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Startown Elementary

Q: Is Startown Elementary a good school?

Startown Elementary ranks 787 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Startown Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 540 students attended Startown Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Startown Elementary?

Students at Startown Elementary are 54% White, 19% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 6% African American.

Q: What schools do graduates of Startown Elementary attend?

Students who attend Startown Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Maiden Middle School High : Maiden High

Public Grades PK, KG-6

787^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Startown Elementary is a PK–6 school in Newton, NC, serving about 540 students in Catawba County Schools. Nearly all of the school's students (about 99%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which makes its student needs very similar to those of other elementary schools in the area.

The most striking pattern at Startown is that its 3rd graders perform exceptionally well, but those gains fade sharply in upper grades. In the most recent testing year, Startown's 3rd-grade math score (87% proficient) was the best among nearby comparable elementary schools, beating Maiden Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, and Blackburn Elementary. Reading in 3rd grade also matched or exceeded many of those peers. But by 5th and 6th grade, Startown's math and reading scores fall well below district and state averages. For example, 5th-grade science proficiency has dropped for three straight years, from 71% to 54%, while Blackburn (84%), Maiden (78%), and Mountain View (74%) are far ahead. Nearby schools like Blackburn and Mountain View serve essentially the same student population yet rank 200 or more spots higher statewide.

Attendance is improving and is better than the district and state averages, which is a real strength. Students from low-income households perform reasonably well compared with similar students across the state, and the school has also done well historically with English learners. The biggest concerns are gifted and talented students, who rank in the 5th percentile statewide among their peers, and declining results for male and White students. The bottom line: Startown appears to be doing something very effective in the early grades — the question worth asking is why that success doesn't stick as students move into 4th, 5th, and 6th grade.

540

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

4119 Startown Road
Newton, NC 28658-8603

(828) 464-1257

District: Catawba County Schools

Students who attend Startown Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Maiden Middle School
High:	Maiden High

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.5%

Hispanic:

19.1%

Asian:

11.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Startown Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2016

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

!Science scores 13 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg60%

787^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 20 pts since 2016

From top 33% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

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	46.8	787 of 1492	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.5	660 of 1490	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.0	618 of 1505	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	586 of 1502	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.6	541 of 1514	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.2	329 of 1489	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	71.6	377 of 1473	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	77.4	266 of 1434	81.5%	★★★★☆
2017	68.8	430 of 1429	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.5	470 of 1425	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.3	498 of 1440	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	61.1	523 of 1390	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	43.0	788 of 1403	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.6	588 of 1388	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.0	634 of 1381	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	56.0	681 of 1363	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.9	508 of 1354	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.2	308 of 1324	76.7%	★★★★☆
2007	72.8	296 of 1293	77.1%	★★★★☆
2006	57.0	583 of 1276	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	2.0	130 of 130	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	40.2	339 of 634	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.8	167 of 646	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	52.3	334 of 878	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	91.3	31 of 897	96.5%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	69.4	68 of 485	86.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.3	702 of 1447	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.5	667 of 1451	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	707 of 1455	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.1	711 of 1459	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.0	545 of 1458	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	80.5	219 of 1440	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	80.6	201 of 1424	85.9%	★★★★☆
2018	83.4	160 of 1405	88.6%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	708 of 743	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	44.5	404 of 500	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	684 of 981	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.8	564 of 961	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	572 of 951	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.5	625 of 915	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.2	375 of 893	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.8	156 of 843	81.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.2	586 of 1434	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.7	544 of 1437	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	594 of 1450	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	476 of 1437	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.9	155 of 1366	88.7%	★★★★☆
2021	77.5	175 of 1329	86.8%	★★★★☆
2019	68.1	346 of 1361	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	79.4	162 of 1332	87.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.9	837 of 1451	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.6	634 of 1450	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.1	506 of 1464	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.7	432 of 1461	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	63.8	494 of 1464	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.6	473 of 1444	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	594 of 1430	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.7	476 of 1413	66.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	467 of 815	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.3	585 of 821	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.4	822 of 1146	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.5	740 of 1172	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.4	619 of 1166	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.4	681 of 1183	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.9	592 of 1194	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.7	438 of 1172	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.8	455 of 1183	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.6	327 of 1178	72.2%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2022)86th percentile+22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2026)51st percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2022)47th percentile-18 vs school

Special Education (2026)43rd percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)30th percentile-17 vs school

White (2026)28th percentile-19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)5th percentile-43 vs school

Asian (2024)<1st percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics64%~ state avg

Science54%-13 vs state

Reading52%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Startown 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
Startown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4119 Startown Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-1257	540	34	15.7	—	289 (53.5%)	32 (5.9%)	103 (19.1%)	60 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (10.4%)	46.8	787^th of 1492 public elementary schools	47.3%		54.5	660^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.7%	127	87.1	61.4	51.8	57.1	65.7	42.9	48.2	51.4	54.2	$9,647	$1,184	$8,463
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
Blackburn Elementary	Public	K-6	4377 W NC 10 Hwy	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 462-1344	484	28	17.3	—	277 (57.2%)	24 (5.0%)	82 (16.9%)	60 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	39 (8.1%)	61.5	556^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.7%		65.3	479^th of 1490 public elementary schools	67.9%	77	71.4	59.8	77.6	71.8	61.4	47.6	51.3	52.6	84.2	$9,091	$979	$8,112
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
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
Saint Stephens Elementary	Public	K-6	684 30th Street NE	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 256-2570	711	47	15.0	—	194 (27.3%)	146 (20.5%)	254 (35.7%)	48 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (9.7%)	21.3	1260^th of 1492 public elementary schools	15.5%		18.1	1313^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.9%	53	60.6	33.7	41.7	46.9	35.6	42.6	42.7	36.7	55.2	$9,685	$1,747	$7,938
Mountain View Elementary	Public	K-6	5911 Dwayne Starnes Road	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 294-2020	708	40	17.5	—	475 (67.1%)	33 (4.7%)	54 (7.6%)	74 (10.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (10.0%)	75.7	306^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.5%		79.6	250^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.2%	56	84.0	77.0	70.4	80.0	63.8	68.0	60.9	60.0	73.9	$8,895	$775	$8,120
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
Webb A Murray Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3901 Section House Road	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 256-2196	380	27	13.9	—	102 (26.8%)	37 (9.7%)	184 (48.4%)	29 (7.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.1%)	23.5	1213^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.7%		37.4	957^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.8%	256	47.7	42.0	46.9	52.1	31.8	40.0	38.8	54.2	53.1	$10,328	$1,457	$8,872
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Startown Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Startown Elementary?

Students at Startown Elementary are 54% White, 19% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 6% African American.

What schools do graduates of Startown Elementary attend?

Students who attend Startown Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Maiden Middle School
High : Maiden High

Is Startown Elementary a good school?

Startown Elementary ranks 787^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Startown Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 540 students attended Startown Elementary.

What district is Startown 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.