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Williams Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1248^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Williams Elementary is a public elementary school located in Swannanoa, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 465 students. The school is part of the Buncombe County Schools district, which is ranked 125 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Williams Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina elementary schools, with a ranking between 1063 and 1333 out of around 1500 schools over the past 5-10 years. The school's performance on state standardized tests is significantly below the Buncombe County and North Carolina averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in math at Williams Elementary was 35.9%, compared to 58.8% for Buncombe County and 64.1% for the state. The school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.7 to 13.5 students per teacher over the past few years, which is lower than the nearby schools. However, the school's per-student spending of $10,816 in 2018-2019 is lower than the spending at some of the higher-performing nearby schools, such as Fairview Elementary, which ranked in the top 10% of North Carolina elementary schools and had significantly higher proficiency rates in math, reading, and science compared to Williams Elementary.

While Williams Elementary's overall performance is low, the school has shown stronger results for its gifted and talented student subgroup, ranking in the top 25% of North Carolina elementary schools in this category in recent years. This indicates that the school may be able to effectively serve its high-achieving students, despite the challenges faced by the broader student population.

451

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,816

Per pupil spending ?

95.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

161 Bee Tree Road
Swannanoa, NC 28778-2339

(828) 686-3856

District: Buncombe County Schools

Students who attend Williams Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Owen Middle
High:	Center for Career Innovation
	Nesbitt Discovery Academy
	Owen High

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.7%

Hispanic:

32.2%

Two or more races:

6.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Williams Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 64th percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 48 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg56%

North Carolina avg57%

1,248^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 48 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 21Elementary Schools in the Buncombe County Schools

125^th of 242Buncombe County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	1248 of 1490	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	1210 of 1505	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	1333 of 1502	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	1192 of 1514	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.5	1063 of 1489	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.2	983 of 1473	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	818 of 1434	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.5	691 of 1429	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.1	636 of 1425	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	62.8	522 of 1440	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	48.4	730 of 1390	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	58.2	548 of 1403	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	38.8	961 of 1388	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	34.7	992 of 1381	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	44.1	860 of 1363	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.0	609 of 1354	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.3	577 of 1324	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	47.2	792 of 1293	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.0	730 of 1276	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	31.9	651 of 878	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.2	369 of 897	58.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	511 of 563	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	406 of 533	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	453 of 485	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	492 of 497	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.5	1303 of 1451	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	1284 of 1455	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	1359 of 1459	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1183 of 1458	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	1224 of 1440	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.8	1015 of 1424	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.7	693 of 1405	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.5	365 of 710	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.7	315 of 669	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	881 of 961	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	911 of 951	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	790 of 915	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	775 of 893	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.9	668 of 843	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	742 of 865	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.0	501 of 851	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.2	1227 of 1437	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	1291 of 1450	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	1368 of 1437	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	1024 of 1366	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.5	809 of 1329	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.9	869 of 1361	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.3	507 of 1332	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	1121 of 1450	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	1044 of 1464	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.7	1236 of 1461	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.3	1122 of 1464	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.3	874 of 1444	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	850 of 1430	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.7	906 of 1413	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.9	633 of 821	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.9	332 of 801	58.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.9	1042 of 1172	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	1046 of 1166	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	1158 of 1183	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.7	1155 of 1194	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	1102 of 1172	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.5	858 of 1183	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.3	904 of 1178	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Gifted and Talented (2025)49th percentile+32 vs school

Disabled (2019)26th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)23rd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)15th percentile~ school

White (2025)11th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)10th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)9th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)8th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science43%-19 vs state

