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Bessemer City Central Elementary

Q: Is Bessemer City Central Elementary a good school?

Bessemer City Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Bessemer City Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 392 students attended Bessemer City Central Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Bessemer City Central Elementary?

Students at Bessemer City Central Elementary are 41% White, 25% Hispanic, 24% African American, 10% Two or more races.

Public Grades 3-5

1457^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Bessemer City Central Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades 3-5 in Bessemer City, North Carolina, with 355 students. The school is part of the Gaston County Schools district, which is ranked 149 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bessemer City Central Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of North Carolina elementary schools based on the SchoolDigger statewide ranking. Its proficiency rates on state assessments are significantly lower than the Gaston County and North Carolina averages across all grade levels and subjects. The school has a very high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with over 99% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and a high percentage of minority students. At $8,603 per student, Bessemer City Central Elementary spends less per student than the nearby schools in the Gaston County district, but it has a relatively low student-teacher ratio ranging from 14.9 to 16.2 over the past few years.

Despite the school's low performance, there is little evidence of significant improvement over the past several years. Compared to other elementary schools in the Gaston County district and the nearby Cleveland County district, Bessemer City Central Elementary consistently performs worse academically. Even the lowest-performing schools in these other districts outperform Bessemer City Central Elementary on state assessments. The persistent underperformance of the school, despite its relatively low student-teacher ratio, suggests that more targeted interventions and resources may be needed to address the unique challenges faced by this school community.

392

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,603

Per pupil spending ?

98.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1400 Puett's Chapel Road
Bessemer City, NC 28016

(704) 836-9108

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend Bessemer City Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bessemer City Middle
High:	Bessemer City High

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.6%

Hispanic:

25.0%

African American:

23.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Bessemer City Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 11th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (29% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg49%

North Carolina avg57%

1,457^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

23^rd of 26Elementary Schools in the Gaston County Schools

149^th of 242Gaston 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
2025	6.2	1457 of 1490	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	1443 of 1505	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	1418 of 1502	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	1328 of 1514	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	1246 of 1489	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	1389 of 1473	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	1315 of 1434	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.1	1349 of 1429	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.9	1381 of 1425	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.3	1285 of 1440	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.0	1233 of 1390	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.6	1271 of 1403	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	22.5	1186 of 1388	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.1	1215 of 1381	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.9	1154 of 1363	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	23.4	1116 of 1354	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.1	1121 of 1324	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	18.2	1152 of 1293	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.0	925 of 1276	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	9.6	899 of 918	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	896 of 924	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	906 of 933	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.7	890 of 927	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.4	766 of 896	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	774 of 949	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.9	803 of 927	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	15.2	626 of 634	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.4	875 of 878	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	864 of 897	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.5	501 of 563	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.3	465 of 533	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	464 of 514	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	445 of 485	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	39.7	211 of 385	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.2	338 of 497	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	6.5	1422 of 1451	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	1419 of 1455	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.8	1386 of 1459	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	1253 of 1458	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	1216 of 1440	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	1317 of 1424	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	1191 of 1405	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	68.0	102 of 582	82.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.6	857 of 961	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	845 of 951	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	787 of 915	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	615 of 893	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.1	637 of 843	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	795 of 865	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.8	770 of 851	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	8.8	1411 of 1437	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	1386 of 1450	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	1327 of 1437	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	1143 of 1366	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	1047 of 1329	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	1315 of 1361	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	1173 of 1332	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	1412 of 1450	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	1381 of 1464	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	1356 of 1461	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	1297 of 1464	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	1214 of 1444	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.1	1377 of 1430	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.1	1361 of 1413	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	173 of 175	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	150 of 159	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	113 of 133	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	817 of 821	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	792 of 801	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	2.5	1164 of 1172	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.5	1158 of 1166	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.4	1165 of 1183	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	1126 of 1194	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.6	1149 of 1172	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.8	1174 of 1183	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.4	1163 of 1178	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2023)82nd percentile+77 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)11th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)11th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

African American (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)1st percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)1st percentile~ school

White (2025)1st percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science33%-29 vs state

