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Fallston Elementary

Q: Is Fallston Elementary a good school?

Fallston Elementary ranks 483 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

483^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 68% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Fallston Elementary is a PK–5 school in Fallston, NC, serving 502 students within Cleveland County Schools. The school currently holds a 3-star rating and ranks 483rd out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, placing it in the 68th percentile statewide—a strong position that has improved dramatically over the past two years. After a difficult 2023–2024 year (when it ranked 937th), Fallston has climbed steadily, and scores in 3rd grade reading and math have jumped by roughly 25 percentage points each. This upward momentum is especially notable because nearly all students (99.4%) qualify for free/reduced lunch, making the school's academic progress stand out even in a high-poverty context.

Fallston's strongest academic areas are math and science. Third-grade math proficiency (78.7%) and 5th-grade science proficiency (82.2%) both exceed district and state averages by wide margins. The school also performs well with low-income students, who rank in the 82nd percentile statewide. The main concern is 5th-grade reading, where only 46.6% of students are proficient, compared with 52.9% in the district and 55.3% statewide. By contrast, 3rd and 4th grade reading scores are solidly above state averages, suggesting upper-grade literacy is the key area needing attention. Chronic absenteeism, meanwhile, is a relative bright spot at 19.7%—better than the district (23.2%) and state (24.2%) averages.

Compared with nearby schools, Fallston sits in the middle-to-upper tier. It outranks Elizabeth Elementary, a same-district school only 10 miles away with similar demographics, by a wide margin (483rd vs. 1050th statewide), which points to school-level factors making a real difference. However, Casar Elementary, the top-performing nearby school in the same district, ranks in the 95th percentile, including 77.1% proficiency in 5th-grade reading. Subgroup results are mixed: White students and Special Education students sit nearer the state median or below, while other small groups show year-to-year swings. If Fallston can translate its early-grade reading success into stronger upper-grade literacy, it has clear potential to keep climbing.

502

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

112 Gary Street
Fallston, NC 28042

(704) 476-8240

District: Cleveland County Schools

Students who attend Fallston Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Burns Middle
High:	Burns High
	Cleveland ECHS

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.5%

African American:

10.8%

Hispanic:

8.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Fallston Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (67% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg61%

483^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 32%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 47% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

82^nd of 246Cleveland 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	66.3	483 of 1492	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.0	670 of 1490	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.7	937 of 1505	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.1	544 of 1502	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	545 of 1514	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.2	640 of 1489	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.8	660 of 1473	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.3	640 of 1434	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	45.2	827 of 1429	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.9	753 of 1425	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	55.6	649 of 1440	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	59.6	542 of 1390	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.3	595 of 1403	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.8	628 of 1388	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.0	337 of 1381	75.6%	★★★★☆
2010	71.2	373 of 1363	72.6%	★★★★☆
2009	64.1	529 of 1354	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.4	575 of 1324	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.1	442 of 1293	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.3	433 of 1276	66.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	23.6	761 of 896	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.6	542 of 949	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.2	345 of 927	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	30.3	465 of 634	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.5	638 of 646	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.3	588 of 878	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.6	460 of 1447	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.0	507 of 1451	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.9	791 of 1455	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.8	404 of 1459	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	68.6	398 of 1458	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	59.6	532 of 1440	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.4	529 of 1424	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.6	680 of 1405	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.5	636 of 743	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	70.7	76 of 710	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	44.2	543 of 669	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	59.0	306 of 582	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.3	277 of 500	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	72.6	78 of 494	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.4	112 of 612	81.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.0	264 of 1434	81.6%	★★★★☆
2025	59.6	491 of 1437	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.5	916 of 1450	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.0	622 of 1437	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.2	627 of 1366	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.3	939 of 1329	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.9	790 of 1361	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.7	497 of 1332	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.4	517 of 1451	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.8	770 of 1450	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.7	995 of 1464	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.2	687 of 1461	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.8	661 of 1464	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.8	704 of 1444	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.0	742 of 1430	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.5	585 of 1413	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	26.9	669 of 821	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.9	596 of 1146	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.7	849 of 1172	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	1018 of 1166	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.1	655 of 1183	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.7	595 of 1194	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.6	582 of 1172	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.4	703 of 1183	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.7	761 of 1178	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)82nd percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)68th percentile~ school

