Enrollment
397
Elementary
DISTRICT 354 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RUTHERFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370408001650
Rutherfordton Elementary School
201 Bob Hardin Road, Rutherfordton, NC 28139 · (828) 287-3778 · Rutherford County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL397 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 86% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats 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
16.4:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.1:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
95%
378 students
DISTRICT 97% · 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 | 18 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 60 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 54 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 71 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 60 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 65 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 69 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (60) is 13% smaller than its 5th grade class (69).
Student demographics
48%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 50% · 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
Be the first to start a discussion at Rutherfordton Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
66.3%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
76.8%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 77 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
68.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.8%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+18.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 68% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 50% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 18 points, placing it in North Carolina's top 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 Rutherfordton Elementary School
Rutherfordton Elementary School's state test result (68.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherfordton Elementary School this school | 397 | 95.2% | 68.2% |
| Lower Creek Elementary Lenoir | 396 | 99.2% | 60.8% |
| Southport Elementary Southport | 413 | 99.3% | 59.4% |
| Cherryville Elementary Cherryville | 378 | 99.2% | 54.0% |
| Bethel Hill Charter Roxboro | 344 | 99.1% | N/A |
| Iron Station Elementary Iron Station | 367 | 98.6% | 70.8% |
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 Rutherfordton Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Rutherford County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 68.2% | #271 of 1,297 | #5 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 76.8% | #171 of 1,296 | #3 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.3% | #193 of 1,300 | #3 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 397 | #905 of 1,485 | #5 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.4:1 | #1,114 of 1,377 | #4 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 47.6% | #1,038 of 1,379 | #4 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 95.2% | #1,059 of 1,414 | #9 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.5% | #274 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
397
+73 (+23%) vs 2020
-21% since 1990-91, when it was 503
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
was 15.4:1
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 | 397 | 24.2 | 16.4:1 | 95% (378) |
| 2023-24 | 391 | 28 | 14.0:1 | 99% (388) |
| 2022-23 | 390 | 29.6 | 13.2:1 | 99% (387) |
| 2020-21 | 324 | 21 | 15.4:1 | 99% (321) |
| 2017-18 | 380 | 22 | 17.3:1 | 99% (377) |
| 2015-16 | 361 | 23 | 15.7:1 | 99% (358) |
| 2010-11 | 413 | 24 | 17.2:1 | 53% (219) |
| 2000-01 | 506 | 28 | 18.1:1 | 35% (175) |
| 1990-91 | 503 | 28 | 18.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Rutherfordton Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (380 to 397); teachers up 10% (22 to 24.2).
About Rutherfordton Elementary School
Rutherfordton Elementary School serves students in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, as a mid-sized elementary school. It reports enrollment of 397 students in pre-K through 5.
Rutherford County Schools is the local district for Rutherfordton Elementary School. It runs 18 schools with 7,394 students.
At Rutherfordton Elementary School, 70% of students are White. Other students are 12% multiracial, 10% Hispanic, and 9% Black. That is lower than the 82% White share among all Rutherford County residents. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 48%.
Rutherfordton Elementary School lists 24.2 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 16.4 students per teacher. The gap from the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina is 1.6 students per teacher. About 95% of students at Rutherfordton Elementary School are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The figure for public schools in Rutherford County is close, at 98%.
Rutherfordton Elementary School holds an A allk12 Grade, placing it above 86% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
The BeatsExpectations model predicts 49.8% for Rutherfordton Elementary School, given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The actual figure is 68.2%. The 18.5-point gap ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina schools.
In the wider Rutherford County area, the median household earns about $51,410 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 22% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 13%. Rutherfordton Elementary School shares Rutherford County with 19 other public schools.
Spindale Elementary School sits about 2.8 miles from Rutherfordton Elementary School. Inside a five-mile radius, there are 4 other public schools. The nearest schools with test data average 58.1%, lower than Rutherfordton Elementary School's 68.2%.
Locale data from NCES put Rutherfordton Elementary School in rural territory close to an urban area (Rural: Fringe).
By 2024-25, enrollment had risen to 397, from 324 in 2020-21. Its ratio of students to teachers was 15.4:1 in 2020-21, and 16.4:1 in 2024-25.
This page is set up for the Rutherfordton Elementary School community to discuss special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Rutherford County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
64,930
Census ACS
Median income
$51,410
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
9,205 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Rutherford County Schools
- R-S Central High SchoolHigh · 763 students
- East Rutherford High SchoolHigh · 623 students
- Chase High SchoolHigh · 596 students
- Ellenboro Elementary SchoolElementary · 567 students
- R-S Middle SchoolMiddle · 561 students
- East Rutherford Middle SchoolMiddle · 533 students
Other schools in Rutherfordton
- R-S Central High SchoolHigh · 763 students
- R-S Middle SchoolMiddle · 561 students
- Pinnacle Elementary SchoolElementary · 254 students
Nearby schools
- Spindale Elementary School2.8 mi · 337
- Rutherford Early College High School3.3 mi · 208
- R-S Middle School4.5 mi · 561
- R-S Central High School4.7 mi · 763
- Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School5.6 mi · 459
- Harris Elementary School6.0 mi · 434
Frequently asked questions
About Rutherfordton Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Rutherfordton Elementary School?
Rutherfordton Elementary School enrolls approximately 397 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Rutherfordton Elementary School serve?
Rutherfordton Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rutherfordton Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Rutherfordton Elementary School is approximately 16.4:1 (24 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Rutherfordton Elementary School?
At Rutherfordton Elementary School, the student body is approximately 70% White, 10% Hispanic, 9% Black, 12% Two or more.
What district is Rutherfordton Elementary School in?
Rutherfordton Elementary School is part of Rutherford County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.