Best Public Schools in Hot Springs, NC

Summary:

The city of Hot Springs, North Carolina is home to a single standout elementary school, Hot Springs Elementary, which serves students in the Madison County Schools district. Despite serving a predominantly low-income student population, with 97.83% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Hot Springs Elementary has consistently demonstrated strong academic performance, ranking in the top 42% of North Carolina elementary schools in the 2024-2025 school year.

Hot Springs Elementary's performance on state standardized tests is generally above the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics and science. For example, in 5th grade math, 85.7% of students were proficient or better, compared to 63% for the district and 59.3% for the state. The school has also seen improvements in its statewide ranking over the past few years, moving from 383 out of 1,502 schools in 2022-2023 to 261 out of 1,505 schools in 2023-2024.

With a student-teacher ratio of 11.1 to 1 and per-student spending of $12,379 (2018-2019 school year), Hot Springs Elementary appears to be effectively supporting and educating its students, even in the face of socioeconomic challenges. While the school's overall performance is strong, there are a few areas where it lags behind the district and state, such as 3rd grade reading proficiency, which could be addressed to help the school continue to improve and better serve its students.

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
Hot Springs Elementary	Public	K-5	63 Serpentine Ave	Hot Springs	28743	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 622-3292	128	12	10.6	97.7%	114 (89.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.5%)	56.2	630^th of 1490 public elementary schools	57.7%		78.9	261^st of 1505 public elementary schools	82.7%	369	62.5	55.0	85.7	25.0	40.0	76.2	81.0	$12,379	$2,100	$10,279

Cities Near Hot Springs

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Marshall	8.67 mi	6	169^th
Leicester	15.86 mi	1	305^th
Mars Hill	17.85 mi	1	296^th
Weaverville	18.34 mi	6	89^th
Clyde	18.59 mi	3	66^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.