Mathematics32%-29 vs state

Reading24%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bessemer City Central Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Bessemer City Central Elementary	Public	3-5	1400 Puett's Chapel Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9108	392	24	16.0	98.2%	159 (40.6%)	93 (23.7%)	98 (25.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (10.2%)	6.2	1457^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.2%		8.1	1443^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	4.1%	14	36.7	30.1	25.9	17.6	33.6	25.0	33.3	$8,603	$1,476	$7,127
Bessemer City Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	1320 North 12th Street	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9109	445	31	14.4	99.3%	169 (38.0%)	126 (28.3%)	106 (23.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.2%)								(n/a)								$9,139	$1,352	$7,787
Edward D Sadler Junior Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3950 West Franklin Boulevard	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 862-5895	374	35	10.8	99.2%	56 (15.0%)	157 (42.0%)	135 (36.1%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.6%)	9.9	1423^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	4.5%		6.7	1463^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	2.8%	40	27.9	33.3	23.6	19.1	45.2	25.5	47.3	$9,464	$1,602	$7,862
Costner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	353 Old 277 Loop Hwy	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 922-3522	430	30	14.1	99.3%	279 (64.9%)	66 (15.3%)	65 (15.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)	41.2	895^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.9%		31.6	1071^st of 1505 public elementary schools	28.8%	176	43.4	62.2	56.5	38.6	54.1	49.3	58.0	$9,693	$1,124	$8,569
Tryon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2620 Tryon Courthouse Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9107	336	26	12.7	97.6%	229 (68.2%)	29 (8.6%)	49 (14.6%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	25.7	1163^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	21.9%		21.1	1265^th of 1505 public elementary schools	15.9%	102	44.0	41.3	48.3	32.0	47.8	41.7	51.7	$11,346	$1,912	$9,434
East Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	600 N Cleveland Avenue	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8356	199	18	10.8	97.5%	83 (41.7%)	84 (42.2%)	24 (12.1%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	56.4	626^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.0%		54.8	665^th of 1505 public elementary schools	55.8%	39	67.6	70.0		37.8	60.0			$11,443	$1,678	$9,765
North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	900 N Ramseur Street	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8225	272	23	12.0	98.9%	143 (52.6%)	84 (30.9%)	23 (8.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.7%)	72.1	363^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	75.6%		51.7	719^th of 1505 public elementary schools	52.2%	356	71.7	75.5		49.1	67.3			$10,709	$1,428	$9,282
Carr Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	307 S Pine St	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 922-3636	665	39	16.9	99.5%	276 (41.5%)	178 (26.8%)	155 (23.3%)	10 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	42 (6.3%)	33.7	1021^st of 1490 public elementary schools	31.5%		41.9	891^st of 1505 public elementary schools	40.8%	130	68.3	52.1	49.5	35.6	50.0	36.4	40.4	$8,907	$1,311	$7,596
Pleasant Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1260 Floyd Lane	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6096	887	56	15.9	99.7%	150 (16.9%)	388 (43.7%)	282 (31.8%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (6.8%)	26	1154^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.6%		25	1191^st of 1505 public elementary schools	20.9%	37	55.6	50.6	41.3	32.1	45.9	40.4	42.6	$8,924	$1,150	$7,774
Woodhill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1027 Woodhill Drive	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6295	577	35	16.6	99.5%	47 (8.1%)	309 (53.6%)	184 (31.9%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (5.0%)	3.8	1479^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.7%		6.6	1464^th of 1505 public elementary schools	2.7%	15	28.6	27.7	25.6	14.4	26.5	20.9	29.4	$8,750	$1,400	$7,350

Frequently Asked Questions about Bessemer City Central Elementary

What district is Bessemer City Central Elementary in?

Gaston County Schools

What schools do graduates of Bessemer City Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bessemer City Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bessemer City Middle
High : Bessemer City High

How many students attend Bessemer City Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 392 students attended Bessemer City Central Elementary.

Is Bessemer City Central Elementary a good school?

Bessemer City Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Bessemer City Central Elementary?

Students at Bessemer City Central Elementary are 41% White, 25% Hispanic, 24% African American, 10% Two or more races.

Rate Bessemer City Central Elementary!

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Schools in Bessemer City, NC

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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.