Best Public Schools in Elk Park, NC

Summary:

The city of Elk Park, North Carolina is home to two schools: Freedom Trail Elementary and Cranberry Middle, both part of the Avery County Schools district. While the middle school has consistently performed well, the elementary school has seen a decline in its statewide ranking in recent years.

Cranberry Middle stands out as the top-performing school in the area, ranking in the top 25-30% of North Carolina middle schools over the past 3 years. The school maintains a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and has test scores that generally exceed the county and state averages, particularly in math. In contrast, Freedom Trail Elementary has seen its statewide ranking drop from 272 out of 1,502 elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 500 out of 1,490 in 2024-2025, with 3rd grade math and reading scores below the county and state averages.

Both schools serve a high-poverty student population, with over 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Per-student spending is similar between the two schools, around $12,000 per student. While Cranberry Middle has seen stronger performance in math compared to reading, Freedom Trail Elementary has more balanced results across subject areas, with 5th grade science proficiency rates exceeding the state average.

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
Cranberry Middle	Public	6-8	6230 North US Highway 19E	Elk Park	28622	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 733-2932	202	18	11.3	96.0%	185 (91.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	67.4	227^th of 773 public middle schools	70.6%		70.5	205^th of 793 public middle schools	74.1%	22				83.6	58.5	44.3				74.6	66.2	49.2		59.0	$11,973	$1,132	$10,841
Freedom Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6110 North US Hwy 19E	Elk Park	28622	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 733-2932	202	15	13.0	94.1%	178 (88.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	64	500^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.4%		77.5	287^th of 1505 public elementary schools	80.9%	213	40.0	73.7	80.6				40.0	68.4	71.0				71.0		$12,077	$1,306	$10,771

Cities Near Elk Park

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Banner Elk	5.74 mi	1	7^th
Newland	6.73 mi	5	399^th
Boone	10.13 mi	8	100^th
Sugar Grove	10.14 mi	1	91^st
Crossnore	10.5 mi	1	211^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.