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Ida Rankin Elementary School

Q: Is Ida Rankin Elementary School a good school?

Ida Rankin Elementary School ranks 487 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

487^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Ida Rankin Elementary School is a public PK-5 school in Mount Holly, NC, serving 533 students in a community where 97.6% of families qualify for free/reduced-price lunch — one of the highest poverty rates in the immediate area. The school is part of Gaston County Schools, a district that currently rates just 2 stars (41st percentile) statewide. Ida Rankin Elementary School is a relative bright spot within that district: it earns 3 stars and ranks at the 67th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools (487th of 1,492). Given its poverty profile, that level of performance is notable.

Academically, Ida Rankin matches or beats its district average in every tested grade and subject. Its most striking results are in fifth grade, where 86.7% of students score proficient in math — roughly 24 points above the state average and the highest fifth-grade math rate of any nearby elementary school, including Paw Creek Elementary (81.7%), McAdenville Elementary (79.3%), and Belmont Central Elementary (78.0%). Fifth-grade reading (72%) and science (77.3%) also clear state averages by wide margins. In third and fourth grade, performance is closer to state norms but still solidly above Gaston County averages, with fourth-grade reading and math as the school's relative soft spots. This points to a particularly strong upper-elementary program.

The school's success extends beyond test scores. Chronic absenteeism is just 14.4%, roughly 10 points below district and state averages — and less than half the rate at nearby Whitewater Academy (34.1%) and River Oaks Academy (29.4%), which serve similarly high-poverty families. Strong attendance like this is often a sign of family engagement and a welcoming school climate. State subgroup data also show above-median results for the school's Hispanic students (85th percentile), English learners (86th percentile), and low-income students (66th percentile) compared with the same groups statewide. The one clear concern is special education, where proficiency places the school at the 6th percentile — the most important equity gap to monitor.

533

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

97.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

96.3%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 3.7% (any vaccine)

301 W Central Avenue
Mount Holly, NC 28120

(704) 836-9136

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend Ida Rankin Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:

Mount Holly Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.9%

African American:

24.0%

Hispanic:

17.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Ida Rankin Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 52nd percentile in 2016 → 67th in 2026

Strengths

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

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

487^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 16 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to top 33% (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	66.2	487 of 1492	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.2	527 of 1490	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.6	532 of 1505	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.2	462 of 1502	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.4	443 of 1514	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	67.3	440 of 1489	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	62.1	541 of 1473	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.0	748 of 1434	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	52.5	708 of 1429	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.3	687 of 1425	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.4	652 of 1440	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	47.3	749 of 1390	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.0	791 of 1403	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.8	757 of 1388	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	61.4	589 of 1381	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	50.5	766 of 1363	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	62.6	558 of 1354	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.5	440 of 1324	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	78.3	198 of 1293	84.7%	★★★★☆
2006	76.6	221 of 1276	82.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	328 of 903	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.7	300 of 918	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.2	385 of 924	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.8	366 of 933	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	266 of 927	71.3%	★★★★☆
2021	45.3	426 of 896	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.5	328 of 949	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.3	416 of 927	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	29.8	475 of 634	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	583 of 646	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	727 of 878	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.6	708 of 897	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	74.3	77 of 533	85.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.1	450 of 1447	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.6	576 of 1451	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.7	549 of 1455	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.4	614 of 1459	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.3	326 of 1458	77.6%	★★★★☆
2021	64.7	437 of 1440	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.5	396 of 1424	72.2%	★★★★☆
2018	60.7	573 of 1405	59.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.9	276 of 743	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.2	322 of 710	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.3	53 of 669	92.1%	★★★★★
2023	61.9	242 of 582	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.3	206 of 500	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.4	219 of 494	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.3	193 of 612	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.7	148 of 981	84.9%	★★★★☆
2025	45.2	535 of 961	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.6	457 of 951	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.1	491 of 1434	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.7	598 of 1437	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.3	499 of 1450	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.8	320 of 1437	77.7%	★★★★☆
2022	64.2	371 of 1366	72.8%	★★★★☆
2021	66.7	308 of 1329	76.8%	★★★★☆
2019	54.0	601 of 1361	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.4	761 of 1332	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.8	488 of 1451	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.7	476 of 1450	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.8	512 of 1464	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.6	288 of 1461	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	57.6	601 of 1464	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.9	439 of 1444	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.6	695 of 1430	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.5	967 of 1413	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	95.0	1 of 103	99.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	772 of 821	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	668 of 801	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	493 of 1146	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.8	361 of 1172	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	466 of 1166	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.6	485 of 1183	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.7	474 of 1194	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.8	455 of 1172	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.6	649 of 1183	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.8	802 of 1178	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2019)99th percentile+36 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)86th percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2026)85th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2026)69th percentile~ school