Male (2026)64th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)48th percentile-20 vs school

Disabled (2022)27th percentile-37 vs school

Special Education (2025)19th percentile-37 vs school

African American (2021)15th percentile-42 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)14th percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science82%+14 vs state

Mathematics71%+7 vs state

Reading57%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Fallston 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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Fallston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	112 Gary Street	Fallston	28042	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8240	502	36	13.8	99.4%	374 (74.5%)	54 (10.8%)	41 (8.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.4%)	66.3	483^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	67.6%		54	670^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.0%	187	78.7	64.8	71.2	62.3	62.6	46.6	82.2	$9,874	$1,550	$8,324
North Brook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	642 Hwy 274	Vale	28168	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 276-2479	344	24	14.5	99.1%	296 (86.0%)	6 (1.7%)	23 (6.7%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.7%)	64.3	513^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.6%		63.1	510^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.8%	3	80.3	74.5	66.7	65.2	60.0	41.2	68.6	$9,492	$999	$8,493
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1440 Union Church Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8250	413	30	13.6	99.3%	248 (60.0%)	95 (23.0%)	27 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.7%)	48.5	760^th of 1492 public elementary schools	49.1%		56.9	613^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.9%	147	63.8	68.4	75.3	46.4	50.9	43.8	64.4	$10,135	$1,538	$8,597
W B Beam Intermediate School	Public	4-5	401 East First Street	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9114	191	10	18.4	98.4%	128 (67.0%)	23 (12.0%)	29 (15.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.2%)	43	860^th of 1492 public elementary schools	42.4%		48.9	761^st of 1490 public elementary schools	48.9%	99		60.2	53.1		56.6	45.9	65.3	$9,330	$1,251	$8,080
Washington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1907 Stony Point Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8260	376	26	14.3	97.9%	206 (54.8%)	62 (16.5%)	70 (18.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.6%)	48	767^th of 1492 public elementary schools	48.6%		39.7	923^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	38.1%	156	73.2	61.3	55.4	60.7	56.5	41.5	61.5	$9,971	$1,530	$8,441
Cherryville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	700 East Academy Street	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9115	378	28	13.5	99.2%	290 (76.7%)	26 (6.9%)	37 (9.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.1%)								(n/a)	65.3			49.0				$10,948	$1,062	$9,886
Jefferson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1166 Wyke Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8390	439	30	14.6	99.3%	166 (37.8%)	196 (44.6%)	32 (7.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (9.6%)	75	323^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	78.4%		68.6	412^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.3%	89	84.7	71.4	70.5	68.2	61.0	60.7	77.0	$10,297	$1,501	$8,795
Casar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	436 School House Road	Casar	28020	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8255	275	19	14.2	98.9%	238 (86.5%)	7 (2.5%)	23 (8.4%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	92.4	80^th of 1492 public elementary schools	94.6%		82.5	206^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.2%	126	83.0	92.9	91.7	76.6	73.8	77.1	93.8	$11,433	$1,395	$10,038
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4875 Reepsville Rd	Vale	28168	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 276-1493	342	22	15.2	99.1%	310 (90.6%)	2 (0.6%)	15 (4.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.1%)	76	302^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	79.8%		72.4	356^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.1%	54	74.1	72.6	77.6	58.6	69.4	61.2	89.8	$10,166	$909	$9,257
Elizabeth Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	220 S Post Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8371	649	37	17.7	99.5%	154 (23.7%)	315 (48.5%)	115 (17.7%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (9.2%)	32.4	1050^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.6%		35.8	985^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.9%	65	52.9	62.5	55.6	31.8	55.0	42.0	56.8	$9,413	$1,457	$7,956

Frequently Asked Questions about Fallston Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Fallston Elementary?

Students at Fallston Elementary are 75% White, 11% African American, 8% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Fallston Elementary attend?

Students who attend Fallston Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Burns Middle
High : Burns High
High : Cleveland ECHS

Is Fallston Elementary a good school?

Fallston Elementary ranks 483^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Fallston Elementary in?

Cleveland County Schools

How many students attend Fallston Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 502 students attended Fallston Elementary.

Rate Fallston Elementary!

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Schools in Fallston, 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.