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Gamewell Elementary

Q: Is Gamewell Elementary a good school?

Gamewell Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.0% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Gamewell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 459 students attended Gamewell Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Gamewell Elementary?

Students at Gamewell Elementary are 70% White, 11% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 9% African American.

Q: What schools do graduates of Gamewell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gamewell Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Gamewell Middle High : West Caldwell High

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1343^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Gamewell Elementary is a pre-kindergarten through fifth grade school in Lenoir, North Carolina, that serves about 459 students as part of Caldwell County Schools. The school serves a very high-poverty community, with just over 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Current state data places Gamewell in the bottom 10% of North Carolina elementary schools, with a 1-star rating and an overall rank of 1,343 out of 1,492 schools statewide.

The most urgent academic concern is a sharp drop in achievement by fifth grade. Fifth-grade math proficiency has stayed below 30% for four straight years, while the state average has typically been between 55% and 65%. Fifth-grade science scores are also roughly half the state average. There have been a few bright spots — third-grade reading reached 55.3% in 2024-25, which actually beat both the district and state averages. Yet most student groups rank at or below the 13th percentile in statewide comparisons. Gifted students rank at the very bottom of the state, which suggests advanced learners may not be getting enough challenge. One positive exception is special education, where students perform much closer to state averages — a strength the school could potentially build on schoolwide.

Chronic absenteeism is also part of the picture. About 26% of Gamewell students are chronically absent, meaning they miss a significant portion of the school year. That is above the state average of 24.2% and the district average of 23.2%, and it is much higher than several nearby schools serving similar populations: Collettsville School (16.5%), Davenport A+ School (14.9%), Lower Creek Elementary (17.3%), and Baton Elementary (18%) all have both lower chronic absenteeism and substantially stronger test scores. Hudson Elementary, with a nearly identical student population, ranks near the 62nd percentile statewide. Only Valmead Elementary and Whitnel Elementary rank lower in the immediate area. These comparisons show that high poverty does not have to limit success — and Gamewell's own bright spots in reading and special education suggest a solid foundation for improvement.

459

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

100%

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

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

2904 Morganton Boulevard
Lenoir, NC 28645-8184

(828) 758-1193

District: Caldwell County Schools

Students who attend Gamewell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Gamewell Middle
High:	West Caldwell High

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.7%

Hispanic:

10.7%

Two or more races:

10.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Gamewell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 29th percentile in 2016 → 10th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg53%

North Carolina avg61%

1,343^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to bottom 10% (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	16.5	1343 of 1492	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.2	1179 of 1490	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	1359 of 1505	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	1244 of 1502	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1186 of 1514	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.7	946 of 1489	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.6	909 of 1473	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	1108 of 1434	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	42.8	880 of 1429	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.4	1010 of 1425	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.1	931 of 1440	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	41.9	820 of 1390	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.0	1001 of 1403	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	59.6	610 of 1388	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.4	751 of 1381	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.8	737 of 1363	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.7	801 of 1354	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.2	783 of 1324	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	60.8	530 of 1293	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	49.9	719 of 1276	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.4	874 of 903	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	754 of 924	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	813 of 927	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	35.3	594 of 878	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.0	683 of 897	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.4	1262 of 1447	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.4	1184 of 1451	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	1354 of 1455	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	1246 of 1459	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.6	1038 of 1458	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.8	862 of 1440	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.7	880 of 1424	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.1	1166 of 1405	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	1.0	743 of 743	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.6	658 of 710	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.8	660 of 669	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.9	492 of 500	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.4	464 of 494	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	45.2	497 of 612	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	9.1	883 of 893	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	758 of 865	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	1280 of 1434	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.3	1093 of 1437	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	1280 of 1450	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.6	1029 of 1437	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.0	946 of 1366	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.2	466 of 1329	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.7	708 of 1361	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.8	1119 of 1332	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.4	1331 of 1451	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	27.2	1112 of 1450	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	1265 of 1464	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	1170 of 1461	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	1225 of 1464	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.8	962 of 1444	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.0	918 of 1430	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	1030 of 1413	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	4.6	180 of 181	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	80 of 86	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.3	528 of 815	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.1	1130 of 1146	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.8	1071 of 1172	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.3	1147 of 1166	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.3	1129 of 1183	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	1149 of 1194	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.6	1109 of 1172	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	976 of 1183	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.6	1126 of 1178	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)35th percentile+25 vs school

Disabled (2019)32nd percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)13th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile~ school

Male (2026)8th percentile~ school

African American (2026)3rd percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)1st percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2022)1st percentile-21 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)1st percentile-9 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)<1st percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Reading43%-14 vs state

Mathematics39%-25 vs state

Science38%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gamewell 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 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	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
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	—	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		100%	0%	$9,383	$1,070	$8,312
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	—	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		94.3%	3.8%	$9,609	$958	$8,651
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		95.7%	2.2%	$11,973	$1,307	$10,666
Horizons Elementary	Public	K-5	332 Greenhaven Dr. NW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 726-3855	29	13	2.3	89.7%	21 (72.4%)	3 (10.3%)	4 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)								(n/a)																	$39,602	$516	$39,086
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	—	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		92.9%	3.6%	$9,953	$1,175	$8,778
Valmead Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	111 Elizabeth Drive NW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-9612	305	18	16.7	97.4%	133 (43.6%)	62 (20.3%)	75 (24.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (11.1%)	8.2	1442^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	3.4%		17.2	1323^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	11.2%	119	39.0	34.1	26.5				34.1	34.1	28.6				49.0		97.8%	2.2%	$13,388	$1,976	$11,412
Collettsville School	Public	PK, KG-8	4690 Collettsville School Rd	Collettsville	28611	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-6913	321	20	16.3	—	299 (93.1%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.4%)	61.9	549^th of 1492 public elementary schools	63.2%		37.9	952^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	36.1%	403	73.3	72.7	53.8	65.1	50.0	58.3	56.7	72.7	50.0	58.1	55.3	69.4	65.4	75.0	94.1%	0%	$9,454	$800	$8,654
Lower Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	630 Lower Creek Drive NE	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-4022	396	23	17.4	—	280 (70.7%)	28 (7.1%)	44 (11.1%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.8%)	44.9	829^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.4%		60.6	553^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	62.9%	276	52.5	52.2	53.0				54.1	61.2	57.6				65.2		95.9%	2%	$8,688	$857	$7,832
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		97%	3%	$9,567	$1,023	$8,544
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	—	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		88.5%	3.8%	$11,245	$974	$10,271

Frequently Asked Questions about Gamewell Elementary

How many students attend Gamewell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 459 students attended Gamewell Elementary.

Is Gamewell Elementary a good school?

Gamewell Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.0% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Gamewell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gamewell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Gamewell Middle
High : West Caldwell High

What is the racial makeup of Gamewell Elementary?

Students at Gamewell Elementary are 70% White, 11% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 9% African American.

What district is Gamewell Elementary in?

Caldwell County Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

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

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

2017–18 through 2024–25 attendance dataSep 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.