Summary:
Crossnore, North Carolina, is served by a single public school: Crossnore Elementary, a PK–5 school in the Avery County Schools district with 184 students and no middle or high schools within the city. The school currently sits at the 53rd percentile statewide (699th of 1,492 schools, 3 stars) for 2025–26, a step down from 2023–24 when it ranked in the top 20% (275th of 1,505 schools, 4 stars). Crossnore Elementary serves a high-poverty population — 98.37% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch — yet posts an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 5.3%, far below the district's 20.2% and the state's 24.2%. The student-teacher ratio is a favorable 12.1, and per-student spending was $12,666 in 2018–19.
Academically, the school's strengths are in upper-grade math and science. In the most recent testing year, 5th grade math proficiency reached 84%, which is 21.1 points above the state and 9.8 points above the district. Fifth grade science proficiency hit 80%, 12.3 points above the state and 18.7 points above the district. Across grades 3–5, average math proficiency is 71.2%, matching the district (71.3%) and outpacing the state (63.6%). For a school where nearly all students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, these are meaningful achievements.
Reading is the school's biggest concern. Proficiency trails the district and state in every tested grade, with the widest gap in 3rd grade — just 32.3% proficient versus 55.6% statewide, a 23.3-point difference. Reading in 4th and 5th grade also trails the district and state, and overall reading proficiency across grades 3–5 is 44.3% versus 54.8% for the district and 56.2% for the state. Because enrollment is small, year-to-year test swings can stem from just a few students, so changes should be interpreted cautiously. The bottom line: Crossnore Elementary combines excellent attendance, strong 5th grade math and science, and an urgent opportunity to improve early-grade reading.
Thank you for your feedback!