Enrollment
340
Elementary
DISTRICT 455 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·JACKSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 370234002067
Smokey Mountain Elementary
884 US Hwy 441N, Whittier, NC 28789 · (828) 497-5535 · Jackson County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL340 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 7% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats 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
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.6:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
96%
327 students
DISTRICT 96% · 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 | 22 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 39 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 33 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 32 | 9% |
| Grade 3 | 31 | 9% |
| Grade 4 | 44 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 29 | 9% |
| Grade 6 | 42 | 12% |
| Grade 7 | 32 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 36 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (39) is 8% larger than its 8th grade class (36).
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 55% · 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
32.5%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
27.5%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 33 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 28 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
34.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-15.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 34% 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 Smokey Mountain Elementary
Smokey Mountain Elementary's state test result (34.5% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokey Mountain Elementary this school | 340 | 96.2% | 34.5% |
| Swain County East Elementary Bryson City | 338 | 99.1% | 40.9% |
| Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary Ash | 390 | 99.2% | 56.6% |
| S Ray Lowder Elementary Lincolnton | 306 | 97.4% | 54.2% |
| Washington Elementary Shelby | 376 | 97.9% | 51.7% |
| George Watts Elementary Durham | 358 | 99.2% | 66.9% |
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 Smokey Mountain Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.5% | #1,200 of 1,297 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 27.5% | #1,268 of 1,296 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 32.5% | #1,134 of 1,300 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 340 | #1,079 of 1,485 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.8:1 | #959 of 1,377 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.8% | #98 of 1,379 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 96.2% | #1,029 of 1,414 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.9% | #853 of 937 |
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
340
+20 (+6%) vs 2020
-21% since 1990-91, when it was 428
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
was 13.9:1
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 | 340 | 21.5 | 15.8:1 | 96% (327) |
| 2023-24 | 356 | 23.5 | 15.2:1 | 97% (344) |
| 2022-23 | 353 | 25 | 14.1:1 | 78% (275) |
| 2020-21 | 320 | 23 | 13.9:1 | 62% (197) |
| 2017-18 | 350 | 25.6 | 13.7:1 | 99% (345) |
| 2015-16 | 406 | 29 | 14.0:1 | 98% (397) |
| 2010-11 | 471 | 28 | 16.8:1 | 72% (340) |
| 2000-01 | 469 | 30 | 15.6:1 | 64% (300) |
| 1990-91 | 428 | 27 | 15.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Smokey Mountain Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 3% (350 to 340); teachers down 16% (25.6 to 21.5).
About Smokey Mountain Elementary
Smokey Mountain Elementary is a small elementary school in North Carolina, located in Whittier. The school had 340 students in pre-K through 8 in 2024-25. An average school in this group (elementary schools in North Carolina) has about 467 students.
Jackson County Public Schools has a total of 9 schools and 3,444 students, Smokey Mountain Elementary among them.
Smokey Mountain Elementary has no majority group; White students are the largest, at 37%. Beyond that, enrollment is 33% Native American, 16% Hispanic, and 13% multiracial. In Jackson County overall, about 79% of residents are White. Smokey Mountain Elementary's diversity index is 72%, against a US figure of 70%.
With 21.5 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at Smokey Mountain Elementary was 15.8:1. On average, elementary schools in North Carolina have 14.9:1, compared with 15.8:1 here. Smokey Mountain Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch eligibility rate is 96%. For comparison, public schools in Jackson County average 96%.
Measured against North Carolina public elementary schools, Smokey Mountain Elementary receives a D. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Smokey Mountain Elementary posts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 34.5%, compared with a predicted 49.5%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of North Carolina schools on BeatsExpectations.
Federal survey data for Jackson County show that the median household income is $55,815, about 31% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. Jackson County is home to 11 public schools and about 3,823 public school students.
The closest other public school is Swain County East Elementary, about 4.0 miles away. Within ten miles are at least 8 other public schools. Of 4 schools in the immediate area with test results, Smokey Mountain Elementary ranks 4th on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes Smokey Mountain Elementary as Rural: Distant.
2024-25 enrollment was 340, a 6% increase from 320 in 2020-21. The number of students per teacher rose from 13.9 to 15.8 over 4 years.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Jackson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
43,771
Census ACS
Median income
$55,815
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
3,823 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Jackson County Public Schools
- Smoky Mountain High SchoolHigh · 881 students
- Fairview SchoolElementary · 797 students
- Cullowhee Valley SchoolElementary · 570 students
- Scotts Creek SchoolElementary · 422 students
- Blue Ridge SchoolElementary · 144 students
- Blue Ridge Early CollegeHigh · 127 students
Nearby schools
- Swain County East Elementary4.0 mi · 338
- Cherokee Central Elementary School6.0 mi · 607
- Cherokee Central High School6.0 mi · 693
- Cherokee Extension School6.9 mi · 110
- Swain County Middle School7.0 mi · 453
- Mountain Discovery7.3 mi · 221
Frequently asked questions
About Smokey Mountain ElementaryHow many students attend Smokey Mountain Elementary?
Smokey Mountain Elementary enrolls approximately 340 students in grades PK-08.
Is Smokey Mountain Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Smokey Mountain Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smokey Mountain Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Smokey Mountain Elementary is approximately 15.8:1 (22 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Smokey Mountain Elementary?
Student demographics at Smokey Mountain Elementary are roughly 37% White, 16% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 13% Two or more.
Who oversees Smokey Mountain Elementary?
Smokey Mountain Elementary is overseen by Jackson County Public Schools in Jackson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.