Murphy Elementary

Murphy Elementary in Murphy, North Carolina, is a PK–5 school within Cherokee County Schools that serves 467 students, nearly all of whom (99.4%) qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school currently ranks 592nd out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, putting it in the 60th percentile with a 3-star SchoolDigger rating. That represents a notable upward trend, climbing from the 46th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 60th today. Within the county, Murphy Elementary sits mid-pack: it outperforms Ranger Elementary and Andrews Elementary but trails Peachtree Elementary and Martins Creek Elementary, both of which are much smaller schools and therefore subject to larger ranking swings.

Reading and math scores are at or above state averages in most grades. Third- and fourth-grade reading, in particular, came in well above both Cherokee County and North Carolina averages, while fourth- and fifth-grade math also exceeded the state. The exception is fifth-grade science, where 59.1% of students scored proficient—about 8 points below the state average and below nearby Ranger Elementary and Andrews Elementary. Science proficiency has slid steadily from roughly 75% over the past four years, even as reading and math have improved sharply, suggesting this is an area needing targeted attention.

The most urgent red flag is chronic absenteeism. At 42.7%, Murphy's rate is nearly double the North Carolina average of 24.2% and above the district average of 38.7%. It also stands out against Hayesville Elementary in neighboring Clay County, which serves a similarly high-poverty population yet reports a chronic absenteeism rate of just 23.5%. On a more encouraging note, Murphy earns 4-star ratings specifically for its work with economically disadvantaged students and special education students, and its student-teacher ratio of 11.9:1 is better than most nearby schools—a structural advantage the school can continue to build on.