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Whitnel Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1360^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Whitnel Elementary in Lenoir, NC, is a PK-5 school within Caldwell County Schools that serves about 330 students, nearly all of whom come from economically disadvantaged households. The school currently holds a 0-star rating and sits at the 9th percentile statewide, a sharp drop from the prior year's 23rd percentile and part of a longer-term slide from the high-20s and 30s percentile range seen just a few years ago.

This places Whitnel at the bottom of the local elementary school cluster. Nearby schools serving similarly high-poverty populations, such as Granite Falls Elementary (73rd percentile), Hudson Elementary (62nd), and Lower Creek Elementary (44th), rank significantly higher. One surprising differentiator is chronic absenteeism: Whitnel's rate was just 12.2% in 2024-25, half the district and state averages and better than all nearby elementary schools. Yet academic proficiency lags far behind, averaging about 41% across EOG tests compared to roughly 53% for the district and 61% for the state. This suggests the primary challenge is not whether students show up, but the instructional support they receive while there.

Academic outcomes are not uniformly low, however. Whitnel earns strong marks for its special education and English learner subgroups, ranking in the 70th and 60th percentiles respectively. Fifth-grade science is also a relative bright spot, coming closer to state averages than reading or math. On the other hand, a sharp spike in the student-teacher ratio—from under 12 to 20.0, the highest among nearby elementary schools—could strain resources. The bottom line is that Whitnel's core challenge is classroom-level proficiency, especially in the upper elementary grades. Building on its strong attendance and targeted subgroup successes will require consistent instructional focus and stable staffing to reverse the recent decline.

330

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

94.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1425 Berkley Street SW
Lenoir, NC 28645

(828) 728-6423

District: Caldwell County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.4%

Hispanic:

23.9%

African American:

8.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Whitnel Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2016 → 9th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (41% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg53%

North Carolina avg61%

1,360^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to bottom 9% (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	15.2	1360 of 1492	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	26.5	1146 of 1490	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	1035 of 1505	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	11.9	1389 of 1502	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	1269 of 1514	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	1231 of 1489	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.9	1006 of 1473	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	1016 of 1434	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	41.6	896 of 1429	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.0	988 of 1425	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.1	1017 of 1440	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	38.2	885 of 1390	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	27.9	1064 of 1403	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.4	937 of 1388	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	16.3	1251 of 1381	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	9.0	1297 of 1363	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	24.2	1101 of 1354	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	13.9	1203 of 1324	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	15.7	1171 of 1293	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	32.1	981 of 1276	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	42.7	309 of 634	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.7	560 of 646	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.6	530 of 897	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	223 of 563	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	1345 of 1447	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	31.1	1063 of 1451	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.2	1053 of 1455	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	1368 of 1459	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	1403 of 1458	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	1198 of 1440	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.4	1054 of 1424	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.7	968 of 1405	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	6.5	954 of 961	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	894 of 915	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	705 of 851	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.0	1081 of 1434	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.7	1000 of 1437	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.8	704 of 1450	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	23.3	1204 of 1437	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	1073 of 1366	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.3	833 of 1329	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.7	563 of 1361	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.0	565 of 1332	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.2	1261 of 1451	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.9	1164 of 1450	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.3	984 of 1464	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.6	1259 of 1461	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.5	904 of 1464	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.6	1052 of 1444	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.0	917 of 1430	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	1043 of 1413	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.0	244 of 815	70.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.1	1101 of 1146	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	1007 of 1172	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	1015 of 1166	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	3.6	1170 of 1183	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.7	1154 of 1194	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.1	1170 of 1172	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	1028 of 1183	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.4	1031 of 1178	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2019)81st percentile+49 vs school

Special Education (2026)70th percentile+61 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)60th percentile+37 vs school

Disabled (2022)51st percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)13th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)7th percentile~ school

White (2026)4th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)1st percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science55%-13 vs state

Mathematics40%-24 vs state

Reading38%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Whitnel 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 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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
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	99.2%	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		$8,688	$857	$7,832
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
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		$13,388	$1,976	$11,412
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
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
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
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
Oak Hill Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	4603 Oak Hill School Rd.	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Oak Hill Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 759-1383	253	17	15.3		213 (84.2%)	6 (2.4%)	13 (5.1%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.7%)	14.9	1364^th of 1492 public elementary schools	8.6%		24.9	1188^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.3%	176	54.1	45.0	37.5	30.0	27.8	37.5	32.4	40.0	33.3	40.0	33.3	50.0	45.8	43.8

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitnel Elementary

What district is Whitnel Elementary in?

Caldwell County Schools

Is Whitnel Elementary a good school?

Whitnel Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Whitnel Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 330 students attended Whitnel Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Whitnel Elementary?

Students at Whitnel Elementary are 59% White, 24% Hispanic, 8% African American, 8% Two or more races.

Rate Whitnel Elementary!

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Schools in Lenoir, NC

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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.