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Ray Childers Elementary

Q: Is Ray Childers Elementary a good school?

Ray Childers Elementary ranks 497 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

497^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Ray Childers Elementary is a PK–5 public school in Hickory, NC, serving about 460 students within Burke County Schools, not Hickory City Schools. The school's most distinctive strength is its success with students in poverty: about 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the school earns a stable three-star rating and ranks in the 67th percentile among North Carolina's 1,492 elementary schools. For three consecutive years, its economically disadvantaged students have performed in the 90th percentile or higher statewide — a top-decile outcome that very few high-poverty schools achieve.

Math is the school's clearest academic strength. In 5th grade, 79.7% of students scored proficient in math — the highest rate among nearby elementary schools in this review, above Icard Elementary (76.9%), Oakwood Elementary (73.6%), Mountain View Elementary (70.4%), and Granite Falls Elementary (68.8%) — and well above the state's 62.9%. Attendance is another bright spot: the chronic absenteeism rate at the school is 11.8%, about half the state average of 24.2% and dramatically lower than nearby Longview Elementary (29.3%) and Viewmont Elementary (23.1%).

Reading is the clearest area for growth. While reading scores are close to state averages in most grades, the gap with math within the school is hard to ignore: in 5th grade, 79.7% of students are proficient in math but only 57.8% are proficient in reading. Oakwood Elementary, a higher-ranked neighbor, shows what's possible, posting 78.3% 4th-grade reading proficiency versus 57.1% at Ray Childers. Inside the district, Icard Elementary ranks higher overall (81st vs. 67th percentile), though Ray Childers Elementary outpaces Icard in 4th-grade math (74% vs. 72.1%) and 5th-grade math (79.7% vs. 76.9%). Notably, spending doesn't explain the difference: Sawmills Elementary spends more per student yet ranks far lower. If the school can bring reading up to its math level, it has a clear path back to the top-quarter rankings it earned a decade ago.

460

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1183 Cape Hickory Road
Hickory, NC 28601

(828) 324-1340

District: Burke County Schools

Students who attend Ray Childers Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	East Burke Middle
High:	East Burke High

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.1%

Asian:

13.3%

Hispanic:

12.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Ray Childers Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 46th percentile in 2021 → 67th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (67% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 67th (2026) from a 46th-percentile low (2021)

✓Above the North Carolina median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg61%

497^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From top 18% (2016) to top 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

83^rd of 246Burke 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	65.5	497 of 1492	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.9	487 of 1490	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.7	514 of 1505	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.6	608 of 1502	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.1	807 of 1514	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.9	806 of 1489	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.1	570 of 1473	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.6	389 of 1434	72.9%	★★★★☆
2017	72.9	352 of 1429	75.4%	★★★★☆
2016	78.2	263 of 1425	81.5%	★★★★☆
2015	80.0	241 of 1440	83.3%	★★★★☆
2014	60.3	529 of 1390	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	75.5	293 of 1403	79.1%	★★★★☆
2012	67.1	459 of 1388	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.9	453 of 1381	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.2	527 of 1363	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.7	670 of 1354	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.3	614 of 1324	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.5	432 of 1293	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.8	559 of 1276	56.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	4.5	132 of 134	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	93 of 106	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	41.9	320 of 634	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.3	280 of 646	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.0	618 of 878	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	660 of 897	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.5	298 of 1447	79.4%	★★★★☆
2025	65.8	439 of 1451	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.1	516 of 1455	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.3	631 of 1459	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.0	762 of 1458	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.3	730 of 1440	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.0	608 of 1424	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.3	403 of 1405	71.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.2	332 of 743	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.1	391 of 710	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.5	279 of 669	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.0	102 of 582	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	40.4	386 of 494	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.3	188 of 612	69.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.1	207 of 981	78.9%	★★★★☆
2025	73.9	158 of 961	83.6%	★★★★☆
2023	67.5	210 of 915	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	53.8	351 of 893	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.9	682 of 843	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.6	141 of 1434	90.2%	★★★★★
2025	82.4	120 of 1437	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	81.1	142 of 1450	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	78.5	182 of 1437	87.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.5	364 of 1366	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	63.1	368 of 1329	72.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.7	249 of 1361	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	87.1	69 of 1332	94.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.3	662 of 1451	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.3	514 of 1450	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.6	520 of 1464	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.6	572 of 1461	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.8	808 of 1464	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.4	834 of 1444	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.4	530 of 1430	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.1	384 of 1413	72.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.0	417 of 815	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.9	209 of 801	73.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	726 of 1146	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.3	665 of 1172	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	695 of 1166	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.3	864 of 1183	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	1034 of 1194	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.7	969 of 1172	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.5	770 of 1183	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.1	637 of 1178	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2026)90th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)79th percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)79th percentile+12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)55th percentile-11 vs school

