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Riverside Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1180^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Riverside Elementary is a public elementary school located in Newland, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 108 students. The school is part of the Avery County Schools district, which is ranked 131 out of 242 districts in the state.

Riverside Elementary has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages in standardized test scores, with the largest gaps in 3rd and 4th grade Mathematics. The school's performance has fluctuated over the years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 635 out of 1,505 schools in 2023-2024 to 1,242 out of 1,514 schools in 2021-2022. This may be due to the high percentage of students from low-income families, with 97.22% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year.

Nearby schools, such as Banner Elk Elementary, Freedom Trail Elementary, and Newland Elementary, generally outperform Riverside Elementary in academic achievement, with higher proficiency rates in Mathematics, Reading, and Science. These schools also have lower percentages of students from low-income backgrounds. Addressing the specific needs of Riverside Elementary's student population and implementing targeted strategies may help the school improve its academic outcomes and provide a better educational experience for its students.

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,645

Per pupil spending ?

96.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8020 US 19E Hwy South
Newland, NC 28657-9452

(828) 737-5600

District: Avery County Schools

Students who attend Riverside Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cranberry Middle
High:	Avery County High

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.8%

Hispanic:

5.1%

African American:

3.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Riverside Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 48th percentile in 2015 → 21st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg57%

1,180^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 27 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to bottom 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Avery County Schools

131^st of 242Avery County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	1180 of 1490	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	56.9	635 of 1505	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.4	708 of 1502	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	21.2	1242 of 1514	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.1	800 of 1489	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.8	947 of 1473	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.8	612 of 1434	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	46.0	819 of 1429	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	59.6	566 of 1425	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.5	745 of 1440	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	36.1	913 of 1390	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.8	603 of 1403	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.9	582 of 1388	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	77.2	245 of 1381	82.3%	★★★★☆
2010	74.2	308 of 1363	77.4%	★★★★☆
2009	57.0	665 of 1354	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.0	620 of 1324	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	76.8	224 of 1293	82.7%	★★★★☆
2006	85.2	105 of 1276	91.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	59.4	552 of 1455	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.2	323 of 1405	77.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	71.6	294 of 1437	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.6	317 of 1332	76.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	71.9	341 of 1461	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	37.0	989 of 1430	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	1094 of 1413	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	10.3	1131 of 1172	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	863 of 1166	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	927 of 1183	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.3	1170 of 1194	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.4	976 of 1172	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	1107 of 1183	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.6	916 of 1178	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)80th percentile+27 vs school

Male (2023)77th percentile+24 vs school

Female (2024)62nd percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)3rd percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics44%-17 vs state

Science42%-20 vs state

Reading37%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Riverside Elementary

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
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8020 US 19E Hwy South	Newland	28657	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 737-5600	98	7	14.3	96.9%	89 (90.8%)	3 (3.1%)	5 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	25.1	1180^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.8%		56.9	635^th of 1505 public elementary schools	57.8%	545	26.3	40.0	75.0	36.8	30.0	41.7	41.7	$12,645	$1,329	$11,316
Mitchell Elementary School	Public	3-5	5035 S 226 Hwy Ste A	Bakersville	28705	Mitchell County	Mitchell County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 766-2070	373	25	15.1	98.4%	307 (82.3%)	1 (0.3%)	55 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.7%)								(n/a)	51.1	47.5	55.3	31.4	50.5	37.4	46.3
Crossnore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Walt Clark Road	Crossnore	28616	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 737-7204	184	15	12.1	98.4%	152 (82.6%)	1 (0.5%)	27 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	53.7	678^th of 1490 public elementary schools	54.5%		78.2	275^th of 1505 public elementary schools	81.7%	403	64.1	57.1	77.8	41.0	47.6	55.6	72.2	$12,666	$1,132	$11,534
Greenlee Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	2206 Carters Ridge Road	Spruce Pine	28777	Mitchell County	Mitchell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 766-9562	246	19	12.7	95.5%	194 (78.9%)	3 (1.2%)	38 (15.4%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)								(n/a)								$12,363	$1,195	$11,168
Gouge Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	134 Laurel Street	Bakersville	28705	Mitchell County	Mitchell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 766-2260	144	13	11.0	97.9%	135 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)								(n/a)								$11,440	$2,103	$9,338
Newland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	750 Linville Street	Newland	28657	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 733-4911	214	16	13.6	96.7%	121 (56.5%)	1 (0.5%)	91 (42.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	28.5	1110^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.5%		39.4	942^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	37.4%	168	27.3	34.8	54.5	30.3	56.5	48.5	51.5	$13,995	$1,835	$12,160
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
North Cove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 American Thread Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 756-4342	230	16	14.4	98.7%	174 (75.7%)	2 (0.9%)	37 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.4%)	25.3	1176^th of 1490 public elementary schools	21.1%		33.6	1036^th of 1505 public elementary schools	31.2%	140	50.0	26.1	42.4	41.3	52.2	33.3	48.5	$11,425	$1,369	$10,056
South Toe Elementary	Public	K-5	139 South Toe School Rd	Burnsville	28714	Yancey County	Yancey County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 675-4321	107	8	12.9	97.2%	89 (83.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.8%)	52.8	694^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.4%		83.7	189^th of 1505 public elementary schools	87.4%	505	45.0	65.0	64.0	55.0	55.0	48.0	64.0	$12,329	$1,937	$10,392
Banner Elk Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	155 Orchard Lane	Banner Elk	28604	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 737-5700	159	10	15.3	92.5%	139 (87.4%)	2 (1.3%)	14 (8.8%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	90.5	104^th of 1490 public elementary schools	93.0%		95	48^th of 1505 public elementary schools	96.8%	56	85.3	88.2	80.8	67.6	70.6	80.8	80.8	$11,831	$1,739	$10,092

Frequently Asked Questions about Riverside Elementary

Is Riverside Elementary a good school?

Riverside Elementary ranks in the bottom 20.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Riverside Elementary?

Students at Riverside Elementary are 91% White, 5% Hispanic, 3% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Riverside Elementary attend?

Students who attend Riverside Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cranberry Middle
High : Avery County High

How many students attend Riverside Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 98 students attended Riverside Elementary.

What district is Riverside Elementary in?

Avery County Schools

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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.