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Balls Creek Elementary

Q: Is Balls Creek Elementary a good school?

Balls Creek Elementary ranks 429 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

429^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Balls Creek Elementary is a PK–6 school in Newton, NC, serving 686 students in Catawba County Schools, and it currently ranks in the top third of North Carolina elementary schools with a 4-star rating. What makes this especially noteworthy is that nearly all students (99.56%) qualify for free/reduced lunch, yet the school has consistently ranked in the 71st–80th percentile statewide for most of the past decade. In the 2025–26 school year, Balls Creek sits at the 71st percentile overall, which places it ahead of nearby Sherrills Ford Elementary (68th), Charles H Tuttle Elementary (59th), Catawba Elementary School (56th), and Claremont Elementary (50th), while trailing slightly behind North Newton Elementary (80th), Shuford Elementary (79th), and Maiden Elementary (73rd).

The school’s clearest academic strength is math, especially in upper grades. Sixth-grade math proficiency is a standout at 88.1%, compared to 67.6% districtwide and 59.2% statewide, and it has stayed above 84% for four straight years. Fifth-grade math (75.5%) and fourth-grade math (70.6%) also exceed district and state averages, and science is consistently strong at around 79% proficiency. Balls Creek also serves economically disadvantaged students exceptionally well, with this subgroup ranking in the 74th percentile statewide, and its gifted students have ranked in the top 1% in two of the last three years. Reading is more uneven: 4th- and 5th-grade reading are above average, but 6th-grade reading (51.5%) trails both the district (52.6%) and state (54.8%), creating a striking 36-point gap versus its own 6th-grade math score.

There are a few watchpoints. Female students have declined from the 73rd percentile in 2023–24 to the 57th percentile in 2025–26, while boys rank in the 81st percentile. Special education results also dropped sharply from the 61st to 33rd percentile in the latest year. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism has fallen dramatically from 30.0% in 2021–22 to 12.9% in 2024–25, well below the district rate of 18.0% and less than half the statewide rate. For parents, Balls Creek offers a strong STEM-focused education with proven results for low-income students, though the school appears to have room to grow in upper-grade literacy and equitable support for all student groups.

686

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

2620 Balls Creek Road
Newton, NC 28658-9650

(828) 464-4766

District: Catawba County Schools

Students who attend Balls Creek Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mill Creek Middle
High:	Bandys High

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.1%

Hispanic:

9.5%

Two or more races:

7.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 72nd percentile in 2016 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (68% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg60%

429^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

87^th of 246Catawba 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	69.3	429 of 1492	71.2%	★★★★☆
2025	68.4	418 of 1490	71.9%	★★★★☆
2024	71.2	383 of 1505	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	348 of 1502	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	70.9	391 of 1514	74.2%	★★★★☆
2021	76.1	300 of 1489	79.9%	★★★★☆
2019	72.5	358 of 1473	75.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.8	315 of 1434	78.0%	★★★★☆
2017	60.7	564 of 1429	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	70.0	395 of 1425	72.3%	★★★★☆
2015	71.1	393 of 1440	72.7%	★★★★☆
2014	59.1	555 of 1390	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.6	493 of 1403	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.1	527 of 1388	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.6	415 of 1381	69.9%	★★★★☆
2010	66.9	472 of 1363	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	74.8	298 of 1354	78.0%	★★★★☆
2008	64.8	451 of 1324	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	50.9	722 of 1293	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	63.2	472 of 1276	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	56.2	195 of 634	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.2	205 of 646	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.0	111 of 878	87.4%	★★★★☆
2018	79.4	83 of 897	90.7%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	57.8	130 of 485	73.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.9	617 of 1447	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.4	520 of 1451	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.1	399 of 1455	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	357 of 1459	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	62.3	511 of 1458	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.4	425 of 1440	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	57.0	609 of 1424	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.4	536 of 1405	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.6	6 of 743	99.2%	★★★★★
2025	62.1	278 of 710	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.9	5 of 669	99.3%	★★★★★
2019	68.4	11 of 612	98.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.1	352 of 961	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.7	351 of 951	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.8	276 of 915	69.8%	★★★★☆
2022	44.9	480 of 893	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.8	198 of 843	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	55.9	349 of 865	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.0	307 of 851	63.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.3	377 of 1434	73.7%	★★★★☆
2025	71.1	291 of 1437	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.5	313 of 1450	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	280 of 1437	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.5	262 of 1366	80.8%	★★★★☆
2021	63.8	358 of 1329	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	69.6	324 of 1361	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	74.2	237 of 1332	82.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.7	271 of 1451	81.3%	★★★★☆
2025	72.0	345 of 1450	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.3	366 of 1464	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	72.8	332 of 1461	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	75.8	297 of 1464	79.7%	★★★★☆
2021	81.8	209 of 1444	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	80.9	206 of 1430	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	82.5	184 of 1413	87.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	50.3	75 of 154	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.1	545 of 815	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.2	318 of 821	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.5	417 of 801	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.2	533 of 1146	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.0	492 of 1172	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.3	481 of 1166	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.9	421 of 1183	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.3	446 of 1194	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.1	349 of 1172	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	59.7	470 of 1183	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.2	390 of 1178	66.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)99th percentile+28 vs school

