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Gaston Virtual Academy

Q: Is Gaston Virtual Academy a good school?

Gaston Virtual Academy ranks 679 th of 1490 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

679^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Alternative Schools

Better than 54% of North Carolina alternative schools

Summary

Gaston Virtual Academy is an alternative public magnet virtual school serving grades K-12 in Gastonia, North Carolina, with 323 students enrolled. This school stands out for its consistently high academic performance, outpacing both the Gaston County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in key metrics.

Gaston Virtual Academy has demonstrated exceptional results, with 4-year graduation rates ranging from 76.3% to 88.8% over the past few years, well above the district average. The school's students also excel in core subjects, scoring significantly higher than their peers on mathematics, reading, and science assessments. For example, 5th-grade students at Gaston Virtual Academy achieved an 84.6% proficiency rate in reading, compared to just 44.3% for the district and 52.9% for the state.

While Gaston Virtual Academy's academic success is noteworthy, the school has also seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 35.05% in 2021-2022 to 53.87% in 2023-2024. This suggests the school is serving a population with growing socioeconomic challenges, which may require the school to adapt its strategies and resources to continue supporting student achievement. Nonetheless, Gaston Virtual Academy's model of delivering high-quality virtual education while maintaining a low student-teacher ratio could serve as a valuable case study for other virtual schools seeking to replicate its success.

283

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,154

Per pupil spending ?

57.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1 Learning Place
Gastonia, NC 28052

(704) 836-9125

District: Gaston County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.7%

African American:

29.0%

Hispanic:

9.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Gaston Virtual Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 64th percentile in 2023 → 51st in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (76% vs 88%)

!Ranking has slipped from its 64th-percentile peak (2023) to 51st (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg48%

North Carolina avg55%

Elementary school

679^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 32 pts since 2022

From bottom 22% (2022) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

394^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 13 pts since 2019

From top 38% (2019) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

312^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 30 pts since 2021

From top 19% (2021) to top 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.6	679 of 1490	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.6	753 of 1505	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.6	776 of 1502	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.3	1174 of 1514	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	43.3	513 of 933	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.7	643 of 927	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	69.7	372 of 1455	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	50.7	726 of 1459	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.1	1102 of 1458	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	46.6	392 of 500	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	52.2	654 of 1450	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.4	747 of 1437	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.5	1064 of 1366	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	51.2	729 of 1464	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	772 of 1461	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.9	1150 of 1464	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	43.3	708 of 1183	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	12.6	1128 of 1194	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.9	394 of 773	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.5	353 of 793	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	285 of 784	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	329 of 786	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.8	346 of 741	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.7	277 of 737	62.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	65.5	137 of 546	74.9%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	106 of 560	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	56.6	178 of 559	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.6	110 of 550	80.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.2	440 of 733	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.5	259 of 738	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.9	212 of 731	71.0%	★★★★☆
2022	61.3	251 of 733	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	55.7	275 of 729	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	250 of 743	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.0	231 of 735	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.4	160 of 689	76.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	62.3	251 of 733	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.9	460 of 751	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.8	359 of 747	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.2	386 of 748	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	506 of 649	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.4	450 of 652	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.6	305 of 656	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.4	355 of 658	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.7	309 of 624	50.5%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.7	312 of 641	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.0	233 of 640	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.6	358 of 626	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	391 of 621	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	79.4	110 of 594	81.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	21.7	363 of 430	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.7	336 of 610	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.6	199 of 602	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.3	406 of 588	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	432 of 594	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	87.7	29 of 475	93.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	55.5	146 of 436	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	64.9	160 of 606	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	76.9	126 of 613	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	52.3	232 of 597	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.6	388 of 544	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	42.2	342 of 607	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.8	352 of 602	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.8	310 of 585	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	376 of 542	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.4	362 of 553	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.4	419 of 537	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.0	403 of 534	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	70.5	84 of 439	80.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2024)74th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)55th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2024)50th percentile~ school

African American (2023)45th percentile-3 vs school

White (2023)40th percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2022)22nd percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2025)75th percentile+26 vs school

Male (2025)66th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)40th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)22nd percentile-27 vs school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)74th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2022)67th percentile+29 vs school

Female (2025)45th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2024)44th percentile-20 vs school

White (2025)31st percentile-21 vs school

African American (2022)16th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III69%+3 vs state

