Enrollment
306
Elementary
DISTRICT 411 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LINCOLN COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370268001122
S Ray Lowder Elementary
350 Kennedy Dr, Lincolnton, NC 28092 · (704) 735-2741 · Lincoln County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL306 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 49% 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.
- BBeats 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
13.4:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
97%
298 students
DISTRICT 76% · 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 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 44 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 52 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 57 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 50 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 39 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 46 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (44) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (46).
Student demographics
66%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 46% · 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
49.3%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
52.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 53 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
54.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.1%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 54% 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 S Ray Lowder Elementary
S Ray Lowder Elementary's state test result (54.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| S Ray Lowder Elementary this school | 306 | 97.4% | 54.2% |
| Valmead Elementary Lenoir | 305 | 97.4% | 39.5% |
| George Watts Elementary Durham | 358 | 99.2% | 66.9% |
| Wilton Elementary Franklinton | 350 | 99.1% | 57.5% |
| Troy Elementary Troy | 291 | 99.0% | N/A |
| Tar River Elementary Franklinton | 370 | 99.2% | 51.2% |
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 S Ray Lowder Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Lincoln County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.2% | #692 of 1,297 | #9 of 12 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.9% | #816 of 1,296 | #11 of 12 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.3% | #642 of 1,300 | #8 of 12 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 306 | #1,163 of 1,485 | #12 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.4:1 | #326 of 1,377 | #4 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 66.5% | #395 of 1,379 | #3 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.4% | #971 of 1,414 | #8 of 13 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +17.7% | #109 of 369 | #3 of 7 |
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
306
+24 (+9%) vs 2020
-17% since 1990-91, when it was 368
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 12.8:1
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 | 306 | 22.8 | 13.4:1 | 97% (298) |
| 2023-24 | 280 | 20.8 | 13.5:1 | 99% (277) |
| 2022-23 | 291 | 20.3 | 14.3:1 | 68% (199) |
| 2020-21 | 282 | 22 | 12.8:1 | 55% (154) |
| 2017-18 | 260 | 17.6 | 14.8:1 | 99% (257) |
| 2015-16 | 238 | 19 | 12.5:1 | 99% (235) |
| 2010-11 | 232 | 17 | 13.7:1 | 70% (163) |
| 2000-01 | 404 | 26 | 15.5:1 | 52% (212) |
| 1990-91 | 368 | 25 | 14.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for S Ray Lowder Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 18% (260 to 306); teachers up 30% (17.6 to 22.8).
About S Ray Lowder Elementary
Students in Lincolnton, North Carolina, attend S Ray Lowder Elementary, a low-enrollment elementary school. It teaches 306 students in pre-K through 5. It has 34% fewer students than the average for elementary schools in North Carolina (about 467).
Federal data list 22 schools in Lincoln County Schools, with 11,710 students enrolled.
The student body at S Ray Lowder Elementary has no majority group. White students lead at 50%. The remaining shares are 23% Hispanic, 16% Black, and 9% multiracial. Lincoln County as a whole is about 83% White, so the school's share is lower. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 66, compared with 70 nationally.
A staff of 22.8 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 13.4:1. The average for elementary schools in North Carolina is 14.9:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. By family income, 97% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. It compares with 66% for public schools in Lincoln County.
On the allk12 Grade, S Ray Lowder Elementary lands at B-, ahead of 49% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, S Ray Lowder Elementary is 5.1 points above its prediction. Actual: 54.2%. Predicted: 49.1%.
Five-year Census Bureau estimates for Lincoln County show that the median household earns about $80,016 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 28%, and about 9% of people live in poverty. Lincoln County has 25 public schools with about 14,428 students, including S Ray Lowder Elementary.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, GE Massey Elementary, is about 1.1 miles. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. On average proficiency, S Ray Lowder Elementary is 3rd of 8 nearby schools with test data.
NCES assigns S Ray Lowder Elementary the locale Town: Fringe, meaning in a town close to an urbanized area.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment rose from 282 to 306, a 9% increase.
Use the discussion section to ask about homework, tutoring, and testing dates at S Ray Lowder Elementary. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Lincoln County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
92,716
Census ACS
Median income
$80,016
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
25
14,428 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Lincoln County Schools
- North Lincoln HighHigh · 1,126 students
- East Lincoln HighHigh · 1,047 students
- Lincolnton HighHigh · 797 students
- North Lincoln MiddleMiddle · 774 students
- East Lincoln MiddleMiddle · 738 students
- West Lincoln HighHigh · 731 students
Other schools in Lincolnton
- North Lincoln HighHigh · 1,126 students
- Lincolnton HighHigh · 797 students
- West Lincoln HighHigh · 731 students
- Lincolnton MiddleMiddle · 563 students
- West Lincoln MiddleMiddle · 563 students
- Battleground ElementaryElementary · 420 students
Nearby schools
- GE Massey Elementary1.1 mi · 370
- Lincolnton High1.4 mi · 797
- Battleground Elementary1.5 mi · 420
- Love Memorial Elementary1.9 mi · 315
- Asbury Academy2.4 mi · 34
- Lincolnton Middle4.1 mi · 563
Frequently asked questions
About S Ray Lowder ElementaryHow many students attend S Ray Lowder Elementary?
S Ray Lowder Elementary enrolls approximately 306 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does S Ray Lowder Elementary serve?
S Ray Lowder Elementary serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at S Ray Lowder Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at S Ray Lowder Elementary is approximately 13.4:1 (23 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at S Ray Lowder Elementary?
At S Ray Lowder Elementary, the student body is approximately 50% White, 23% Hispanic, 16% Black, 2% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Who oversees S Ray Lowder Elementary?
S Ray Lowder Elementary is overseen by Lincoln County Schools in Lincoln County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.