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Sunshine Elementary School

Q: Is Sunshine Elementary School a good school?

Sunshine Elementary School ranks 427 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

427^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Sunshine Elementary School is a public elementary school in Bostic, North Carolina, serving 197 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Rutherford County Schools district, which is ranked 73 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Sunshine Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in North Carolina, maintaining a 4 or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school outperforms the district and state averages in key academic areas, including mathematics, reading, and science proficiency. Notably, Sunshine Elementary has shown exceptional performance among specific student subgroups, such as female students, low socioeconomic status students, and disabled students, often ranking in the top 10-20% of North Carolina elementary schools for these subgroups. Despite having a high-poverty student population, with 97-98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-lunch, Sunshine Elementary spends a relatively high amount per student, suggesting efficient resource allocation and utilization.

While Sunshine Elementary outperforms the district and state in many areas, some nearby schools within the same district, such as Harris Elementary and Ellenboro Elementary, also demonstrate strong academic performance. These nearby schools may provide valuable insights into the factors contributing to Sunshine Elementary's consistent success in delivering high-quality education to its students, even in the face of significant socioeconomic challenges.

217

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,481

Per pupil spending ?

98.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

231 Toney Road
Bostic, NC 28018-9802

(828) 245-0658

District: Rutherford County Schools

Students who attend Sunshine Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	East Rutherford Middle School
High:	East Rutherford High School
	Rutherford Early College High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.8%

Hispanic:

4.6%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Sunshine Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2015 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (65% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

District avg66%

North Carolina avg57%

427^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Rutherford County Schools

73^rd of 242Rutherford 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	68.0	427 of 1490	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	340 of 1505	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	92.4	85 of 1502	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	77.6	280 of 1514	81.5%	★★★★☆
2021	76.9	288 of 1489	80.7%	★★★★☆
2019	88.0	117 of 1473	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	85.9	148 of 1434	89.7%	★★★★☆
2017	81.3	202 of 1429	85.9%	★★★★☆
2016	79.2	241 of 1425	83.1%	★★★★☆
2015	77.0	291 of 1440	79.8%	★★★★☆
2014	61.9	510 of 1390	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	67.0	411 of 1403	70.7%	★★★★☆
2012	80.5	196 of 1388	85.9%	★★★★☆
2011	75.4	283 of 1381	79.5%	★★★★☆
2010	71.7	360 of 1363	73.6%	★★★★☆
2009	67.1	458 of 1354	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	77.5	229 of 1324	82.7%	★★★★☆
2007	79.7	181 of 1293	86.0%	★★★★☆
2006	75.3	246 of 1276	80.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	86.3	45 of 878	94.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	87.9	113 of 1459	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	73.0	330 of 1458	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	80.8	213 of 1440	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	85.6	129 of 1424	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	89.9	75 of 1405	94.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.0	327 of 1437	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	68.2	349 of 1450	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	97.6	10 of 1437	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	77.0	181 of 1366	86.7%	★★★★☆
2021	70.1	254 of 1329	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	89.5	58 of 1361	95.7%	★★★★★
2018	81.7	138 of 1332	89.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	57.1	598 of 1450	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.3	368 of 1464	74.9%	★★★★☆
2023	92.6	66 of 1461	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	71.8	358 of 1464	75.5%	★★★★☆
2021	65.9	456 of 1444	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	86.1	148 of 1430	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	199 of 1413	85.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	46.8	657 of 1172	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.0	469 of 1166	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	81.8	157 of 1183	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	53.5	564 of 1194	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.7	534 of 1172	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.3	284 of 1183	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	71.1	321 of 1178	72.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2019)95th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2023)92nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)77th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)59th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)44th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science76%+14 vs state