English II65%+5 vs state

Science63%~ state avg

Reading57%+6 vs state

Math I53%+18 vs state

Mathematics49%-8 vs state

Biology18%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gaston Virtual Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gaston Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Magnet, Alternative	K-12	1 Learning Place	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	Yes	Yes	No	(704) 836-9125	283	21	13.7	57.6%	152 (53.7%)	82 (29.0%)	28 (9.9%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.7%)								(n/a)	17.6	64.7	52.6	69.2	68.8		53.8	28.6	50.0	44.7	43.8		84.6	46.7	54.8	60.0	76.9	57.9	$5,154	$290	$4,864
Piedmont Community Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2596 Robinwood Road	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Piedmont Community Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 853-2428	1,963	129	15.2		957 (48.8%)	383 (19.5%)	460 (23.4%)	29 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	133 (6.8%)								(n/a)	70.1	73.1	66.7	90.3	61.1	63.9	62.7	66.5	51.6	78.1	58.8	63.2	46.8	52.3	51.0	71.9	51.3	69.4
Jackson Day School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1209 Little Rock Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Jackson Day School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 391-5516	882	60	14.6		387 (43.9%)	279 (31.6%)	80 (9.1%)	34 (3.9%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (11.2%)								(n/a)	52.3	69.4	43.8	73.6	83.3	70.0	73.4	76.8	60.4	36.6	65.0	61.4	70.3	58.5	64.4	61.4	70.3	60.9
Webb Street School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1623 N Webb Street	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 864-9667	163	20	8.2	98.2%	80 (49.1%)	43 (26.4%)	28 (17.2%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.1%)								(n/a)																			$31,277	$3,221	$28,057
Community Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-10	185 Mariposa Road	Stanley	28164	Gaston County	Community Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(704) 931-4418	858	52	16.5		722 (84.1%)	30 (3.5%)	48 (5.6%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (6.2%)								(n/a)	34.8	43.5	20.8		61.0	61.1	78.1	50.7	43.9	50.0	44.0	63.7	45.2	57.3	59.6	51.9	80.8	36.5
Mountain Island Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	13440 Lucia Riverbend Highway	Mount Holly	28120	Gaston County	Mountain Island Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 827-8840	1,782	95	18.7	27.4%	923 (51.8%)	503 (28.2%)	175 (9.8%)	31 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	148 (8.3%)								(n/a)	47.3	72.3	58.6	61.5	74.8	87.4	79.9	82.3	72.7	70.6	61.1	78.5	78.5	75.9	73.4	61.8	81.3	68.4
Charlotte Lab School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2045 Suttle Avenue	Charlotte	28208	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte Lab School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 464-3830	807	65	12.4	50.1%	137 (17.0%)	403 (49.9%)	144 (17.8%)	10 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	112 (13.9%)								(n/a)	22.7	54.3	24.3	31.3	34.2	32.9	23.8	27.9	33.3	42.9	39.2	47.9	31.3	47.5	35.9	53.1	46.8	52.1
Metro School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	405 S Davidson St	Charlotte	28202	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5450	258	36	7.1	98.8%	46 (17.8%)	118 (45.7%)	73 (28.3%)	13 (5.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.7%)								(n/a)																			$33,839	$4,305	$29,534
Aspire Trade High	Public, Charter, Alternative	9-11	7125 Hambright Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Aspire Trade High School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(980) 399-7554	270	14	19.7	47.8%	58 (21.5%)	100 (37.0%)	84 (31.1%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.9%)								(n/a)	15.9	31.6	15.1	10.9
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	5833 Millhaven Lane	Charlotte	28269	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-0680	91	21	4.3	96.7%	14 (15.4%)	57 (62.6%)	14 (15.4%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.5%)								(n/a)	10.0	23.1													30.0	7.7		15.4	$60,725	$16,356	$44,369

Frequently Asked Questions about Gaston Virtual Academy

How many students attend Gaston Virtual Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 283 students attended Gaston Virtual Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Gaston Virtual Academy?

Students at Gaston Virtual Academy are 54% White, 29% African American, 10% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Gaston Virtual Academy a good school?

Gaston Virtual Academy ranks 679^th of 1490 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Gaston Virtual Academy in?

Gaston County Schools

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Schools in Gastonia, NC

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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.