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W A Bess Elementary School

Q: Is W A Bess Elementary School a good school?

W A Bess Elementary School ranks 381 st of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

381^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

W A Bess Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 641 students in grades PK-5 in Gastonia, North Carolina, which is part of the Gaston County Schools district.

W A Bess Elementary consistently outperforms the Gaston County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in academic proficiency across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 83.6% of 3rd graders at W A Bess were proficient or better in Math, compared to 57.4% for the district and 64.1% for the state. The school also performs exceptionally well for certain student subgroups, ranking in the top 200 out of 918 North Carolina elementary schools for African American students and in the top 89 out of 563 schools for English Language Learners in the 2024-2025 school year. W A Bess Elementary has maintained a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past 10 school years, placing it in the top 20% of elementary schools in the state.

While W A Bess Elementary outperforms the district and state averages, some of the nearby schools in the Gaston County district, such as H H Beam Elementary, Lingerfeldt Elementary, and Sherwood Elementary, have significantly lower proficiency rates across all subjects and grade levels. This suggests that W A Bess Elementary is able to achieve strong academic outcomes despite serving a population with a relatively high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, around 47-50% in recent years, and with limited resources, spending approximately $8,590 per student, which is lower than the state average.

674

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,590

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4340 Beaty Road
Gastonia, NC 28056

(704) 866-6075

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend W A Bess Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Cramerton Middle
High:	Forestview High

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.2%

African American:

18.0%

Hispanic:

16.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare W A Bess Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 81st percentile in 2015 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (65% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Gaston County Schools

✓Above the North Carolina median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

District avg49%

North Carolina avg57%

381^st of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 19% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	70.5	381 of 1490	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	60.3	577 of 1505	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.0	359 of 1502	76.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.1	291 of 1514	80.8%	★★★★☆
2021	78.9	261 of 1489	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	84.6	172 of 1473	88.3%	★★★★☆
2018	83.4	178 of 1434	87.6%	★★★★☆
2017	79.5	236 of 1429	83.5%	★★★★☆
2016	75.2	305 of 1425	78.6%	★★★★☆
2015	78.0	273 of 1440	81.0%	★★★★☆
2014	82.6	198 of 1390	85.8%	★★★★☆
2013	70.2	352 of 1403	74.9%	★★★★☆
2012	82.2	156 of 1388	88.8%	★★★★☆
2011	87.3	82 of 1381	94.1%	★★★★★
2010	86.9	91 of 1363	93.3%	★★★★★
2009	91.3	26 of 1354	98.1%	★★★★★
2008	90.3	61 of 1324	95.4%	★★★★★
2007	88.6	43 of 1293	96.7%	★★★★★
2006	85.2	104 of 1276	91.8%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.3	200 of 918	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	55.0	364 of 924	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.9	197 of 933	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	75.1	138 of 927	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	90.9	45 of 896	95.0%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	53.7	215 of 634	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.1	105 of 646	83.7%	★★★★☆
2019	75.0	112 of 878	87.2%	★★★★☆
2018	44.3	458 of 897	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.0	89 of 563	84.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.0	379 of 1451	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	61.9	518 of 1455	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.3	399 of 1459	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	266 of 1458	81.8%	★★★★☆
2021	82.8	185 of 1440	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	85.5	131 of 1424	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	84.5	143 of 1405	89.8%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	457 of 710	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.1	514 of 669	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	52.8	398 of 582	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	64.3	166 of 500	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.0	300 of 494	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.7	103 of 612	83.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	56.8	372 of 961	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.6	249 of 951	73.8%	★★★★☆
2023	86.9	67 of 915	92.7%	★★★★★
2022	96.5	14 of 893	98.4%	★★★★★
2021	93.0	39 of 843	95.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	62.5	439 of 1437	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.6	659 of 1450	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.7	293 of 1437	79.6%	★★★★☆
2022	77.7	171 of 1366	87.5%	★★★★☆
2021	80.5	145 of 1329	89.1%	★★★★☆
2019	86.3	87 of 1361	93.6%	★★★★★
2018	80.4	149 of 1332	88.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.4	393 of 1450	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	56.3	626 of 1464	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.6	305 of 1461	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	72.3	351 of 1464	76.0%	★★★★☆
2021	69.5	393 of 1444	72.8%	★★★★☆
2019	79.6	223 of 1430	84.4%	★★★★☆
2018	79.6	217 of 1413	84.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	269 of 821	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.0	452 of 801	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	55.1	520 of 1172	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.6	734 of 1166	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.7	577 of 1183	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.1	467 of 1194	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.1	467 of 1172	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.4	299 of 1183	74.7%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	259 of 1178	78.0%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)84th percentile+10 vs school

African American (2025)78th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)74th percentile~ school

Male (2025)73rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)69th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)67th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)66th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)56th percentile-19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)36th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science70%+8 vs state

Mathematics70%+9 vs state

Reading60%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near W A Bess Elementary School

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
W A Bess Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4340 Beaty Road	Gastonia	28056	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 866-6075	674	40	16.9	99.6%	345 (51.2%)	121 (18.0%)	109 (16.2%)	56 (8.3%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (5.6%)	70.5	381^st of 1490 public elementary schools	74.4%		60.3	577^th of 1505 public elementary schools	61.7%	196	83.6	64.3	58.7	53.1	62.6	64.4	70.2	$8,590	$655	$7,934
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
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
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
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
H H Beam Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Davis Park Road	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6618	591	39	15.0	99.5%	122 (20.6%)	174 (29.4%)	255 (43.1%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.6%)	3.9	1476^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.9%		3.6	1490^th of 1505 public elementary schools	1.0%	14	29.9	20.0	21.3	16.5	25.6	20.0	37.1	$9,849	$1,567	$8,282
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about W A Bess Elementary School

How many students attend W A Bess Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 674 students attended W A Bess Elementary School.

Is W A Bess Elementary School a good school?

W A Bess Elementary School ranks 381^st of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of W A Bess Elementary School attend?

Students who attend W A Bess Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cramerton Middle
High : Forestview High

What district is W A Bess Elementary School in?

Gaston County Schools

What is the racial makeup of W A Bess Elementary School?

Students at W A Bess Elementary School are 51% White, 18% African American, 16% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

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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.