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Elementary Schools in Rutherford County Schools

At a glance

DistrictRutherford County Schools71^st of 246 North Carolina districtsFull district overview →

Schools

3,313

Students

5-star school

Top rankedCliffside Elementary School85^th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Sunshine Elementary School up 217 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Cliffside Elementary School 14.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

Compare North Carolina districts →See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

The nine elementary schools in Rutherford County Schools, which generally serve grades PK–5 and enroll roughly 3,313 students across western North Carolina, all operate in a high-poverty context, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from about 95% to 99%. Rutherford County Schools itself earns a 4-star rating and ranks 71st out of 246 districts in North Carolina, yet its nine elementary schools individually span nearly the entire statewide spectrum — from Cliffside Elementary School's 94th percentile to Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School's 23rd percentile.

Cliffside Elementary School is the clear standout: the district's only 5-star elementary school, posting top scores across math, reading, and science even though it also has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 42.1%. Rutherfordton Elementary School is the most improved, climbing from the 63rd to the 88th percentile over three years. Ellenboro Elementary School achieves an 87th-percentile ranking while serving the largest enrollment at 567 students, and Sunshine Elementary School posts the district's highest single-grade scores — including 97% proficiency in 4th grade math — though its results fluctuate from year to year. Harris Elementary School also earns a 4-star rating at the 80th percentile, giving the district a notably strong top half.

At the other end of the spectrum, Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School dropped sharply from a 4-star, 82nd-percentile school to a 1-star, 23rd-percentile school in a single year, and now trails state averages in every tested subject. Spindale Elementary School has remained in the state's bottom half for three consecutive years. Districtwide, the biggest vulnerability is upper-elementary reading: 5th grade reading proficiency averages just 56.3%, barely above the state's 55.3%, with scores ranging from 36.2% at Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School to 83.3% at Cliffside. Strong early-grade performance, especially in math, is not consistently carrying through to 5th grade across the district.

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	—	265 (57.6%)	37 (8.0%)	92 (20.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (13.9%)	64.2	516^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.4%		62.6	521^st of 1490 public elementary schools	65.0%	5	81.3	69.5	62.1	67.2	66.1	36.2	74.1	94.4%	5.6%	$10,377	$1,479	$8,898
Cliffside Elementary School	Public	K-5	4016 US Hwy 221-A	Cliffside	28024	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 288-2235	188	13	14.9	94.7%	133 (70.7%)	11 (5.9%)	32 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.9%)	92	85^th of 1492 public elementary schools	94.3%		86.7	150^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.9%	65	90.9	82.6	79.2	91.2	73.9	83.3	87.5	100%	0%	$11,539	$1,925	$9,614
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	—	140 (30.5%)	161 (35.1%)	89 (19.4%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (13.3%)	27.8	1143^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	23.4%		72.3	357^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.0%	786	53.6	45.6	46.1	41.1	52.9	47.4	55.3	94.6%	2.7%	$12,235	$3,287	$8,948
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%)	84.1	188^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.4%		85.7	163^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	89.1%	25	88.0	83.5	82.1	62.6	80.0	60.3	83.3	99%	1%	$9,921	$1,677	$8,244
Harris Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3330 US 221 S Hwy	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 248-2354	434	27	16.1	95.9%	367 (84.6%)	5 (1.2%)	37 (8.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.3%)	76.5	294^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.3%		80.1	242^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	83.8%	52	91.1	74.3	69.7	80.4	57.1	64.5	77.6	90.4%	6.8%	$9,551	$1,364	$8,186
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%)	85.5	173^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	88.4%		74.7	320^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.5%	147	80.9	79.1	79.7	69.6	70.1	73.4	86.2	94.3%	5.7%	$10,825	$1,582	$9,243
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%)	40.5	899^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.7%		32.8	1040^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.2%	141	72.3	56.9	50.0	53.2	40.4	44.4	66.7	88.9%	1.6%	$10,759	$1,904	$8,854
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	—	197 (90.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	82.4	210^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.9%		68	427^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.3%	217	73.5	97.0	74.1	71.4	84.8	63.0	77.8	93.3%	0%	$12,481	$1,748	$10,733
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%)	53	680^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.4%		61.5	539^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.8%	141	91.8	69.5	54.5	73.5	61.0	39.4	53.0	92.1%	7.9%	$11,086	$1,573	$9,513

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy	3.7 mi	1
Cleveland County Schools	10.53 mi	28	82^nd
Polk County Schools	15.63 mi	7	57^th
Pinnacle Classical Academy	20.28 mi	1
Lake Lure Classical Academy	20.62 mi	1

See the top NC North Carolina districts

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.