Male (2026)54th percentile-12 vs school

Disabled (2022)50th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)49th percentile-18 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile-30 vs school

Asian (2026)1st percentile-65 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science78%+10 vs state

Mathematics73%+9 vs state

Reading57%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Ray Childers 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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ray Childers Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1183 Cape Hickory Road	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 324-1340	460	29	15.7	99.3%	304 (66.1%)	6 (1.3%)	58 (12.6%)	61 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.5%)	65.5	497^th of 1492 public elementary schools	66.7%		64.9	487^th of 1490 public elementary schools	67.3%	10	65.2	74.0	79.7	55.1	57.1	57.8	78.1	$10,027	$1,439	$8,588
Hildebran Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	703 US Hwy 70 West	Hildebran	28637	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 397-3181	297	16	18.5	96.0%	225 (75.8%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (7.7%)	28 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (6.4%)	56.7	630^th of 1492 public elementary schools	57.8%		53.2	687^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.9%	57	56.5	63.0	61.0	54.3	69.6	51.2	80.5	$10,444	$1,872	$8,572
Icard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3087 Icard School Road	Connelly Springs	28612	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 397-3491	265	21	12.7	98.9%	188 (70.9%)	1 (0.4%)	32 (12.1%)	32 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.5%)	76.6	290^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.6%		58.5	588^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.5%	298	81.6	72.1	76.9	68.4	60.5	61.5	82.1	$9,629	$1,361	$8,268
Southwest Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	1580 32nd Street SW	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 324-8884	292	22	13.4	99.0%	91 (31.2%)	75 (25.7%)	73 (25.0%)	23 (7.9%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	27 (9.2%)								(n/a)								$10,139	$1,799	$8,340
Granite Falls Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	60 N Highland Avenue	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2222	647	35	18.4	99.2%	506 (78.2%)	22 (3.4%)	84 (13.0%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.3%)	70.8	399^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.3%		67.8	433^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	70.9%	34	69.0	75.2	68.8	60.9	70.9	59.1	73.1	$8,703	$796	$7,907
Longview Elementary	Public	3-5	737 12th Street SW	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 485-0975	269	18	14.8	98.9%	67 (24.9%)	62 (23.0%)	80 (29.7%)	31 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	28 (10.4%)	23.4	1216^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.5%		32.3	1052^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	29.4%	164	61.0	40.7	39.3	46.8	50.6	33.3	52.2	$10,424	$1,492	$8,933
Oakwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	366 4th Street NW	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 322-1340	336	20	16.9	99.1%	188 (56.0%)	59 (17.6%)	52 (15.5%)	10 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.0%)	73.8	344^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.9%		81.1	233^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	84.4%	111	63.3	78.3	73.6	57.1	78.3	64.2	77.4	$8,723	$1,106	$7,618
Viewmont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	21 16th Avenue NW	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 324-7049	509	30	16.9	99.4%	144 (28.3%)	129 (25.3%)	165 (32.4%)	15 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (11.0%)	11	1406^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.8%		17.1	1326^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.0%	80	52.3	26.5	33.8	40.7	33.7	32.4	35.2	$9,264	$1,086	$8,178
Sawmills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4436 Sawmills School Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2610	351	20	17.2	99.1%	272 (77.5%)	7 (2.0%)	46 (13.1%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.7%)	32.5	1049^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.7%		36.5	973^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	34.7%	76	51.0	35.4	58.8	51.0	52.1	52.9	55.9	$11,245	$974	$10,271
W M Jenkins Elementary	Public	K-5	3750 N Center Street	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 327-3491	276	18	15.4	98.9%	116 (42.0%)	35 (12.7%)	59 (21.4%)	18 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (17.4%)	48.3	762^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	48.9%		63.4	505^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.1%	257	62.2	57.9	64.1	55.6	54.4	46.2	69.2	$9,330	$894	$8,436

Frequently Asked Questions about Ray Childers Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Ray Childers Elementary?

Students at Ray Childers Elementary are 66% White, 13% Asian, 13% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Ray Childers Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 460 students attended Ray Childers Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Ray Childers Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ray Childers Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Burke Middle
High : East Burke High

What district is Ray Childers Elementary in?

Burke County Schools

Is Ray Childers Elementary a good school?

Ray Childers Elementary ranks 497^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Ray Childers Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.