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W B Beam Intermediate School

Q: Is W B Beam Intermediate School a good school?

W B Beam Intermediate School ranks 860 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 4-5

860^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

W B Beam Intermediate School is a small school in Cherryville, NC, serving about 191 students in just 4th and 5th grade as part of Gaston County Schools. Nearly all of its students (98.4%) come from low-income families, and the school ranks in the 42nd percentile statewide — right around the middle of North Carolina schools and in line with its district's overall standing.

The school's most notable strength is attendance. Its chronic absenteeism rate fell to 16.1% in 2024-2025, down from 30.8% three years earlier, and it is now well below both the Gaston County average of 23.2% and the state average of 24.2%. Nearby schools report higher rates: Love Memorial Elementary sits at 24.7%, Bessemer City Central Elementary at 21.6%, and Cherryville Elementary at 17.5%. For a school with this much poverty, steadily improving attendance is a meaningful accomplishment and a solid foundation for learning.

Academically, Beam outperforms several nearby Gaston County schools with very similar poverty levels. Bessemer City Central Elementary ranks in just the 5th percentile statewide, and Tryon Elementary in the 17th, while Beam sits near the middle of the pack. Proficiency gaps are wide: 60.2% of Beam's 4th graders were proficient in math versus 39.8% at Bessemer City Central, and 56.6% were proficient in reading versus 35.8%. That said, Beam's results are only occasionally above state averages, and its student-teacher ratio of 18.4 to 1 is noticeably higher than at nearby Cherryville Elementary (13.5) or Love Memorial (12.4). Since the school covers just two grade levels, performance can swing from year to year as different cohorts of students move through.

191

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

401 East First Street
Cherryville, NC 28021

(704) 836-9114

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend W B Beam Intermediate School usually attend:

Middle:	John Chavis Middle School
High:	Cherryville High

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.0%

Hispanic:

15.2%

African American:

12.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare W B Beam Intermediate School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 57th percentile in 2021 → 42nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 57th-percentile peak (2021) to 42nd (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg56%

North Carolina avg61%

860^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to bottom 42% (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	43.0	860 of 1492	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.9	761 of 1490	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.2	739 of 1505	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	791 of 1502	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.6	733 of 1514	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.2	638 of 1489	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.2	913 of 1473	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.9	711 of 1434	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	35.1	999 of 1429	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.2	981 of 1425	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.2	794 of 1440	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	51.4	681 of 1390	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	47.1	704 of 1403	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.7	714 of 1388	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	60.0	611 of 1381	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.8	615 of 1363	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.0	666 of 1354	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.0	582 of 1324	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.4	578 of 1293	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.1	774 of 1276	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.1	185 of 918	79.8%	★★★★☆
2019	19.4	862 of 949	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.5	698 of 927	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	51.7	235 of 634	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.0	377 of 646	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.2	378 of 878	56.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.2	281 of 563	50.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.2	733 of 1447	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.9	769 of 1451	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.1	729 of 1455	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.9	618 of 1459	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.4	796 of 1458	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.0	707 of 1440	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.0	912 of 1424	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.6	730 of 1405	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	521 of 743	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	61.8	281 of 710	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.8	313 of 669	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.0	102 of 582	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	37.6	435 of 500	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.0	605 of 612	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	36.4	57 of 69	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	786 of 981	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.2	689 of 961	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.7	555 of 951	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.2	397 of 915	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.4	184 of 893	79.4%	★★★★☆
2021	84.4	74 of 843	91.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.6	887 of 1434	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.8	563 of 1437	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	619 of 1450	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.2	545 of 1437	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.4	354 of 1366	74.1%	★★★★☆
2021	69.4	266 of 1329	80.0%	★★★★☆
2019	41.4	859 of 1361	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.3	632 of 1332	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	931 of 1451	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.1	725 of 1450	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.7	735 of 1464	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.7	922 of 1461	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.6	645 of 1464	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.9	531 of 1444	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	897 of 1430	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.3	682 of 1413	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	583 of 821	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	734 of 801	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	962 of 1146	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.9	920 of 1172	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.1	924 of 1166	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	940 of 1183	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.6	879 of 1194	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.2	808 of 1172	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.5	1029 of 1183	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	815 of 1178	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)80th percentile+31 vs school

