Best Public Schools in Arden, NC

Summary:

The city of Arden, North Carolina is home to three schools: two elementary schools, Avery's Creek Elementary and Glen Arden Elementary, as well as one middle school, Valley Springs Middle. These schools serve the Buncombe County Schools district, which encompasses the Arden area.

Among the three schools, Glen Arden Elementary stands out as the top performer, consistently ranking among the top 25% of elementary schools in North Carolina and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. In the 2024-2025 school year, Glen Arden had significantly higher proficiency rates in Math and Reading compared to the Buncombe County and North Carolina averages, with 77.7% of 3rd graders proficient in Math, compared to 58.8% for the county and 64.1% for the state. Additionally, Glen Arden has the lowest student-teacher ratio (13:1) among the three schools, which may contribute to its strong academic performance.

In contrast, Avery's Creek Elementary appears to be the weakest performer, ranking in the bottom 30% of North Carolina elementary schools and having lower proficiency rates than the county and state averages. The three schools also have significant disparities in per-student spending, with Glen Arden Elementary spending $10,263 per student, Avery's Creek Elementary spending $11,019 per student, and Valley Springs Middle spending $11,876 per student. Additionally, all three schools have very high rates of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, over 99%, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage in the Arden area.

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 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Glen Arden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	50 Pinehurst Circle	Arden	28704	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 654-1800	505	37	13.6	95.8%	351 (69.5%)	25 (5.0%)	73 (14.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	50 (9.9%)	81.8	222^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	85.1%		86.2	164^th of 1505 public elementary schools	89.1%	58	77.7	67.9			63.8	73.8				$10,263	$832	$9,431
Valley Springs Middle	Public	5-8	224 Long Shoals Road	Arden	28704	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 654-1785	654	46	14.3	99.5%	335 (51.2%)	71 (10.9%)	176 (26.9%)	21 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	45 (6.9%)	62.6	265^th of 773 public middle schools	65.7%		57.1	312^th of 793 public middle schools	60.7%	47			60.1	60.8			56.4	51.8	64.6	$11,876	$1,485	$10,391
Avery's Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	15 Park South Boulevard	Arden	28704	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 654-1810	557	37	15.2	99.5%	219 (39.3%)	56 (10.1%)	221 (39.7%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	51 (9.2%)	32	1059^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.9%		41.8	896^th of 1505 public elementary schools	40.5%	163	48.1	53.1			39.6	46.9				$11,019	$1,138	$9,880

Cities Near Arden

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Asheville	1.26 mi	34	247^th
Fletcher	3.43 mi	3	126^th
Mills River	4.83 mi	2	14^th
Fairview	7 mi	1	23^rd
Hendersonville	7.39 mi	14	174^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

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.