Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Junaluska Elementary

Q: Is Junaluska Elementary a good school?

Junaluska Elementary ranks 279 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

279^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Junaluska Elementary is a K‑5 school in Waynesville, NC, serving 428 students as part of Haywood County Schools — a district rated 4 stars and ranked 64th out of 246 in North Carolina. Despite a student population where 99.3% qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, the school has ranked between the 81st and 88th percentile statewide over the past decade, earning a 4-star rating and 279th place out of 1,492 elementary schools in 2025–26.

Academically, Junaluska is one of the strongest schools in the Waynesville area. In the most recent testing year, 4th grade math proficiency reached 78.9% (vs. 61.4% statewide), 5th grade reading hit 73.3% (vs. 55.3% statewide), and 5th grade science reached 81.3% (vs. 67.7% statewide). The school is also notably effective with students receiving special education services, ranking 11th out of 821 schools statewide in 2024–25 — a 99th-percentile performance. Only Riverbend Elementary, about 5.3 miles away and ranked 62nd in North Carolina, outperforms Junaluska among nearby peers; other nearby schools like Hazelwood Elementary and Clyde Elementary trail Junaluska by 20-plus points in several subjects.

Junaluska achieves these results while spending a relatively modest $9,950 per student — less than nearby Pisgah Elementary, Meadowbrook Elementary, or Candler Elementary, several of which post lower proficiency rates. The school has also reduced chronic absenteeism from 25.6% to 19.4% since 2021–22, though Riverbend Elementary, North Canton Elementary, and Bethel Elementary all sit near 12–13%. One area to watch is 3rd grade math, which dipped to 66.3% in 2025–26 — slightly below the district average of 69.8% — along with recent declines among male and low-income students. Overall, Junaluska performs like a much more affluent school, delivering well-above-average results despite socioeconomic challenges that typically hold schools back.

428

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2238 Asheville Road
Waynesville, NC 28786-3143

(828) 456-2407

District: Haywood County Schools

Students who attend Junaluska Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Waynesville Middle
High:	Tuscola High

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.7%

Hispanic:

9.3%

Two or more races:

6.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Junaluska Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2016 → 81st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (72% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school72%

District avg67%

North Carolina avg61%

279^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From top 11% (2016) to top 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

64^th of 246Haywood 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	76.9	279 of 1492	81.3%	★★★★☆
2025	85.0	174 of 1490	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	80.8	230 of 1505	84.7%	★★★★☆
2023	82.4	204 of 1502	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	195 of 1514	87.1%	★★★★☆
2021	86.1	174 of 1489	88.3%	★★★★☆
2019	74.6	309 of 1473	79.0%	★★★★☆
2018	80.4	222 of 1434	84.5%	★★★★☆
2017	77.3	277 of 1429	80.6%	★★★★☆
2016	84.7	163 of 1425	88.6%	★★★★☆
2015	87.9	121 of 1440	91.6%	★★★★★
2014	89.3	114 of 1390	91.8%	★★★★★
2013	80.3	223 of 1403	84.1%	★★★★☆
2012	74.9	301 of 1388	78.3%	★★★★☆
2011	82.8	152 of 1381	89.0%	★★★★☆
2010	73.6	322 of 1363	76.4%	★★★★☆
2009	79.5	219 of 1354	83.8%	★★★★☆
2008	76.7	249 of 1324	81.2%	★★★★☆
2007	69.3	359 of 1293	72.2%	★★★★☆
2006	80.9	161 of 1276	87.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	77.8	64 of 634	89.9%	★★★★★
2021	70.0	98 of 646	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	55.6	294 of 878	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.3	343 of 897	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.2	259 of 1447	82.1%	★★★★☆
2025	77.1	259 of 1451	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	75.9	273 of 1455	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.6	254 of 1459	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	84.1	172 of 1458	88.2%	★★★★☆
2021	80.6	215 of 1440	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	78.0	242 of 1424	83.0%	★★★★☆
2018	83.3	163 of 1405	88.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.7	115 of 743	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	68.0	102 of 582	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	55.8	365 of 612	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	29.4	695 of 865	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.4	488 of 1434	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	85.2	94 of 1437	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	72.5	279 of 1450	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	81.1	147 of 1437	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	76.4	190 of 1366	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	84.4	102 of 1329	92.3%	★★★★★
2019	80.5	151 of 1361	88.9%	★★★★☆
2018	83.5	111 of 1332	91.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.8	325 of 1451	77.6%	★★★★☆
2025	86.5	146 of 1450	89.9%	★★★★☆
2024	81.8	201 of 1464	86.3%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	172 of 1461	88.2%	★★★★☆
2022	80.8	218 of 1464	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	87.8	137 of 1444	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	68.9	392 of 1430	72.6%	★★★★☆
2018	74.3	310 of 1413	78.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	133 of 815	83.7%	★★★★☆
2025	98.1	11 of 821	98.7%	★★★★★
2024	77.6	83 of 801	89.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.6	420 of 1146	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.1	328 of 1172	72.0%	★★★★☆
2024	67.2	351 of 1166	69.9%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	319 of 1183	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	72.1	296 of 1194	75.2%	★★★★☆
2021	70.9	301 of 1172	74.3%	★★★★☆
2019	57.5	502 of 1183	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.7	395 of 1178	66.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)90th percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)85th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)84th percentile~ school

