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Gardner Park Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1308^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Gardner Park Elementary is a public elementary school in Gastonia, North Carolina, serving 549 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Gaston County Schools district, which is ranked 149 out of 242 districts in the state.

Gardner Park Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 25% of North Carolina elementary schools, with significantly lower proficiency rates on state assessments compared to the district and state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade proficiency rates in Math and Reading were 43.4% and 32.7%, respectively, compared to 57.4% and 37.3% for Gaston County, and 64.1% and 46.7% for North Carolina. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as Female, African American, and Disabled students. In contrast, the school's performance for Hispanic and English Language Learner students is relatively better.

Nearby schools, such as New Hope Elementary, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, and Lowell Elementary, generally outperform Gardner Park Elementary on state assessments, with proficiency rates that are 20-40 percentage points higher in Math and Reading. These nearby schools also have significantly lower percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 33.83% to 99.2%, compared to Gardner Park's 99.45%. The high concentration of students from low-income families and the relatively high student-teacher ratio at Gardner Park Elementary may be contributing factors to the school's challenges.

560

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,619

Per pupil spending ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

738 Armstrong Park Road
Gastonia, NC 28054-7212

(704) 866-6082

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend Gardner Park Elementary usually attend:

High:

Ashbrook High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

34.5%

African American:

33.2%

White:

22.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Gardner Park Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2015 → 12th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (39% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg49%

North Carolina avg57%

1,308^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th 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	18.5	1308 of 1490	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	1357 of 1505	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	1242 of 1502	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	1134 of 1514	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.2	912 of 1489	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.8	946 of 1473	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.6	1069 of 1434	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	32.8	1036 of 1429	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.3	1021 of 1425	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.9	1039 of 1440	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	43.6	796 of 1390	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.8	983 of 1403	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.0	690 of 1388	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	42.5	888 of 1381	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.4	896 of 1363	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.1	710 of 1354	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.0	679 of 1324	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.0	625 of 1293	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.8	588 of 1276	53.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	29.0	709 of 918	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	856 of 924	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	829 of 933	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.4	735 of 927	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.5	496 of 896	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.7	310 of 949	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.5	551 of 927	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	21.2	579 of 634	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	38.4	371 of 646	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.0	465 of 878	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.6	854 of 897	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	420 of 563	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.4	430 of 533	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.5	274 of 514	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	293 of 485	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.2	204 of 385	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	299 of 497	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.5	281 of 421	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.1	1319 of 1451	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	1379 of 1455	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.1	1235 of 1459	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	1268 of 1458	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.5	980 of 1440	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.2	842 of 1424	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.5	917 of 1405	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	25.7	441 of 494	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.2	783 of 961	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.8	738 of 951	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.0	469 of 915	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.6	548 of 893	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.6	366 of 843	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.8	448 of 865	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	491 of 851	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.0	1099 of 1437	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.7	1003 of 1450	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	1094 of 1437	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.7	854 of 1366	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	825 of 1329	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.9	811 of 1361	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.7	1017 of 1332	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.5	1174 of 1450	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	1222 of 1464	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	1164 of 1461	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.9	934 of 1464	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	800 of 1444	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	1000 of 1430	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.1	1174 of 1413	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	42.0	80 of 133	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.9	509 of 821	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	29.7	907 of 1172	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	943 of 1166	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	1076 of 1183	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	36.7	809 of 1194	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.4	728 of 1172	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.7	882 of 1183	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.5	972 of 1178	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2022)40th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2025)38th percentile+26 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)25th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)23rd percentile+11 vs school

White (2025)23rd percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)19th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)19th percentile+6 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2021)11th percentile-28 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)9th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science55%-7 vs state

Mathematics40%-21 vs state

Reading35%-17 vs state

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Schools Near Gardner Park 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
Gardner Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	738 Armstrong Park Road	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6082	560	39	14.4	99.5%	126 (22.5%)	186 (33.2%)	193 (34.5%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (7.9%)	18.5	1308^th of 1490 public elementary schools	12.2%		15.4	1357^th of 1505 public elementary schools	9.8%	49	43.4	37.0	38.0	32.7	39.1	33.8	54.9	$9,619	$1,304	$8,314
Sherwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1744 Dixon Road	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6609	553	34	16.3	99.5%	86 (15.6%)	239 (43.2%)	164 (29.7%)	11 (2.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.2%)	10.6	1410^th of 1490 public elementary schools	5.4%		10.6	1419^th of 1505 public elementary schools	5.7%	9	40.9	37.1	17.9	26.1	47.1	28.4	28.4	$8,790	$1,325	$7,465
Hawks Nest STEAM Academy	Public, Magnet	K-5	3430 Robinwood Rd	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(704) 866-8467	356	24	14.7	36.0%	204 (57.3%)	82 (23.0%)	36 (10.1%)	15 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (5.1%)	88.7	125^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.6%		84.5	183^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	87.8%	58	88.3	72.4	85.0	60.0	74.1	80.0	83.3	$9,235	$809	$8,426
Lowell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 Power Drive	Lowell	28098	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9118	367	28	12.9	99.2%	177 (48.2%)	72 (19.6%)	74 (20.2%)	20 (5.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.0%)	54.1	668^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.2%		52.1	714^th of 1505 public elementary schools	52.6%	46	64.7	65.5	53.8	44.1	56.4	48.1	71.2	$8,896	$1,107	$7,789
McAdenville Elementary	Public	K-5	275 E Wesleyan Drive	Mc Adenville	28101	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9117	190	11	17.3	98.4%	94 (49.5%)	31 (16.3%)	44 (23.2%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (9.5%)	72.6	354^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.2%		59.4	592^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	60.7%	238	100.0	59.4	61.3	63.6	78.1	67.7	51.6	$12,737	$1,535	$11,202
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%)	16.6	1331^st of 1490 public elementary schools	10.7%		26.4	1174^th of 1505 public elementary schools	22.0%	157	39.6	27.4	47.6	27.2	33.3	39.0	50.0	$9,017	$1,395	$7,622
Robinson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3122 S Union Road	Gastonia	28056	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6607	420	30	13.8	99.3%	185 (44.0%)	129 (30.7%)	70 (16.7%)	7 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.7%)	36	981^st of 1490 public elementary schools	34.2%		36.1	991^st of 1505 public elementary schools	34.2%	10	54.2	47.4	49.1	33.7	51.3	38.6	75.4	$8,960	$931	$8,030
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
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%)	5.4	1468^th of 1490 public elementary schools	1.5%		7.8	1447^th of 1505 public elementary schools	3.9%	21	32.1	25.0	34.8	15.9	25.0	24.6	33.3	$9,976	$1,609	$8,367
New Hope Elementary	Public	K-5	137 Stowe Road	Gastonia	28056	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9112	571	34	16.7	34.3%	405 (70.9%)	60 (10.5%)	59 (10.3%)	18 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.9%)	83.4	197^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.8%		86.8	155^th of 1505 public elementary schools	89.7%	42	77.9	83.2	75.8	53.7	76.2	68.7	75.8	$8,471	$727	$7,744

Frequently Asked Questions about Gardner Park Elementary

How many students attend Gardner Park Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 560 students attended Gardner Park Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Gardner Park Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gardner Park Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Ashbrook High

Is Gardner Park Elementary a good school?

Gardner Park Elementary ranks in the bottom 12.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What district is Gardner Park Elementary in?

Gaston County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Gardner Park Elementary?

Students at Gardner Park Elementary are 34% Hispanic, 33% African American, 23% White, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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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.