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What's the biggest difference between W A Bess Elementary School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
674
Elementary
DISTRICT 457 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GASTON COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370162002156
W A Bess Elementary School
4340 Beaty Road, Gastonia, NC 28056 · (704) 866-6075 · Gaston County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL674 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 83% 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.
- ABeats 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
17.0:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
671 students
DISTRICT 88% · 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 | 106 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 112 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 116 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 123 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 116 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 101 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (106) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (101).
Student demographics
67%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · 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
59.5%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
69.2%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 69 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
65.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+17.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 65% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 48% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 17 points, placing it in North Carolina's top 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 W A Bess Elementary School
W A Bess Elementary School's state test result (65.4% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| W A Bess Elementary School this school | 674 | 99.6% | 65.4% |
| Colfax Elementary Colfax | 587 | 99.5% | 68.9% |
| Clemmons Elementary Clemmons | 839 | 99.6% | 80.8% |
| Lyons Farm Elementary Durham | 608 | 99.5% | 69.5% |
| Murrayville Elementary Wilmington | 573 | 99.5% | 63.7% |
| Wintergreen Intermediate Greenville | 821 | 99.6% | 76.1% |
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 W A Bess Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Gaston County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.4% | #337 of 1,297 | #5 of 27 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 69.2% | #352 of 1,296 | #6 of 27 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 59.5% | #339 of 1,300 | #5 of 27 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 674 | #214 of 1,485 | #3 of 31 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.0:1 | #1,215 of 1,377 | #27 of 29 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 66.9% | #366 of 1,379 | #11 of 29 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.6% | #82 of 1,414 | #2 of 31 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +17.4% | #113 of 369 | #1 of 6 |
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
674
+102 (+18%) vs 2020
+45% since 1990-91, when it was 465
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
was 15.9:1
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 | 674 | 39.8 | 17.0:1 | 100% (671) |
| 2023-24 | 641 | 40.4 | 15.9:1 | 48% (306) |
| 2022-23 | 622 | 36.9 | 16.9:1 | 47% (291) |
| 2020-21 | 572 | 36 | 15.9:1 | 25% (143) |
| 2017-18 | 574 | 34.5 | 16.6:1 | 33% (191) |
| 2015-16 | 592 | 31 | 19.1:1 | 34% (202) |
| 2010-11 | 665 | 35 | 19.0:1 | 31% (208) |
| 2000-01 | 625 | 35 | 17.9:1 | 15% (96) |
| 1990-91 | 465 | 28 | 16.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for W A Bess Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 17% (574 to 674); teachers up 15% (34.5 to 39.8).
About W A Bess Elementary School
W A Bess Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Gastonia, North Carolina. The school runs pre-K through 5 and enrolls 674 students. Elementary schools in North Carolina average about 467 students, which makes this school 44% above average.
Gaston County Schools has 56 schools and 30,995 students, and W A Bess Elementary School is one of those schools.
More than half of enrollment at W A Bess Elementary School is White: 51%. Other groups make up 18% Black, 16% Hispanic, 8% Asian, and 6% multiracial. Gaston County as a whole is about 68% White, so the school's share is lower. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, W A Bess Elementary School scores 67%.
A staff of 39.8 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 17.0:1. The average for elementary schools in North Carolina, 14.9:1, is lower. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 100%. Compared with the 85% average for public schools in Gaston County, the school's rate is higher.
W A Bess Elementary School earns an A- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 83% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
W A Bess Elementary School beats its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results by 17.0 points (65.4% versus 48.4%), a top-10% result in North Carolina on BeatsExpectations.
American Community Survey estimates for Gaston County show that the median household earns about $67,478 a year, about 27% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. Gaston County has 61 public schools with about 35,898 students, including W A Bess Elementary School.
A public school about 0.3 miles away, Forestview High, is the closest to W A Bess Elementary School. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. On proficiency, W A Bess Elementary School is ahead of the 56.5% nearby average, ranking 4th of 8.
The school is in rural territory close to an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Fringe).
The school grew from 572 students in 2020-21 to 674 in 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio rising from 15.9:1 to 17.0:1.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at W A Bess Elementary School. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Gaston County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
234,881
Census ACS
Median income
$67,478
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
61
35,898 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Gaston County Schools
- Ashbrook HighHigh · 1,386 students
- Hunter Huss HighHigh · 1,165 students
- Forestview HighHigh · 1,133 students
- North Gaston HighHigh · 1,061 students
- South Point HighHigh · 989 students
- Cramerton MiddleMiddle · 959 students
Other schools in Gastonia
- Piedmont Community Charter SchoolCombined · 1,963 students
- Ashbrook HighHigh · 1,386 students
- Hunter Huss HighHigh · 1,165 students
- Forestview HighHigh · 1,133 students
- Pleasant Ridge ElementaryElementary · 887 students
- Southwest MiddleMiddle · 832 students
Nearby schools
- Forestview High0.3 mi · 1,133
- Hawks Nest STEAM Academy2.4 mi · 356
- Robinson Elementary2.4 mi · 420
- Piedmont Community Charter School3.0 mi · 1,963
- New Hope Elementary3.2 mi · 571
- Cramerton Middle3.6 mi · 959
Frequently asked questions
About W A Bess Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at W A Bess Elementary School?
W A Bess Elementary School enrolls approximately 674 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does W A Bess Elementary School serve?
W A Bess Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at W A Bess Elementary School?
Approximately 17.0:1 students per teacher at W A Bess Elementary School.
How diverse is W A Bess Elementary School?
W A Bess Elementary School reports a student body of 51% White, 16% Hispanic, 18% Black, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees W A Bess Elementary School?
W A Bess Elementary School is overseen by Gaston County Schools in Gaston County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.