Disabled (2022)63rd percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)50th percentile~ school

Female (2026)49th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)36th percentile-7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)30th percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2025)29th percentile-20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile-22 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science65%~ state avg

Mathematics56%-6 vs state

Reading51%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near W B Beam Intermediate 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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
W B Beam Intermediate School	Public	4-5	401 East First Street	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9114	191	10	18.4	98.4%	128 (67.0%)	23 (12.0%)	29 (15.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.2%)	43	860^th of 1492 public elementary schools	42.4%		48.9	761^st of 1490 public elementary schools	48.9%	99		60.2	53.1		56.6	45.9	65.3	$9,330	$1,251	$8,080
Cherryville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	700 East Academy Street	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9115	378	28	13.5	99.2%	290 (76.7%)	26 (6.9%)	37 (9.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.1%)								(n/a)	65.3			49.0				$10,948	$1,062	$9,886
Washington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1907 Stony Point Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8260	376	26	14.3	97.9%	206 (54.8%)	62 (16.5%)	70 (18.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.6%)	48	767^th of 1492 public elementary schools	48.6%		39.7	923^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	38.1%	156	73.2	61.3	55.4	60.7	56.5	41.5	61.5	$9,971	$1,530	$8,441
Tryon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2620 Tryon Courthouse Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9107	336	26	12.7	97.6%	229 (68.2%)	29 (8.6%)	49 (14.6%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	22.3	1239^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.0%		25.7	1163^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	21.9%	76	43.9	43.8	54.1	34.1	47.9	43.2	54.1	$11,346	$1,912	$9,434
Love Memorial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1463 Love Memorial Sch Rd	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 735-5649	315	25	12.4	99.0%	244 (77.5%)	10 (3.2%)	38 (12.1%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.0%)	18.7	1304^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.6%		24.6	1194^th of 1490 public elementary schools	19.9%	110	61.5	35.1	39.5	53.8	29.7	32.6	39.5	$12,264	$1,597	$10,666
Fallston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	112 Gary Street	Fallston	28042	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8240	502	36	13.8	99.4%	374 (74.5%)	54 (10.8%)	41 (8.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.4%)	66.3	483^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	67.6%		54	670^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.0%	187	78.7	64.8	71.2	62.3	62.6	46.6	82.2	$9,874	$1,550	$8,324
Childers Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2595 Rock Dam Road	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 736-9610	418	30	13.7	97.1%	306 (73.2%)	10 (2.4%)	81 (19.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.5%)	30.6	1078^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.7%		42.6	868^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.7%	210	40.7	49.3	66.2	33.9	40.3	43.1	69.2	$9,897	$1,409	$8,488
Bessemer City Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	1320 North 12th Street	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9109	445	31	14.4	99.3%	169 (38.0%)	126 (28.3%)	106 (23.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.2%)								(n/a)								$9,139	$1,352	$7,787
Bessemer City Central Elementary	Public	3-5	1400 Puett's Chapel Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9108	392	24	16.0	98.2%	159 (40.6%)	93 (23.7%)	98 (25.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (10.2%)	10.1	1422^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	4.7%		6.2	1457^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.2%	35	31.3	39.8	37.3	28.5	35.8	37.3	47.6	$8,603	$1,476	$7,127
North Brook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	642 Hwy 274	Vale	28168	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 276-2479	344	24	14.5	99.1%	296 (86.0%)	6 (1.7%)	23 (6.7%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.7%)	64.3	513^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.6%		63.1	510^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.8%	3	80.3	74.5	66.7	65.2	60.0	41.2	68.6	$9,492	$999	$8,493

Frequently Asked Questions about W B Beam Intermediate School

What is the racial makeup of W B Beam Intermediate School?

Students at W B Beam Intermediate School are 67% White, 15% Hispanic, 12% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of W B Beam Intermediate School attend?

Students who attend W B Beam Intermediate School usually go on to attend:

Middle : John Chavis Middle School
High : Cherryville High

How many students attend W B Beam Intermediate School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 191 students attended W B Beam Intermediate School.

Is W B Beam Intermediate School a good school?

W B Beam Intermediate School ranks 860^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is W B Beam Intermediate School in?

Gaston County Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.