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Alumni: what's one memory from Western Union Elementary that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
539
Elementary
DISTRICT 563 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·UNION COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 370462001810
Western Union Elementary
4111 Western Union Sch Rd, Waxhaw, NC 28173 · (704) 296-6355 · Union County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL539 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 37% 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.
- 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
14.6:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.2:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
41%
219 students
DISTRICT 50% · 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 | 60 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 84 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 95 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 96 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 99 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 105 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (60) is 43% smaller than its 5th grade class (105).
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · 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
52.2%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
63.8%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 52 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 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
57.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
66.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 66% 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 Western Union Elementary
Western Union Elementary's state test result (57.3% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Union Elementary this school | 539 | 40.6% | 57.3% |
| Vass-Lakeview Elementary Vass | 511 | 40.7% | 67.8% |
| Northwest Harnett Elementary Fuquay-Varina | 645 | 42.5% | 69.4% |
| Heyward C Bellamy Elem Wilmington | 533 | 41.1% | 78.8% |
| Bethel Elementary Midland | 611 | 43.4% | 72.2% |
| Rocky River Elementary Mooresville | 460 | 41.3% | N/A |
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 Western Union Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Union County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.3% | #588 of 1,297 | #25 of 29 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.8% | #509 of 1,296 | #23 of 27 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 52.2% | #541 of 1,300 | #19 of 29 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 539 | #498 of 1,485 | #16 of 32 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.6:1 | #622 of 1,377 | #14 of 31 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 55.1% | #867 of 1,379 | #18 of 31 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.6% | #1,221 of 1,414 | #16 of 30 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.8% | #522 of 937 | #13 of 18 |
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
539
+89 (+20%) vs 2020
+18% since 1990-91, when it was 457
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
was 13.2:1
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 | 539 | 37 | 14.6:1 | 41% (219) |
| 2023-24 | 576 | 36.8 | 15.7:1 | 39% (226) |
| 2022-23 | 553 | 35 | 15.8:1 | 39% (215) |
| 2020-21 | 450 | 34 | 13.2:1 | 26% (116) |
| 2017-18 | 611 | 37.5 | 16.3:1 | 31% (191) |
| 2015-16 | 704 | 47 | 15.0:1 | 35% (247) |
| 2010-11 | 429 | 28 | 15.3:1 | 45% (194) |
| 2000-01 | 603 | 37 | 16.3:1 | 33% (201) |
| 1990-91 | 457 | 23 | 19.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Western Union Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (611 to 539); teachers down 1% (37.5 to 37).
About Western Union Elementary
Western Union Elementary sits in Waxhaw, North Carolina, and is classified as an elementary school. It has an enrollment of 539 students in kindergarten through 5.
Western Union Elementary is among 52 schools run by Union County Public Schools, which serves 41,272 students.
The student body at Western Union Elementary is 63% White. The school is also 18% Hispanic, 12% Black, and 5% multiracial. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 55, compared with 70 nationally.
Western Union Elementary has 37 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.6:1. The average for elementary schools in North Carolina is about 14.9:1. The school has 41% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 41% average for public schools in Union County.
Western Union Elementary earns a C+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 37% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Western Union Elementary is 66.4%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 57.3%.
For the population of Union County, the median household earns about $102,900 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 41% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 6%. Across Union County, 58 public schools serve about 45,934 students.
A public school about 2.5 miles away, Waxhaw Elementary, is the closest to Western Union Elementary. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Nearby schools with test data average 73.7% proficiency; Western Union Elementary posts 57.3%.
By NCES locale, the school is Rural: Fringe, or in rural territory close to an urban area.
Over 4 years, enrollment rose by 89 students, from 450 to 539. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio increased from 13.2:1 to 14.6:1.
On allk12, people connected to Western Union Elementary can post about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Union County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
250,958
Census ACS
Median income
$102,900
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
41%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
58
45,934 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Union County Public Schools
- Marvin Ridge HighHigh · 1,961 students
- Weddington HighHigh · 1,899 students
- Cuthbertson HighHigh · 1,857 students
- Porter Ridge High SchoolHigh · 1,809 students
- Porter Ridge Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,447 students
- Weddington MiddleMiddle · 1,324 students
Other schools in Waxhaw
- Marvin Ridge HighHigh · 1,961 students
- Cuthbertson HighHigh · 1,857 students
- Cuthbertson MiddleMiddle · 1,323 students
- Marvin Ridge MiddleMiddle · 1,277 students
- Kensington ElementaryElementary · 901 students
- New Town ElementaryElementary · 691 students
Nearby schools
- Waxhaw Elementary2.5 mi · 615
- South Providence2.8 mi · 91
- Parkwood High3.7 mi · 1,082
- New Town Elementary3.8 mi · 691
- Parkwood Middle3.9 mi · 879
- Cuthbertson Middle4.4 mi · 1,323
Frequently asked questions
About Western Union ElementaryHow many students attend Western Union Elementary?
Western Union Elementary enrolls approximately 539 students in grades KG-05.
Is Western Union Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Western Union Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Union Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Western Union Elementary is approximately 14.6:1 (37 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Western Union Elementary?
At Western Union Elementary, the student body is approximately 63% White, 18% Hispanic, 12% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Western Union Elementary public or private?
Western Union Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Union County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.