Elementary Schools in Watauga County Schools

Summary:

The Watauga County Schools district in North Carolina is home to 9 elementary schools, serving students from kindergarten through 5th grade. These schools demonstrate a range of academic performance, with some standouts like Blowing Rock Elementary and Parkway Elementary consistently ranking among the top elementary schools in the state, while others, such as Green Valley Elementary and Mabel Elementary, struggle with lower proficiency rates.

The data reveals significant performance gaps within the district, with some schools excelling in math, reading, and science, while others lag behind. This disparity may be linked to the socioeconomic status of the student population, as schools with higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students tend to have lower academic achievement. Additionally, the district's only virtual elementary school, Watauga Virtual Academy, appears to underperform compared to the brick-and-mortar schools.

Despite these challenges, the Watauga County Schools district is home to several high-performing elementary schools, such as Hardin Park Elementary, which consistently ranks in the top 20% of North Carolina elementary schools. The smaller schools, like Bethel Elementary, also benefit from lower student-teacher ratios, which may contribute to their ability to provide more individualized attention and support for students.

District Detail

175 Pioneer Trail
Boone, NC 28607

(828) 264-7190

SchoolDigger Rank:
39^th of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2025 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 4,658

Primary Schools: 9
Middle Schools: 0
High Schools: 2
Alternative Schools: 0

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
Bethel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	138 Bethel School Rd	Sugar Grove	28679	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2240	128	17	7.7	55.5%	115 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.0%)	60.8	550^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.1%		50.1	744^th of 1505 public elementary schools	50.6%	194	46.2	45.5	64.3	76.9	72.7	37.5	53.8	72.7	57.1	53.8	72.7	62.5	71.4	68.8	$14,795	$1,301	$13,494
Blowing Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	165 Morris Street	Blowing Rock	28605	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 295-3204	409	28	14.6	20.0%	371 (90.7%)	2 (0.5%)	25 (6.1%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.5%)	84.3	187^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.4%		85.2	176^th of 1505 public elementary schools	88.3%	11	84.9	86.7	75.0	76.6	93.9	78.0	58.5	76.7	64.6	72.3	87.9	87.8	70.8	92.5	$10,946	$628	$10,318
Cove Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	930 Vanderpool Rd	Vilas	28692	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2781	289	23	12.6	41.2%	252 (87.2%)	2 (0.7%)	22 (7.6%)	9 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	66.6	457^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.3%		69.3	420^th of 1505 public elementary schools	72.1%	37	57.1	84.8	65.4	78.9	68.0	58.6	42.9	57.6	65.4	57.9	48.0	70.0	57.7	73.3	$12,375	$859	$11,515
Green Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	189 Big Hill Road	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 264-3606	292	28	10.6	64.4%	254 (87.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (6.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.5%)	39.9	920^th of 1490 public elementary schools	38.3%		35.5	1006^th of 1505 public elementary schools	33.2%	86	50.0	40.6	40.6	56.7	62.1	64.1	50.0	50.0	53.1	56.7	51.7	71.8	53.1	71.8	$11,237	$1,247	$9,990
Hardin Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	361 Jefferson Road	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 264-8481	854	73	11.7	41.6%	599 (70.1%)	21 (2.5%)	143 (16.7%)	50 (5.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.3%)	72.7	350^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.5%		79.3	251^st of 1505 public elementary schools	83.3%	99	66.7	71.9	55.7	73.8	71.4	65.6	54.8	67.7	61.4	70.2	61.9	76.0	72.7	82.3	$11,487	$1,000	$10,486
Mabel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	404 Mabel School Road	Zionville	28698	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2512	140	16	8.8	66.4%	128 (91.4%)	1 (0.7%)	6 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	47.2	794^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.7%		40.8	918^th of 1505 public elementary schools	39.0%	124	66.7	60.0	72.7	56.3	72.7	57.1	40.0	50.0	36.4	43.8	63.6	50.0	63.6	64.3	$13,398	$1,416	$11,982
Parkway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	160 Parkway School Dr	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 264-3032	610	42	14.5	35.4%	503 (82.5%)	2 (0.3%)	76 (12.5%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.9%)	78.7	266^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.1%		78.6	271^st of 1505 public elementary schools	82.0%	5	66.2	65.7	76.5	75.4	70.8	67.5	47.8	70.0	75.0	72.5	66.7	74.0	85.3	77.9	$9,618	$414	$9,204
Valle Crucis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	175 Pioneer Trail	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 963-4712	345	27	12.5	40.3%	285 (82.6%)	4 (1.2%)	48 (13.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.7%)	66.4	462^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	69.0%		77.8	285^th of 1505 public elementary schools	81.1%	177	56.5	72.4	44.1	80.5	78.0	54.1	50.0	75.9	55.9	78.0	65.9	70.3	67.6	86.5	$10,351	$520	$9,831
Watauga Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	K-8	175 Pioneer Trail	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(828) 264-7190	10	6	4.0	50.0%	6 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (30.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Avery County Schools	10.09 mi	8	131^st
Two Rivers Community School	13.88 mi	1	43^rd
Marjorie Williams Academy	19.18 mi	1
Ashe County Schools	19.55 mi	6	53^rd
Mitchell County Schools	25.81 mi	6

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.