Mathematics69%+8 vs state

Reading58%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sunshine Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sunshine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	231 Toney Road	Bostic	28018	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 245-0658	217	13	16.4	98.6%	197 (90.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	68	427^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.3%		74.1	340^th of 1505 public elementary schools	77.4%	87	82.1	48.1	76.0	57.1	51.9	64.0	76.0	$12,481	$1,748	$10,733
Mt. Vernon-Ruth Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2785 Hudlow Road	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 287-4792	231	13	17.6	98.7%	182 (78.8%)	8 (3.5%)	15 (6.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (10.8%)	56.7	616^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.7%		61.9	545^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.8%	71	78.4	46.2	67.6	37.8	53.8	51.4	83.8	$11,338	$1,542	$9,796
Ellenboro Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	813 Piney Mountain Church Rd	Ellenboro	28040	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 453-8185	567	30	18.7	97.4%	437 (77.1%)	36 (6.3%)	42 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (9.2%)	85.7	163^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	89.1%		78.8	263^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	82.5%	100	87.5	75.9	79.8	67.5	70.9	62.9	78.9	$9,921	$1,677	$8,244
Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	286 Learning Parkway	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 245-4978	459	25	18.4	98.3%	140 (30.5%)	161 (35.1%)	89 (19.4%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (13.3%)	72.3	357^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.0%		78	278^th of 1505 public elementary schools	81.5%	79	75.8	91.4	55.7	56.1	82.7	44.3	67.2	$12,235	$3,287	$8,948
Spindale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	161 N Oak St	Spindale	28160	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 286-2861	337	20	16.4	95.3%	168 (49.9%)	96 (28.5%)	39 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (10.1%)	32.8	1040^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.2%		40.7	919^th of 1505 public elementary schools	38.9%	121	67.4	45.3	56.9	46.5	38.5	40.4	37.9	$10,759	$1,904	$8,854
Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Forrest Hunt Drive	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 245-2161	460	24	19.2	98.3%	265 (57.6%)	37 (8.0%)	92 (20.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (13.9%)	62.6	521^st of 1490 public elementary schools	65.0%		63.8	511^th of 1505 public elementary schools	66.0%	10	78.5	63.9	70.1	58.5	55.7	47.8	58.2	$10,377	$1,479	$8,898
Pinnacle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1204 Painters Gap Road	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 287-3440	254	16	16.0	96.5%	209 (82.3%)	14 (5.5%)	22 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	61.5	539^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.8%		61.4	554^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.2%	15	84.8	61.5	53.7	57.6	53.8	58.5	63.4	$11,086	$1,573	$9,513
Casar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	436 School House Road	Casar	28020	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8255	275	19	14.2	98.9%	238 (86.5%)	7 (2.5%)	23 (8.4%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	82.5	206^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.2%		79.1	256^th of 1505 public elementary schools	83.0%	50	87.2	64.6	92.1	53.2	70.8	65.8	92.1	$11,433	$1,395	$10,038
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1440 Union Church Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8250	413	30	13.6	99.3%	248 (60.0%)	95 (23.0%)	27 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.7%)	56.9	613^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.9%		52.7	704^th of 1505 public elementary schools	53.2%	91	76.2	58.4	73.4	36.5	49.4	54.7	68.8	$10,135	$1,538	$8,597
Rutherfordton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	201 Bob Hardin Road	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 287-3778	397	24	16.4	95.2%	279 (70.3%)	34 (8.6%)	38 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (11.6%)	74.7	320^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.5%		61.3	555^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.1%	235	87.1	80.6	63.1	61.3	77.4	60.0	54.5	$10,825	$1,582	$9,243

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunshine Elementary School

What district is Sunshine Elementary School in?

Rutherford County Schools

Is Sunshine Elementary School a good school?

Sunshine Elementary School ranks 427^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Sunshine Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Sunshine Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Rutherford Middle School
High : East Rutherford High School
High : Rutherford Early College High School

What is the racial makeup of Sunshine Elementary School?

Students at Sunshine Elementary School are 91% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Sunshine Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 217 students attended Sunshine Elementary School.

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Schools in Bostic, NC

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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.