McAdenville Elementary

McAdenville Elementary is a small K–5 school in Mc Adenville, NC, serving about 190 students as part of Gaston County Schools. Though nearly all of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, the school ranks 202nd out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, putting it in the 86th percentile statewide. It reached that point by climbing steadily from the 43rd percentile just three years earlier, and the improvement shows up across multiple grades and student groups — not just one standout class.

That consistency is especially clear in the local comparison. New Hope Elementary and Belmont Central Elementary perform at similar levels but serve far fewer low-income families (about one-third qualify for free or reduced-price lunch). This school posts comparable math and science results while serving a student body in which roughly 98 percent of students are economically disadvantaged. Meanwhile, nearby high-poverty schools such as Brookside Elementary, Gardner Park Elementary, and Sherwood Elementary sit in the 11th, 13th, and 27th percentiles, respectively — a stark contrast. Attendance stands out, too: the school's chronic absenteeism rate — the share of students who miss many school days — is just 10.4 percent, less than half the district's 23.2 percent average and lower than the rates at nearby Ida Rankin Elementary School and North Belmont Elementary.

Academically, math and science are this school's standout subjects: math proficiency runs roughly 79 to 87 percent across grades 3–5, and 5th-grade science reaches nearly 90 percent, well above state averages. Reading is strong in 4th and 5th grades, though 3rd-grade reading sits closer to the state average, making early literacy an area to watch. This school is also one of the state's best at serving low-income students — its economically disadvantaged students rank in the top 10 percent statewide. Add in very low absenteeism and reported per-pupil spending that is higher than every nearby school it was compared with, and it's clear this school's results stack up against schools serving far fewer challenges.