Startown Elementary

Located at 4119 Startown Road, in Newton, North Carolina, Startown Elementary is an average-sized elementary school that educates 540 students (grades pre-K through 6), operated by Catawba County Schools.

Catawba County Schools comprises 28 schools with combined enrollment of 16,003 students; Startown Elementary is among them.

Looking at the student body, Startown Elementary lists that the most-represented group is White (54%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest reads as 19% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 10% multiracial, 6% Black. The wider county runs roughly 75% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Startown Elementary records 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.8:1. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Catawba County (around 86%), the school's rate is north of typical.

With demographic context factored in, Startown Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.5%; this one delivers 56.9%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Catawba County indicate median household earnings sit near $67,864, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. In all, Catawba County runs 44 public schools (combined enrollment of about 22,392 students), of which Startown Elementary is one.

South Newton Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 2.6 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Startown Elementary at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 61.8%.

Startown Elementary operates from a commuter-belt location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Startown Elementary has ticked up 3%, going from 523 students in 2018 to 540 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 72% to 54% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Startown Elementary community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.