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Does Ray Childers Elementary have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
460
Elementary
DISTRICT 384 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BURKE COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370048002431
Ray Childers Elementary
1183 Cape Hickory Road, Hickory, NC 28601 · (828) 324-1340 · Burke County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL460 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 75% 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.
- 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
15.8:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
457 students
DISTRICT 98% · 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 | 33 | 7% |
| Kindergarten | 62 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 69 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 67 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 77 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 76 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 76 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (62) is 18% smaller than its 5th grade class (76).
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · 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
52.5%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
73.3%
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 73 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
62.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+14.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 63% 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 Ray Childers Elementary
Ray Childers Elementary's state test result (62.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Childers Elementary this school | 460 | 99.3% | 62.9% |
| Blackburn Elementary Newton | 484 | 99.0% | 63.1% |
| Oxford Elementary Claremont | 540 | 98.7% | 43.4% |
| Trindale Elementary School Archdale | 382 | 99.2% | 55.9% |
| Drexel Elementary Morganton | 477 | 98.7% | 57.2% |
| Clyde Campbell Elementary Hickory | 505 | 99.4% | 64.6% |
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 Ray Childers Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Burke County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 62.9% | #421 of 1,297 | #4 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 73.3% | #256 of 1,296 | #2 of 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 52.5% | #529 of 1,300 | #4 of 14 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 460 | #719 of 1,485 | #6 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.8:1 | #949 of 1,377 | #10 of 15 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.5% | #943 of 1,379 | #6 of 15 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.3% | #339 of 1,414 | #2 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.7% | #357 of 369 | N/A |
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
460
+22 (+5%) vs 2020
-6% since 2000-01, when it was 489
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
was 14.1:1
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 | 460 | 29.2 | 15.8:1 | 99% (457) |
| 2023-24 | 447 | 30.6 | 14.6:1 | 99% (444) |
| 2022-23 | 457 | 30.6 | 14.9:1 | 75% (341) |
| 2020-21 | 438 | 31 | 14.1:1 | 63% (278) |
| 2017-18 | 457 | 27.4 | 16.7:1 | 64% (292) |
| 2015-16 | 464 | 30 | 15.5:1 | 69% (322) |
| 2010-11 | 485 | 32 | 15.2:1 | 66% (319) |
| 2000-01 | 489 | 26 | 18.8:1 | 39% (189) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ray Childers Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (457 to 460); teachers up 6% (27.4 to 29.2).
About Ray Childers Elementary
Ray Childers Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school serving families in Hickory, North Carolina. The school enrolls 460 students, from pre-K through 5.
The Burke County Schools system has 26 schools and 11,667 students.
Ray Childers Elementary is 66% White by enrollment. Other students are 13% Asian, 13% Hispanic, and 7% multiracial. By comparison, Burke County residents are about 81% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 53% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
At Ray Childers Elementary, 29.2 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 15.8:1. That is higher than the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina. Roughly 99% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.
The allk12 Grade for Ray Childers Elementary is A-. Compared with North Carolina public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 75% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Ray Childers Elementary would be expected to post about 48.5%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 62.9%.
County data help place the school in context: in Burke County, the median household income is $58,592, about 21% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 12% of residents are in poverty. In all, Burke County has 30 public schools and roughly 12,360 students.
The nearest public school is Hildebran Elementary, at about 2.5 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. The school's 62.9% average proficiency ranks 2nd among 8 nearby schools.
NCES lists the school's locale as Suburb: Mid-size. That means it sits in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Federal data show a 5% enrollment gain, from 438 in 2020-21 to 460 in 2024-25. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio rose to 15.8:1, from 14.1:1.
Discussion on this page can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Burke County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
87,795
Census ACS
Median income
$58,592
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
30
12,360 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Burke County Schools
- Freedom HighHigh · 1,299 students
- East Burke HighHigh · 874 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 762 students
- Patton High SchoolHigh · 756 students
- Draughn High SchoolHigh · 661 students
- East Burke MiddleMiddle · 630 students
Other schools in Hickory
- Saint Stephens HighHigh · 1,268 students
- Hickory HighHigh · 1,024 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 708 students
- Harry M Arndt MiddleMiddle · 601 students
- Snow Creek ElementaryElementary · 551 students
- Viewmont ElementaryElementary · 509 students
Nearby schools
- Hildebran Elementary2.5 mi · 297
- Icard Elementary2.7 mi · 265
- East Burke Middle3.3 mi · 630
- Granite Falls Middle3.5 mi · 518
- East Burke High3.6 mi · 874
- Southwest Primary3.6 mi · 292
Frequently asked questions
About Ray Childers ElementaryHow many students attend Ray Childers Elementary?
Ray Childers Elementary enrolls approximately 460 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Ray Childers Elementary serve?
Ray Childers Elementary serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Ray Childers Elementary have?
Ray Childers Elementary employs 29 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.8:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Ray Childers Elementary?
At Ray Childers Elementary, the student body is approximately 66% White, 13% Hispanic, 1% Black, 13% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Ray Childers Elementary in?
Ray Childers Elementary is part of Burke County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.