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Pisgah Elementary

Q: Is Pisgah Elementary a good school?

Pisgah Elementary ranks 506 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-4

506^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 66% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Pisgah Elementary is a very small K-4 school in Candler, NC, serving 162 students within the Buncombe County Schools district. Because the school only runs through 4th grade, its state ranking is based entirely on 3rd and 4th grade reading and math results. In the most recent year, Pisgah ranked 506th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, landing in the 66th percentile with a 3-star rating—a solid result that sits comfortably above the district's overall 56th-percentile ranking.

Math is clearly the school's strongest subject. Pisgah exceeded both district and state proficiency in every math category, with 75.9% of 3rd graders and 73.8% of 4th graders scoring proficient. Reading is the relative weak spot: 3rd grade reading (58.6%) roughly matched the district and edged out the state, but 4th grade reading (54.8%) trailed both by several points. The closest nearby comparison is Candler Elementary, about 3 miles away and serving a similarly high-need population. Pisgah outperformed Candler in 3rd and 4th grade math and in 3rd grade reading, though Candler posted a slightly higher 4th grade reading score. Hominy Valley Elementary ranks a bit higher overall—448th versus 506th—and its advantage is almost entirely in reading.

Pisgah serves a very high-poverty population, with 98.15% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, yet its results are notably stronger than many comparable schools. Its low-income students rank in the 65th percentile statewide, an unusual achievement for a school with this economic profile. The school also has a low student-teacher ratio of 11.5 to 1 and above-average per-pupil spending of $13,649. Chronic absenteeism (19.4%) is better than the state average of 24.2% but trails stronger nearby peers like Hominy Valley (12.5%) and North Canton Elementary (12.7%). Historically, Pisgah has reached higher—it earned a 5-star rating in 2017-2018 and a 4-star rating as recently as 2021-2022—though its small cohorts of roughly 30 students per grade make year-to-year swings inevitable. Still, the current rebound, especially in math, suggests a school that is exceeding expectations despite significant economic challenges.

162

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

78.8%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 15.2% (any vaccine)

1495 Pisgah Hwy
Candler, NC 28715-9114

(828) 670-5023

District: Buncombe County Schools

Students who attend Pisgah Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Enka Middle
High:	Center for Career Innovation
	Enka High
	Nesbitt Discovery Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.7%

Hispanic:

19.8%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Pisgah Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (66% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (66th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school66%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg60%

506^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From top 12% (2016) to top 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

109^th of 246Buncombe 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
2026	65.0	506 of 1492	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.5	718 of 1490	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.9	687 of 1505	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.5	538 of 1502	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.1	435 of 1514	71.3%	★★★★☆
2021	43.7	809 of 1489	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.6	356 of 1473	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	90.3	91 of 1434	93.7%	★★★★★
2017	67.4	451 of 1429	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	84.2	167 of 1425	88.3%	★★★★☆
2015	88.4	114 of 1440	92.1%	★★★★★
2014	85.2	166 of 1390	88.1%	★★★★☆
2013	83.7	174 of 1403	87.6%	★★★★☆
2012	74.7	305 of 1388	78.0%	★★★★☆
2011	72.8	346 of 1381	74.9%	★★★★☆
2010	68.3	428 of 1363	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	80.4	193 of 1354	85.7%	★★★★☆
2008	74.9	274 of 1324	79.3%	★★★★☆
2007	82.6	126 of 1293	90.3%	★★★★★
2006	86.8	83 of 1276	93.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.8	456 of 1447	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.3	859 of 1451	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.9	532 of 1455	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.6	494 of 1459	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.9	425 of 1458	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	25.2	1091 of 1440	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	86.7	115 of 1424	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	77.2	273 of 1405	80.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.0	496 of 1434	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.9	432 of 1437	69.9%	★★★★☆
2024	50.5	687 of 1450	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.7	481 of 1437	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.8	182 of 1366	86.7%	★★★★☆
2021	46.0	670 of 1329	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	81.6	139 of 1361	89.8%	★★★★☆
2018	96.2	11 of 1332	99.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.5	572 of 1451	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.5	512 of 1450	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.9	785 of 1464	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.7	549 of 1461	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.5	429 of 1464	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	73.4	344 of 1444	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	54.7	662 of 1430	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	92.6	50 of 1413	96.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	471 of 1146	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.6	658 of 1172	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	736 of 1166	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.3	637 of 1183	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.7	576 of 1194	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.4	1025 of 1172	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.0	533 of 1183	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.7	243 of 1178	79.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)68th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)65th percentile~ school

