · 367 students
- Saluda Elementary SchoolElementary · 142 students
- Sunny View Elementary SchoolElementary · 120 students
- Polk County Early CollegeHigh · 52 students
Other schools in Mill Spring
- Polk County Middle SchoolMiddle · 454 students
- Sunny View Elementary SchoolElementary · 120 students
Nearby schools
- Polk County Middle School2.6 mi · 454
- Polk County Early College3.6 mi · 52
- Polk County High School3.6 mi · 596
- Sunny View Elementary School6.5 mi · 120
- Landrum Middle8.1 mi · 218
- O. P. Earle Elementary8.1 mi · 424
Frequently asked questions
About Polk Central Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Polk Central Elementary School?
Polk Central Elementary School enrolls approximately 379 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Polk Central Elementary School serve?
Polk Central Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Polk Central Elementary School have?
Polk Central Elementary School employs 24 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.0:1.
How diverse is Polk Central Elementary School?
Polk Central Elementary School reports a student body of 79% White, 10% Hispanic, 5% Black, 0% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Polk Central Elementary School public or private?
Polk Central Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Polk County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.