Male (2026)66th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile~ school

African American (2026)64th percentile-4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)63rd percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)57th percentile-10 vs school

Disabled (2022)25th percentile-46 vs school

Special Education (2025)6th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science77%+10 vs state

Mathematics69%+6 vs state

Reading62%+6 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, September 20, 2018

This school cannot even afford walls! It is an open concept where students cannot concentrate and has a very poor learning environment. There is rampant bullying and horrible language there with teachers doing nothing about it! Close Quote

Schools Near Ida Rankin Elementary School

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ida Rankin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	301 W Central Avenue	Mount Holly	28120	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9136	533	37	14.2	97.6%	266 (49.9%)	128 (24.0%)	91 (17.1%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (7.9%)	66.2	487^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.4%		62.2	527^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.6%	40	65.1	59.3	86.7	60.2	56.0	72.0	77.3	96.3%	3.7%	$8,721	$1,006	$7,715
Catawba Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	101 Ivey Street	Belmont	28012	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9119	238	20	11.9	—	120 (50.4%)	23 (9.7%)	68 (28.6%)	7 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.4%)	59.7	588^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.6%		56.6	620^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.4%	32	54.5	65.2	66.7	54.5	56.5	64.3	85.7	92.5%	2.5%	$10,876	$1,354	$9,522
Whitewater Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	11600 White Rapids Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-0003	832	47	17.6	—	70 (8.4%)	381 (45.8%)	305 (36.7%)	35 (4.2%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.7%)	34 (4.1%)	20.6	1269^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.9%		41.8	883^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	40.7%	386	51.5	51.5	48.1	37.1	39.8	32.6	54.1	94.8%	0%	$9,291	$1,057	$8,234
North Belmont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	210 School Street	Belmont	28012	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9135	371	26	14.2	—	172 (46.4%)	29 (7.8%)	133 (35.8%)	17 (4.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.9%)	55.3	650^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.4%		70.6	380^th of 1490 public elementary schools	74.5%	270	59.3	73.1	67.2	45.8	63.5	53.7	70.1	94.9%	3.4%	$10,302	$1,927	$8,375
Pinewood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1925 N Main Street	Mount Holly	28120	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9138	508	33	15.4	—	271 (53.3%)	65 (12.8%)	109 (21.5%)	21 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.1%)	72.9	360^th of 1492 public elementary schools	75.9%		65.9	467^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.7%	107	70.5	72.2	70.8	64.1	69.4	62.9	76.4	97.3%	1.4%	$8,545	$911	$7,633
River Oaks Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	1015 Mt Holly-Huntersville Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 344-1020	555	31	17.8	—	47 (8.5%)	333 (60.0%)	144 (25.9%)	18 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.0%)	27.1	1156^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.5%		11.9	1395^th of 1490 public elementary schools	6.4%	239	54.8	51.9	39.8	45.2	55.1	38.6	53.7	89.2%	6%	$10,288	$1,014	$9,274
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	—	177 (48.2%)	72 (19.6%)	74 (20.2%)	20 (5.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.0%)	47.6	773^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	48.2%		54.1	668^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.2%	105	46.8	55.2	74.1	41.9	44.8	63.8	84.5	97%	3%	$8,896	$1,107	$7,789
Paw Creek Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1300 Cathey Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6088	784	45	17.3	—	51 (6.5%)	400 (51.0%)	263 (33.5%)	37 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	30 (3.8%)	83.2	203^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	86.4%		79.1	260^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.6%	57	90.2	82.9	81.7	66.1	65.3	61.4	87.9	90.5%	8.6%	$10,851	$1,377	$9,474
Belmont Central Elementary	Public	2-5	310 Eagle Road	Belmont	28012	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9137	693	36	19.4	33.9%	492 (71.0%)	69 (10.0%)	88 (12.7%)	17 (2.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.6%)	84.8	183^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	87.7%		77.4	286^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.8%	103	84.7	76.2	78.0	73.6	70.5	71.1	82.1			$7,586	$686	$6,900
J B Page Primary School	Public	PK, KG-1	215 Ewing Drive	Belmont	28012	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9116	396	27	14.8	34.6%	281 (71.0%)	37 (9.3%)	42 (10.6%)	14 (3.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.3%)								(n/a)								98.7%	1.3%	$8,892	$635	$8,257

Frequently Asked Questions about Ida Rankin Elementary School

Is Ida Rankin Elementary School a good school?

Ida Rankin Elementary School ranks 487^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Ida Rankin Elementary School in?

Gaston County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Ida Rankin Elementary School?

Students at Ida Rankin Elementary School are 50% White, 24% African American, 17% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Ida Rankin Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Ida Rankin Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mount Holly Middle

How many students attend Ida Rankin Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 533 students attended Ida Rankin Elementary School.

Rate Ida Rankin Elementary School!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 attendance dataSep 2, 2026

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.