Male (2026)61st percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)59th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics75%+11 vs state

Reading56%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Pisgah Elementary

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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
Pisgah Elementary	Public	K-4	1495 Pisgah Hwy	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 670-5023	162	14	11.5	—	121 (74.7%)	1 (0.6%)	32 (19.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.3%)	65	506^th of 1492 public elementary schools	66.1%		51.5	718^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.8%	212	75.9	73.8		58.6	54.8			78.8%	15.2%	$13,649	$1,435	$12,214
Candler Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	121 Candler School Road	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 670-5018	381	28	13.8	—	260 (68.2%)	20 (5.2%)	90 (23.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.6%)	52	691^st of 1492 public elementary schools	53.7%		62.7	519^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.2%	172	64.6	63.4		52.4	57.7			92%	5.7%	$11,201	$1,431	$9,770
Hominy Valley Elementary	Public	K-4	450 Enka Lake Road	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 665-0619	399	27	14.5	—	325 (81.5%)	6 (1.5%)	58 (14.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	68.6	448^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.0%		60.5	555^th of 1490 public elementary schools	62.8%	107	75.3	63.9		72.6	59.8			98.1%	1.9%	$10,305	$880	$9,425
Meadowbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Morningstar Rd	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3445	198	12	16.7	98.0%	170 (85.9%)	6 (3.0%)	17 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	38.4	933^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	37.5%		35.2	996^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.2%	63	61.8	50.0	37.5	61.8	53.6	31.3	56.3	83.9%	16.1%	$11,254	$1,792	$9,462
Sand Hill-Venable Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	154 Sand Hill School Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 670-5028	590	39	14.9	98.0%	311 (52.7%)	43 (7.3%)	213 (36.1%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.9%)	36.1	979^th of 1492 public elementary schools	34.4%		31.2	1069^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.3%	90	49.5	55.7		45.9	57.5			87.9%	6.6%	$11,842	$1,597	$10,245
North Canton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	60 Thompson St	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3444	332	20	16.8	—	283 (85.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.5%)	71.6	386^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.1%		72.1	361^st of 1490 public elementary schools	75.8%	25	81.1	74.0	63.0	69.8	66.0	60.9	67.4	100%	0%	$11,227	$1,320	$9,907
Johnston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	230 Johnston Boulevard	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 232-4291	217	17	12.4	—	74 (34.1%)	41 (18.9%)	87 (40.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	12 (5.5%)	22	1247^th of 1492 public elementary schools	16.4%		6.7	1450^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.7%	203	48.9	50.0		29.8	53.1			90%	2.5%	$14,890	$1,958	$12,932
Avery's Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	15 Park South Boulevard	Arden	28704	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 654-1810	557	37	15.2	—	219 (39.3%)	56 (10.1%)	221 (39.7%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	51 (9.2%)	35.1	1000^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.0%		32	1059^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.9%	59	54.8	53.7		54.8	44.4			92.7%	5.5%	$11,019	$1,138	$9,880
Bethel Elementary	Public	K-5	4700 Old River Road	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3448	537	31	17.5	—	480 (89.4%)	2 (0.4%)	39 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.8%)	68.2	454^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.6%		78	279^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.3%	175	73.4	59.4	81.6	57.4	57.3	62.1	87.4	95.9%	2.7%	$9,186	$1,048	$8,138
Lucy S. Herring Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	98 Sulphur Springs Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 350-6600	255	22	11.4	46.3%	173 (67.8%)	33 (12.9%)	29 (11.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.5%)	63	535^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.1%		69	408^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.6%	127	63.0	73.6	59.6	60.9	78.8	48.9	72.3	83%	6.4%	$13,509	$1,024	$12,485

Frequently Asked Questions about Pisgah Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Pisgah Elementary?

Students at Pisgah Elementary are 75% White, 20% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Pisgah Elementary in?

Buncombe County Schools

What schools do graduates of Pisgah Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pisgah Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Enka Middle
High : Center for Career Innovation
High : Enka High
High : Nesbitt Discovery Academy

Is Pisgah Elementary a good school?

Pisgah Elementary ranks 506^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pisgah Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 162 students attended Pisgah Elementary.

Rate Pisgah Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.