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How has Sparta Elementary changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
523
Elementary
DISTRICT 319 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ALLEGHANY COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370012000040
Sparta Elementary
450 N Main Street, Sparta, NC 28675 · (336) 372-8546 · Alleghany County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL523 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 20% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-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
12.2:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
520 students
DISTRICT 99% · 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 | 48 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 46 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 53 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 53 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 50 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 57 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 45 | 9% |
| Grade 6 | 54 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 56 | 11% |
| Grade 8 | 61 | 12% |
This year's kindergarten class (46) is 25% smaller than its 8th grade class (61).
Student demographics
49%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 43% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Sparta Elementary→Alleghany High
Based on grade levels within Alleghany County Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
37.9%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
41.4%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 38 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 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
42.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% 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 Sparta Elementary
Sparta Elementary's state test result (42.5% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta Elementary this school | 523 | 99.4% | 42.5% |
| Cullowhee Valley School Cullowhee | 570 | 99.5% | 43.0% |
| Midway Elementary Dunn | 539 | 99.3% | 64.3% |
| West Yadkin Elementary Hamptonville | 422 | 96.4% | 47.6% |
| Cape Fear Elementary Rocky Point | 533 | 99.4% | 46.6% |
| Williams Elementary Swannanoa | 451 | 95.8% | 40.9% |
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 Sparta Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.5% | #1,032 of 1,297 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 41.4% | #1,114 of 1,296 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 37.9% | #1,016 of 1,300 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 523 | #546 of 1,485 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.2:1 | #112 of 1,377 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.8% | #1,005 of 1,379 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.4% | #246 of 1,414 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.1% | #548 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
523
-9 (-2%) vs 2020
-19% since 1990-91, when it was 645
Student : Teacher
12.2:1
was 11.3:1
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 | 523 | 42.7 | 12.2:1 | 99% (520) |
| 2023-24 | 560 | 44.5 | 12.6:1 | 80% (447) |
| 2022-23 | 558 | 45.5 | 12.3:1 | 77% (428) |
| 2020-21 | 532 | 47 | 11.3:1 | 65% (347) |
| 2017-18 | 588 | 45.2 | 13.0:1 | 72% (426) |
| 2015-16 | 596 | 47 | 12.7:1 | 99% (593) |
| 2010-11 | 652 | 54 | 12.1:1 | 70% (459) |
| 2000-01 | 625 | 50 | 12.5:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 645 | 44 | 14.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sparta Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (588 to 523); teachers down 5% (45.2 to 42.7).
About Sparta Elementary
Sparta Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school based in Sparta, North Carolina. The school counts 523 students across pre-K through 8.
Across its 4 schools, Alleghany County Schools enrolls 1,352 students. Sparta Elementary is one of those schools.
By race and ethnicity, Sparta Elementary is 62% White. It is also 35% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Alleghany County is roughly 89% White. The chance that two students picked at random at Sparta Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 49%.
Sparta Elementary counts 42.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 12.2 students for each one. Among elementary schools in North Carolina, the typical ratio is 14.9:1. About 99% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. Across public schools in Alleghany County, the average is about the same, 99%.
Measured against North Carolina public elementary schools, Sparta Elementary receives a C-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Sparta Elementary's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (42.5%) and its predicted rate (48.5%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools.
Across Alleghany County, median household income is about $47,172, roughly 24% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. The public schools of Alleghany County number 4 and enroll about 1,352.
Alleghany High is the public school closest to Sparta Elementary, about 0.3 miles away. Inside a ten-mile radius, there are 5 other public schools. Sparta Elementary is 9th of 9 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Remote.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 523, starting from 532.
Posts about school safety, transportation, and start times are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Alleghany County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
11,174
Census ACS
Median income
$47,172
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
4
1,352 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Alleghany County Schools
- Alleghany HighHigh · 395 students
- Glade Creek ElementaryElementary · 236 students
- Piney Creek ElementaryElementary · 198 students
Other Sparta Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Sparta Elementary. Sparta Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- Sparta Elementary SchoolBELTON, TX · 549 students
- SPARTA ELEM.SPARTA, MO · 263 students
Nearby schools
- Alleghany High0.3 mi · 395
- Independence Middle7.8 mi · 280
- Grayson County High7.8 mi · 461
- Independence Elementary7.9 mi · 287
- Glade Creek Elementary8.1 mi · 236
- Piney Creek Elementary10.3 mi · 198
Frequently asked questions
About Sparta ElementaryHow many students attend Sparta Elementary?
Sparta Elementary enrolls approximately 523 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Sparta Elementary serve?
Sparta Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Sparta Elementary?
Approximately 12.2:1 students per teacher at Sparta Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Sparta Elementary?
At Sparta Elementary, the student body is approximately 62% White, 35% Hispanic, 0% Black, 2% Two or more.
Is Sparta Elementary public or private?
Sparta Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Alleghany County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.