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Hawks Nest STEAM Academy

Public, Magnet Grades K-5

125^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 92% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Hawks Nest STEAM Academy is a public magnet elementary school in Gastonia, North Carolina, serving 351 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. As part of the Gaston County Schools district, Hawks Nest consistently outperforms its peers and the state in academic proficiency.

With 88.3% of 3rd-graders proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 57.4% for the district and 64.1% for the state, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy demonstrates exceptional academic performance. The school also ranks highly in the state for various student subgroups, including female students, male students, African American students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Over the past several years, Hawks Nest has consistently ranked among the top 3% of elementary schools in North Carolina, reaching as high as 47th out of 1,489 schools in the 2020-2021 school year.

When compared to nearby schools, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy significantly outperforms its peers in academic proficiency. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 3rd-grade mathematics proficiency rate was 88.3%, compared to the highest nearby school at 77.9%. Despite having a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy is able to maintain strong academic performance, suggesting the school effectively supports and meets the needs of its diverse student population. The success of Hawks Nest STEAM Academy could serve as a model for other schools, as its best practices and strategies could inform efforts to improve academic outcomes in other institutions.

356

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,235

Per pupil spending ?

36%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3430 Robinwood Rd
Gastonia, NC 28054

(704) 866-8467

District: Gaston County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.3%

African American:

23.0%

Hispanic:

10.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Hawks Nest STEAM Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 91st percentile in 2019 → 92nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (78% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Gaston County Schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg49%

North Carolina avg57%

125^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 1 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	88.7	125 of 1490	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	84.5	183 of 1505	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	89.4	118 of 1502	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	92.0	90 of 1514	94.1%	★★★★★
2021	95.4	47 of 1489	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	87.5	131 of 1473	91.1%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.1	107 of 918	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	80.7	105 of 924	88.6%	★★★★☆
2023	85.1	78 of 933	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	94.6	21 of 927	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	99.9	1 of 896	99.9%	★★★★★
2019	90.4	45 of 949	95.3%	★★★★★
2018	88.2	42 of 927	95.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	84.0	166 of 1451	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	83.1	178 of 1455	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	89.2	103 of 1459	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	89.0	106 of 1458	92.7%	★★★★★
2021	92.7	75 of 1440	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	89.1	82 of 1424	94.2%	★★★★★
2018	84.4	144 of 1405	89.8%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.6	158 of 710	77.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	67 of 669	90.0%	★★★★★
2023	54.2	371 of 582	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	69.5	95 of 500	81.0%	★★★★☆
2021	71.8	88 of 494	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	46.3	486 of 612	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	88.7	64 of 1437	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	83.3	112 of 1450	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	88.1	70 of 1437	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	98.2	7 of 1366	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	97.4	11 of 1329	99.2%	★★★★★
2019	87.8	69 of 1361	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	83.1	117 of 1332	91.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	89.2	102 of 1450	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	82.8	192 of 1464	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	84.7	157 of 1461	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	92.6	66 of 1464	95.5%	★★★★★
2021	94.4	49 of 1444	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	85.3	159 of 1430	88.9%	★★★★☆
2018	85.1	156 of 1413	89.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.8	213 of 1172	81.8%	★★★★☆
2024	78.3	219 of 1166	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	81.6	162 of 1183	86.3%	★★★★☆
2022	86.2	100 of 1194	91.6%	★★★★★
2021	89.2	67 of 1172	94.3%	★★★★★
2019	75.7	236 of 1183	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.6	258 of 1178	78.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)96th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)89th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)88th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)82nd percentile-10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)78th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science83%+21 vs state

Mathematics82%+21 vs state

Reading71%+19 vs state

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Schools Near Hawks Nest STEAM Academy

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Woodhill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1027 Woodhill Drive	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6295	577	35	16.6	99.5%	47 (8.1%)	309 (53.6%)	184 (31.9%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (5.0%)	3.8	1479^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.7%		6.6	1464^th of 1505 public elementary schools	2.7%	15	28.6	27.7	25.6	14.4	26.5	20.9	29.4	$8,750	$1,400	$7,350

Frequently Asked Questions about Hawks Nest STEAM Academy

How many students attend Hawks Nest STEAM Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 356 students attended Hawks Nest STEAM Academy.

What district is Hawks Nest STEAM Academy in?

Gaston County Schools

Is Hawks Nest STEAM Academy a good school?

Yes. Hawks Nest STEAM Academy ranks in the top 8.4% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Hawks Nest STEAM Academy?

Students at Hawks Nest STEAM Academy are 57% White, 23% African American, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

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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.