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Costner Elementary

Q: Is Costner Elementary a good school?

Costner Elementary ranks 1033 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1033^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Costner Elementary enrolls about 430 students in grades PK–5 in Dallas, NC, and serves a population in which 99.3% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. It is part of Gaston County Schools. The school holds a 2-star state rating and ranks at the 31st percentile of North Carolina elementary schools, a drop from the 40th percentile it reached in 2024-2025. What stands out most is how the school compares with others nearby: Brookside Elementary ranks at the 11th percentile, Lingerfeldt Elementary at the 5th, and Woodhill Elementary at the 2nd; only Carr Elementary (45th percentile) is performing at a higher level in the immediate area.

The school's clearest strength is attendance: 14.2% of students were chronically absent in 2024-2025, the lowest rate among comparable nearby schools and well below the Gaston County Schools district average of 23.2% and the state average of 24.2%. On 2024-2025 end-of-grade tests, the school beat the district average in nearly every grade and subject, including 4th grade math (62.2% proficient vs. 51.3% district) and 4th grade reading (54.1% vs. 50.9% district), and led nearby schools in 4th grade math, 4th grade reading, and 5th grade science. Although scores dipped in 2025-2026, 5th grade math (58.5%) and 4th grade reading (51.9%) still met or exceeded district averages. The school's 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio also compares well with Carr Elementary's 16.9:1.

Performance for specific groups of students is more uneven. African American students at the school scored at the 75th percentile compared with their peers statewide in 2025-2026, while gifted students ranked at the 96th percentile. But special education students ranked at just the 3rd percentile that year, down from the mid-20s in prior years, and low-income students ranked at the 18th percentile — important context since nearly the entire school is low-income. The school's overall state ranking has mostly hovered between the 29th and 47th percentiles over the past decade, so recent gains are not yet stable. Still, its strong attendance and competitive upper-elementary scores make Costner Elementary and Carr Elementary the two healthiest elementary school options in the immediate area.

430

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

353 Old 277 Loop Hwy
Dallas, NC 28034-9801

(704) 922-3522

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend Costner Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	W C Friday Middle School
High:	North Gaston High

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.9%

African American:

15.3%

Hispanic:

15.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Costner Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2016 → 31st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (52% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

1,033^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

145^th of 246Gaston 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	33.6	1033 of 1492	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.2	895 of 1490	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.6	1071 of 1505	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.3	789 of 1502	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.7	847 of 1514	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.5	566 of 1489	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.5	881 of 1473	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.1	798 of 1434	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.8	835 of 1429	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.4	886 of 1425	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.6	690 of 1440	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.1	571 of 1390	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.8	442 of 1403	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.0	478 of 1388	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.2	682 of 1381	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.1	611 of 1363	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	58.8	637 of 1354	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.9	372 of 1324	71.9%	★★★★☆
2007	73.3	289 of 1293	77.6%	★★★★☆
2006	59.2	553 of 1276	56.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.6	227 of 903	74.9%	★★★★☆
2024	74.9	147 of 924	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	86.0	68 of 933	92.7%	★★★★★
2022	56.1	329 of 927	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	29.8	474 of 634	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.3	517 of 646	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.6	592 of 878	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.9	781 of 897	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	928 of 1447	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.1	730 of 1451	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.2	1070 of 1455	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.2	733 of 1459	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.5	859 of 1458	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	68.8	378 of 1440	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	52.3	710 of 1424	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.9	650 of 1405	53.7%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★☆
2025	61.1	304 of 710	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.5	37 of 669	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	55.2	359 of 582	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.9	368 of 494	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.2	608 of 981	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.6	808 of 961	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.7	851 of 951	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.7	800 of 915	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	685 of 893	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.0	462 of 851	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.3	1177 of 1434	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.0	970 of 1437	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.2	1235 of 1450	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.6	776 of 1437	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	971 of 1366	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	55.2	490 of 1329	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.9	752 of 1361	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.0	811 of 1332	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.8	1054 of 1451	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.9	1025 of 1450	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.5	982 of 1464	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	826 of 1461	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.7	787 of 1464	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.0	688 of 1444	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.2	1034 of 1430	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.0	933 of 1413	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.3	788 of 815	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.5	628 of 821	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	590 of 801	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.6	1023 of 1146	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.7	925 of 1172	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	1055 of 1166	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	898 of 1183	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	904 of 1194	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	48.0	604 of 1172	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.9	1066 of 1183	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	958 of 1178	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)96th percentile+65 vs school

African American (2026)75th percentile+44 vs school

Hispanic (2026)38th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)25th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)11th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2026)3rd percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science61%-7 vs state

Mathematics54%-10 vs state

Reading47%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Costner 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
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%)	33.6	1033^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	30.8%		41.2	895^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.9%	138	53.2	49.4	58.5	44.3	51.9	45.1	61.0	$9,693	$1,124	$8,569
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%)	45.6	814^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.4%		33.7	1021^st of 1490 public elementary schools	31.5%	207	67.3	52.7	65.4	52.3	51.8	44.0	66.9	$8,907	$1,311	$7,596
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%)	10.1	1422^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	4.7%		6.2	1457^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.2%	35	31.3	39.8	37.3	28.5	35.8	37.3	47.6	$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
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%)	6.9	1455^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.5%		3.8	1479^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.7%	24	34.6	45.8	23.0	25.9	36.1	21.3	32.0	$8,750	$1,400	$7,350
Brookside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1925 Auten Rd.	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6283	512	34	15.2	98.8%	171 (33.4%)	162 (31.6%)	137 (26.8%)	5 (1.0%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.3%)	17.2	1332^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	10.7%		16.6	1331^st of 1490 public elementary schools	10.7%	1	55.8	40.0	32.9	46.8	42.5	32.9	41.1	$9,017	$1,395	$7,622
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%)	14.8	1367^th of 1492 public elementary schools	8.4%		9.9	1423^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	4.5%	56	44.2	36.2	40.4	30.2	34.5	42.6	57.4	$9,464	$1,602	$7,862
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%)	32.1	1053^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	29.4%		26	1154^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.6%	101	49.6	63.9	57.7	31.7	49.0	40.3	61.3	$8,924	$1,150	$7,774
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%)	22.3	1239^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.0%		25.7	1163^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	21.9%	76	43.9	43.8	54.1	34.1	47.9	43.2	54.1	$11,346	$1,912	$9,434
Lingerfeldt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 Madison Street	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6094	450	27	16.5	99.3%	49 (10.9%)	247 (54.9%)	119 (26.4%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.4%)	10.5	1413^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.3%		5.4	1468^th of 1490 public elementary schools	1.5%	55	32.0	22.7	52.5	22.7	22.7	37.7	54.1	$9,976	$1,609	$8,367

Frequently Asked Questions about Costner Elementary

What schools do graduates of Costner Elementary attend?

Students who attend Costner Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : W C Friday Middle School
High : North Gaston High

Is Costner Elementary a good school?

Costner Elementary ranks 1033^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Costner Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 430 students attended Costner Elementary.

What district is Costner Elementary in?

Gaston County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Costner Elementary?

Students at Costner Elementary are 65% White, 15% African American, 15% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.