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Baton Elementary

Q: Is Baton Elementary a good school?

Baton Elementary ranks 654 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

654^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 56% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Baton Elementary is a pre-kindergarten through 5th-grade school in Granite Falls, NC, serving roughly 357 students, with nearly all families in this Caldwell County community qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school holds a three-star rating and ranked in the 56th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools in 2025–26 — comfortably above its home district, Caldwell County Schools, a two-star district in the 34th percentile statewide. Baton also outperforms most nearby elementaries, including Sawmills Elementary, Whitnel Elementary, and Gamewell Elementary, and it has finished ahead of Hudson Elementary in recent years. Only Granite Falls Elementary, at the 73rd percentile, consistently ranks higher among local schools.

Baton’s clearest academic strength is 3rd grade. In 2025–26, 78.7% of 3rd graders scored proficient in math — nearly 25 points above the district and more than 12 points above the state — and 66.0% were proficient in reading, well ahead of the 55.6% state average. The school also posts strong results for its economically disadvantaged students, who ranked in the 58th percentile statewide in 2025–26 after two straight years in the high 70s. Chronic absenteeism has dropped sharply, from 36.1% in 2021–22 to 18.0% in 2024–25, below both the district (23.2%) and state (24.2%). A favorable 15.4:1 student-teacher ratio means class sizes are lower than at many nearby schools.

Scores tend to cool after 3rd grade: 4th-grade math and reading proficiency (53.8% and 50.0%) trailed the state in 2025–26, though 5th-grade math rebounded to 61.2% after a difficult 2023–24, and 5th-grade science has stayed near 70% for four straight years. Subgroup data show volatility common in small schools — female students fell to the 39th percentile, and the Gifted/Talented group ranked in the 10th percentile in 2025–26. Still, the school remains a stable, middle-to-upper-performing elementary with standout early-grade instruction, strong low-income outcomes, and meaningful attendance gains.

357

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1400 Baton School Road
Granite Falls, NC 28630-9250

(828) 728-9531

District: Caldwell County Schools

Students who attend Baton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hudson Middle
High:	South Caldwell High

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.9%

Hispanic:

8.1%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Baton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 64th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg53%

North Carolina avg61%

654^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

162^nd of 246Caldwell 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	55.0	654 of 1492	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.0	564 of 1490	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.8	568 of 1505	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	672 of 1502	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.4	651 of 1514	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.8	428 of 1489	71.3%	★★★★☆
2019	64.8	487 of 1473	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	655 of 1434	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.4	709 of 1429	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.1	511 of 1425	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.3	678 of 1440	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	70.0	390 of 1390	71.9%	★★★★☆
2013	63.5	462 of 1403	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	79.0	233 of 1388	83.2%	★★★★☆
2011	84.3	136 of 1381	90.2%	★★★★★
2010	70.2	390 of 1363	71.4%	★★★★☆
2009	74.8	300 of 1354	77.8%	★★★★☆
2008	79.0	204 of 1324	84.6%	★★★★☆
2007	75.8	243 of 1293	81.2%	★★★★☆
2006	74.2	272 of 1276	78.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	47.3	267 of 646	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.5	472 of 897	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.9	889 of 1447	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	63.2	486 of 1451	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	633 of 1455	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.6	611 of 1459	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.3	708 of 1458	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.0	578 of 1440	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.3	607 of 1424	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.9	725 of 1405	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.6	671 of 743	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	51.9	443 of 669	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.6	306 of 500	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	67.3	152 of 494	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.3	605 of 1434	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.0	312 of 1437	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	333 of 1450	77.0%	★★★★☆
2023	63.4	436 of 1437	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.6	456 of 1366	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	76.2	188 of 1329	85.9%	★★★★☆
2019	77.6	191 of 1361	86.0%	★★★★☆
2018	65.3	388 of 1332	70.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.6	460 of 1451	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.6	635 of 1450	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.3	486 of 1464	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	697 of 1461	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	596 of 1464	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	76.3	294 of 1444	79.6%	★★★★☆
2019	68.8	395 of 1430	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	61.3	540 of 1413	61.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.7	835 of 1146	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.7	832 of 1172	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.8	783 of 1166	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.4	908 of 1183	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.5	881 of 1194	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.3	730 of 1172	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.0	782 of 1183	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.2	885 of 1178	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)68th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2021)59th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)58th percentile~ school

Female (2026)39th percentile-18 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile-29 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)10th percentile-46 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science69%~ state avg

Mathematics64%~ state avg

Reading56%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Baton 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
Baton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Baton School Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-9531	357	23	15.4	99.2%	303 (84.9%)	6 (1.7%)	29 (8.1%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	55	654^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.2%		60	564^th of 1490 public elementary schools	62.1%	90	78.7	53.8	61.2	66.0	50.0	53.1	69.4	$9,953	$1,175	$8,778
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
Hudson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Roy Coffey Drive	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-3712	665	34	19.4	97.0%	506 (76.1%)	17 (2.6%)	88 (13.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (7.5%)	60.1	573^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	61.6%		56.3	629^th of 1490 public elementary schools	57.8%	56	66.0	56.6	74.0	53.4	51.6	69.2	80.0	$9,567	$1,023	$8,544
Valdese Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	298 Praley Street	Valdese	28690	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 874-0704	530	30	17.8	99.4%	422 (79.6%)	11 (2.1%)	44 (8.3%)	25 (4.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (4.5%)	59.4	593^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	60.3%		56.5	623^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	58.2%	30	62.2	53.3	78.7	62.2	45.6	60.6	81.9	$8,594	$1,111	$7,483
Gamewell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2904 Morganton Boulevard	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 758-1193	459	27	16.8	99.3%	320 (69.7%)	40 (8.7%)	49 (10.7%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (10.0%)	16.5	1343^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	10.0%		25.2	1179^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.9%	164	42.9	45.8	27.5	38.6	54.2	33.8	37.5	$9,383	$1,070	$8,312
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
Whitnel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1425 Berkley Street SW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-6423	330	16	20.0	94.8%	196 (59.4%)	27 (8.2%)	79 (23.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.6%)	15.2	1360^th of 1492 public elementary schools	8.8%		26.5	1146^th of 1490 public elementary schools	23.1%	214	46.3	30.6	40.5	34.1	36.1	42.9	54.8	$11,973	$1,307	$10,666
Drexel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Alta Vista Street	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 437-3160	477	29	16.4	98.7%	316 (66.2%)	23 (4.8%)	55 (11.5%)	41 (8.6%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	35 (7.3%)	72.2	375^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.9%		51	733^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	50.8%	358	75.3	76.2	66.2	62.4	74.6	57.4	75.0	$9,435	$1,433	$8,002
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
Davenport A+ School	Public	PK, KG-5	901 College Avenue SW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-6941	429	25	17.4	99.3%	163 (38.0%)	56 (13.1%)	162 (37.8%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (10.3%)	31.8	1060^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.0%		41.7	886^th of 1490 public elementary schools	40.5%	174	44.3	45.9	59.2	41.4	45.9	52.1	63.4	$9,609	$958	$8,651

Frequently Asked Questions about Baton Elementary

How many students attend Baton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 357 students attended Baton Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Baton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Baton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hudson Middle
High : South Caldwell High

Is Baton Elementary a good school?

Baton Elementary ranks 654^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Baton Elementary in?

Caldwell County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Baton Elementary?

Students at Baton Elementary are 85% White, 8% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Rate Baton Elementary!

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Schools in Granite Falls, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.