Summary
W B Beam Intermediate School is a public elementary school in Cherryville, North Carolina, serving grades 4-5 with a total enrollment of 189 students. The school is part of the Gaston County Schools district, which is ranked 149 out of 242 districts in the state.
W B Beam Intermediate School has consistently performed below the state and district averages in standardized test scores for mathematics, reading, and science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 49% in 4th grade math, 64.1% in 5th grade math, 54% in 4th grade reading, and 52.2% in 5th grade reading, compared to the state averages of 58.9%, 59.3%, 58.1%, and 52.9%, respectively. The school has a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with 98.41% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. Nearby schools, such as Bessemer City Primary, Bessemer City Central Elementary, Tryon Elementary, and Cherryville Elementary, have similar demographic and performance characteristics.
While the school has shown some strengths in the performance of specific student subgroups, the overall academic performance of W B Beam Intermediate School remains a concern. The school's spending per student ($9,330 in 2018-2019) and student-teacher ratio (20.1 in 2023-2024) are comparable to the nearby schools, suggesting that resource allocation may not be a significant factor in the school's performance. The challenges faced by W B Beam Intermediate School may be systemic within the broader educational context of the region, requiring a collaborative approach among the district, community, and stakeholders to address the underlying issues.
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