Polo Ridge Elementary

Polo Ridge Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the schools within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The school serves 634 students in grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 36% larger than the state mean of about 467.

Within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which oversees 186 schools and 145,014 students, Polo Ridge Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Polo Ridge Elementary reports that the largest single group is White at 49%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 28% Asian, 9% Hispanic, 7% Black, 7% multiracial.

In terms of school funding signals, The school lists 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.1:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 14.9:1 average. Around 18% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Mecklenburg County runs at roughly 71%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Polo Ridge Elementary ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 73.2%; Polo Ridge Elementary posts 91.0%, +17.8 points above that line.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Mecklenburg County indicate the typical household earns roughly $87,005 per year, 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Across Mecklenburg County's 226 public schools (combined enrollment of about 170,407 students), Polo Ridge Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Rea Farms STEAM Academy, roughly 1.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Polo Ridge Elementary comes 1st of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 85.5%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Polo Ridge Elementary has decreased 37%, going from 1,002 students in 2018 to 634 in 2025. The Asian share of enrollment decreased from 33% to 28% over that span.

On this page, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.