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What do you wish you knew before starting at Swain County West Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
403
Elementary
DISTRICT 371 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SWAIN COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370444002316
Swain County West Elementary
4142 Hwy 19 West, Bryson City, NC 28713 · (828) 488-2119 · Swain County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL403 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 51% 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
15.8:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
400 students
DISTRICT 80% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 59 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 64 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 65 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 62 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 81 | 20% |
| Grade 5 | 69 | 17% |
| Grade 6 | 3 | 1% |
Student demographics
45%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
39.9%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
54.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 40 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 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
54.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% 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 Swain County West Elementary
Swain County West Elementary's state test result (54.6% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swain County West Elementary this school | 403 | 99.3% | 54.6% |
| Tyro Elementary Lexington | 393 | 99.2% | 49.2% |
| Junaluska Elementary Waynesville | 428 | 99.3% | 73.6% |
| Cherryville Elementary Cherryville | 378 | 99.2% | 54.0% |
| Glenwood Elementary School Marion | 435 | 99.3% | 46.9% |
| Lower Creek Elementary Lenoir | 396 | 99.2% | 60.8% |
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 Swain County West Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.6% | #680 of 1,297 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 54.9% | #761 of 1,296 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 39.9% | #951 of 1,300 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 403 | #893 of 1,485 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.8:1 | #961 of 1,377 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.7% | #1,090 of 1,379 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.3% | #449 of 1,414 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.8% | #599 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
403
-19 (-5%) vs 2020
+3% since 2000-01, when it was 391
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
was 14.1:1
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 | 403 | 25.5 | 15.8:1 | 99% (400) |
| 2023-24 | 419 | 29.8 | 14.1:1 | 99% (416) |
| 2022-23 | 403 | 31.1 | 12.9:1 | 99% (400) |
| 2020-21 | 422 | 30 | 14.1:1 | 98% (414) |
| 2017-18 | 447 | 29.4 | 15.2:1 | 99% (444) |
| 2015-16 | 439 | 26 | 16.9:1 | 99% (436) |
| 2010-11 | 390 | 26 | 15.0:1 | 63% (247) |
| 2000-01 | 391 | 35 | 11.2:1 | 55% (217) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Swain County West Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 10% (447 to 403); teachers down 13% (29.4 to 25.5).
About Swain County West Elementary
Swain County West Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in North Carolina, with an address in Bryson City. The school offers kindergarten through 6 and enrolls 403 students.
Swain County West Elementary belongs to Swain County Schools, a district of 6 schools and 1,872 students.
At Swain County West Elementary, 73% of students are White. It is also 12% multiracial, 8% Native American, and 6% Hispanic. For comparison, the population of Swain County is roughly 60% White. The diversity index for Swain County West Elementary is 45%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
A staff of 25.5 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 15.8:1. The gap from the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina is 0.9 students per teacher. By family income, 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
Swain County West Elementary earns a B- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 51% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
After adjusting for student poverty, Swain County West Elementary lands between the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 54.6%; the prediction is 48.5%.
Swain County is the school's county. There, median household income comes to about $52,349, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 14% of people live in poverty. There are 9 public schools in the county, enrolling about 3,393, Swain County West Elementary among them.
Measured in a straight line, Mountain Discovery is about 2.7 miles from Swain County West Elementary. Other public schools within five miles: 5. The nearest schools with test data average 42.9%, lower than Swain County West Elementary's 54.6%.
NCES assigns Swain County West Elementary the locale Rural: Remote, meaning in rural territory far from an urban area.
Since 2020-21, enrollment has fallen 5%, from 422 to 403. The number of students per teacher increased from 14.1 to 15.8 over 4 years.
People can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates and other school topics. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Swain County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
14,013
Census ACS
Median income
$52,349
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
14%
Below federal line
Schools in county
9
3,393 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Swain County Schools
- Swain County High SchoolHigh · 536 students
- Swain County Middle SchoolMiddle · 453 students
- Swain County East ElementaryElementary · 338 students
- Cherokee Extension SchoolCombined · 110 students
- Swain AcademyHigh · 32 students
Other schools in Bryson City
- Swain County High SchoolHigh · 536 students
- Swain County Middle SchoolMiddle · 453 students
- Swain County East ElementaryElementary · 338 students
- Mountain DiscoveryElementary · 221 students
- Cherokee Extension SchoolCombined · 110 students
- Swain AcademyHigh · 32 students
Nearby schools
- Mountain Discovery2.7 mi · 221
- Swain County Middle School3.3 mi · 453
- Cherokee Extension School3.5 mi · 110
- Swain Academy4.5 mi · 32
- Swain County High School4.5 mi · 536
- Swain County East Elementary7.2 mi · 338
Frequently asked questions
About Swain County West ElementaryHow many students attend Swain County West Elementary?
Swain County West Elementary enrolls approximately 403 students in grades KG-06.
Is Swain County West Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Swain County West Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many students per teacher at Swain County West Elementary?
Approximately 15.8:1 students per teacher at Swain County West Elementary.
How diverse is Swain County West Elementary?
Swain County West Elementary reports a student body of 73% White, 6% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 12% Two or more.
Is Swain County West Elementary public or private?
Swain County West Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Swain County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.