Male (2026)81st percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)74th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2022)73rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)69th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)63rd percentile-9 vs school

Female (2026)57th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)53rd percentile-18 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)51st percentile-26 vs school

Special Education (2026)33rd percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science79%+12 vs state

Mathematics76%+14 vs state

Reading58%~ state avg

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Schools Near Balls Creek 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/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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Balls Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2620 Balls Creek Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-4766	686	42	16.4	—	508 (74.1%)	29 (4.2%)	65 (9.5%)	36 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (7.0%)	69.3	429^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.2%		68.4	418^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.9%	11	69.9	70.6	75.5	88.1	55.3	65.7	57.8	51.5	79.4	$9,471	$1,315	$8,156
Charles H Tuttle Elementary	Public	K-6	2872 Water Plant Road	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 428-3080	368	22	16.8	—	262 (71.2%)	4 (1.1%)	54 (14.7%)	25 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.3%)	58.5	607^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.3%		63.2	508^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.9%	99	54.5	75.0	61.2	72.3	56.8	69.6	44.9	53.8	67.3	$9,003	$737	$8,265
Maiden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	245 Bob Smyre Ave	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 428-8769	562	32	17.6	—	357 (63.5%)	48 (8.5%)	92 (16.4%)	26 (4.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.4%)	70.9	398^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.3%		67.8	431^st of 1490 public elementary schools	71.1%	33	81.4	67.9	78.0	74.1	65.7	60.7	57.3	51.9	78.0	$9,171	$1,063	$8,108
Catawba Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5415 Hudson Chapel Road	Catawba	28609	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 241-3131	450	26	17.0	—	279 (62.0%)	33 (7.3%)	75 (16.7%)	24 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.7%)	54.4	662^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	55.6%		52.2	707^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.6%	45	59.3	64.9	63.3	76.6	59.3	44.2	50.0	62.5	66.7	$9,663	$1,298	$8,365
South Newton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	306 West I Street	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-4061	328	22	14.6	—	125 (38.1%)	52 (15.9%)	111 (33.8%)	18 (5.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.4%)	43.9	846^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.3%		47.2	797^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.5%	49	70.0	58.2	60.0		46.7	49.1	50.0		62.0	$10,240	$1,623	$8,616
Claremont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3384 E Main Street	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 459-7921	462	29	16.0	—	227 (49.1%)	47 (10.2%)	92 (19.9%)	51 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.7%)	48.7	752^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	49.6%		48	780^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.7%	28	78.8	49.2	60.0	72.2	57.6	44.3	46.7	37.0	72.0	$10,074	$1,575	$8,498
North Newton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	221 West 26th St	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-2631	388	27	14.1	—	116 (29.9%)	45 (11.6%)	144 (37.1%)	39 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (11.3%)	75.8	305^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.6%		73.2	342^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	77.0%	37	81.5	73.9	80.9		70.8	60.9	55.9		77.9	$9,113	$1,522	$7,591
Shuford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	810 Hunsucker Drive	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-1973	402	27	15.1	96.3%	161 (40.0%)	26 (6.5%)	120 (29.9%)	47 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (11.9%)	75.5	313^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.0%		65.9	468^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.6%	155	74.3	79.2	85.5		55.7	63.9	59.4		87.0	$8,223	$1,056	$7,167
Pumpkin Center Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	3970 King Wilkinson Road	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 736-1394	325	24	13.6	—	260 (80.0%)	10 (3.1%)	32 (9.8%)	11 (3.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)								(n/a)										$9,198	$156	$9,042
Pumpkin Center Intermediate	Public	3-5	3980 King Wilkinson Road	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 736-1504	295	19	15.9	—	239 (81.0%)	4 (1.4%)	31 (10.5%)	8 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.4%)	57.2	623^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	58.2%		59.6	571^st of 1490 public elementary schools	61.7%	52	60.5	48.2	69.8		54.7	49.4	65.1		83.0	$9,377	$670	$8,707

Frequently Asked Questions about Balls Creek Elementary

How many students attend Balls Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 686 students attended Balls Creek Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Balls Creek Elementary?

Students at Balls Creek Elementary are 74% White, 9% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Balls Creek Elementary attend?

Students who attend Balls Creek Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mill Creek Middle
High : Bandys High

Is Balls Creek Elementary a good school?

Balls Creek Elementary ranks 429^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Balls Creek Elementary in?

Catawba County Schools

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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.