Reading41%-11 vs state

Mathematics38%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Williams Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Williams Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	161 Bee Tree Road	Swannanoa	28778	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 686-3856	451	28	15.8	95.8%	251 (55.7%)	20 (4.4%)	145 (32.2%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	28 (6.2%)	21.7	1248^th of 1490 public elementary schools	16.2%		23.9	1210^th of 1505 public elementary schools	19.6%	38	35.9	47.0	33.3				40.2	54.5	30.9				43.2		$10,816	$1,108	$9,708
ArtSpace Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	2030 US Hwy 70	Swannanoa	28778	Buncombe County	ArtSpace Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 298-2787	402	31	12.7		339 (84.3%)	3 (0.7%)	28 (7.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.2%)	74	333^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	77.7%		61.2	560^th of 1505 public elementary schools	62.8%	227	52.6	78.7	63.0	60.0	51.1	44.2	57.9	85.1	65.2	68.0	70.2	65.1	76.1	69.8
Black Mountain Primary	Public	PK, KG-3	301 East State Street	Black Mountain	28711	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 669-2645	351	25	13.9	96.9%	273 (77.8%)	14 (4.0%)	45 (12.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.6%)								(n/a)	51.5						48.5								$11,702	$1,257	$10,444
Black Mountain Elementary	Public	4-5	100 Flat Creek Road	Black Mountain	28711	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 669-5217	163	11	15.2	96.9%	135 (82.8%)	7 (4.3%)	12 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.5%)	53	689^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.8%		57.6	622^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	58.7%	67		48.1	46.6					58.2	64.4				71.2		$10,935	$1,199	$9,736
Bell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	90 Maple Springs Road	Asheville	28805	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 298-3789	224	18	12.3	96.0%	151 (67.4%)	23 (10.3%)	24 (10.7%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (10.3%)	68.5	413^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.3%		55.1	660^th of 1505 public elementary schools	56.1%	247	58.3	61.8	69.2				61.1	58.8	66.7				74.4		$10,953	$1,366	$9,587
Evergreen Community Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	50 Bell Road	Asheville	28805	Buncombe County	Evergreen Community Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 298-2173	430	32	13.3	40.5%	353 (82.1%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (7.2%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (9.1%)	65.4	477^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.0%		66.5	461^st of 1505 public elementary schools	69.4%	16	46.8	47.9	62.7	79.1	62.0	63.0	61.7	62.5	60.8	79.1	64.0	87.0	72.5	84.8
Fairview Elementary	Public	K-5	1355 Charlotte Hwy	Fairview	28730	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 628-2732	646	38	16.8	97.4%	555 (85.9%)	8 (1.2%)	53 (8.2%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.9%)	84.9	176^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.2%		82.2	213^th of 1505 public elementary schools	85.8%	37	78.2	67.2	76.7				64.5	74.8	73.7				81.2		$10,427	$1,254	$9,173
Haw Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10 Bethesda Road	Asheville	28805	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 298-4022	402	33	12.3	99.3%	256 (63.7%)	61 (15.2%)	35 (8.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	45 (11.2%)	68.4	419^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.9%		61.2	559^th of 1505 public elementary schools	62.9%	140	63.8	60.4	51.7				65.2	77.1	60.3				75.9		$10,330	$1,007	$9,324
Oakley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	753 Fairview Road	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 274-7515	502	32	15.4	98.0%	203 (40.4%)	120 (23.9%)	123 (24.5%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.8%)	20.4	1273^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	14.6%		14.5	1369^th of 1505 public elementary schools	9.0%	96	26.5	45.8	22.1				30.1	59.7	32.4				47.1		$11,073	$1,338	$9,735
Ira B Jones Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	544 Kimberly Avenue	Asheville	28804	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 350-6700	369	27	13.5	54.5%	199 (53.9%)	97 (26.3%)	31 (8.4%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.5%)	24 (6.5%)	41.1	897^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.8%		60.1	581^st of 1505 public elementary schools	61.4%	316	43.5	48.1	53.3				43.5	63.0	51.1				57.8		$13,444	$825	$12,620

Frequently Asked Questions about Williams Elementary

Is Williams Elementary a good school?

Williams Elementary ranks in the bottom 16.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Williams Elementary?

Students at Williams Elementary are 56% White, 32% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Williams Elementary attend?

Students who attend Williams Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Owen Middle
High : Center for Career Innovation
High : Nesbitt Discovery Academy
High : Owen High

What district is Williams Elementary in?

Buncombe County Schools

How many students attend Williams Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 451 students attended Williams Elementary.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.