Female (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)78th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)63rd percentile-18 vs school

Hispanic (2019)20th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science81%+14 vs state

Mathematics73%+9 vs state

Reading69%+13 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Junaluska Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Junaluska Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Junaluska Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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 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
Junaluska Elementary	Public	K-5	2238 Asheville Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 456-2407	428	27	15.6	99.3%	354 (82.7%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.3%)	5 (1.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.1%)	76.9	279^th of 1492 public elementary schools	81.3%		85	174^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.3%	105	66.3	78.9	73.3				62.0	72.2	73.3				81.3		$9,950	$1,085	$8,865
Hazelwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1111 Plott Creek Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 456-2406	490	29	16.6	98.6%	395 (80.6%)	3 (0.6%)	70 (14.3%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	56.4	634^th of 1492 public elementary schools	57.5%		62.7	514^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.5%	120	72.8	70.2	51.3				58.0	54.8	53.8				71.8		$9,672	$1,194	$8,479
Jonathan Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	410 Hall Drive	Waynesville	28785	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 926-3207	336	24	13.8	98.5%	291 (86.6%)	2 (0.6%)	30 (8.9%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.4%)	59.4	591^st of 1492 public elementary schools	60.4%		57.7	601^st of 1490 public elementary schools	59.7%	10	52.3	72.4	70.0				50.8	60.3	63.3				76.7		$10,398	$995	$9,403
Clyde Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4182 Old Clyde Road	Clyde	28721	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 627-2206	523	36	14.7	99.4%	436 (83.4%)	5 (1.0%)	54 (10.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.6%)	52.9	681^st of 1492 public elementary schools	54.4%		40.8	903^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	39.4%	222	68.6	66.7	50.8				58.6	64.3	49.2				60.0		$11,365	$1,942	$9,424
Bethel Elementary	Public	K-5	4700 Old River Road	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3448	537	31	17.5	98.7%	480 (89.4%)	2 (0.4%)	39 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.8%)	68.2	454^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.6%		78	279^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.3%	175	73.4	59.4	81.6				57.4	57.3	62.1				87.4		$9,186	$1,048	$8,138
Riverbend Elementary	Public	K-5	71 Learning Lane	Clyde	28721	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 627-6565	204	14	15.0	98.5%	193 (94.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	93.9	62^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	95.8%		94.5	57^th of 1490 public elementary schools	96.2%	5	86.5	92.9	90.3				89.2	78.6	77.4				87.1		$10,871	$924	$9,947
Meadowbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Morningstar Rd	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3445	198	12	16.7	98.0%	170 (85.9%)	6 (3.0%)	17 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	38.4	933^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	37.5%		35.2	996^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.2%	63	61.8	50.0	37.5				61.8	53.6	31.3				56.3		$11,254	$1,792	$9,462
North Canton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	60 Thompson St	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3444	332	20	16.8	98.8%	283 (85.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.5%)	71.6	386^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.1%		72.1	361^st of 1490 public elementary schools	75.8%	25	81.1	74.0	63.0				69.8	66.0	60.9				67.4		$11,227	$1,320	$9,907
Pisgah Elementary	Public	K-4	1495 Pisgah Hwy	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 670-5023	162	14	11.5	98.1%	121 (74.7%)	1 (0.6%)	32 (19.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.3%)	65	506^th of 1492 public elementary schools	66.1%		51.5	718^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.8%	212	75.9	73.8					58.6	54.8							$13,649	$1,435	$12,214
Scotts Creek School	Public	PK, KG-8	516 Parris Branch	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 631-2740	422	29	14.6	98.6%	290 (68.7%)	9 (2.1%)	75 (17.8%)	6 (1.4%)	12 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.1%)	22.3	1240^th of 1492 public elementary schools	16.9%		32.3	1051^st of 1490 public elementary schools	29.5%	189	44.2	35.7	38.1	51.3	39.0	40.5	37.2	44.6	35.7	51.3	46.3	43.2	61.9	83.8	$9,973	$1,203	$8,770

Frequently Asked Questions about Junaluska Elementary

How many students attend Junaluska Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 428 students attended Junaluska Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Junaluska Elementary attend?

Students who attend Junaluska Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Waynesville Middle
High : Tuscola High

What is the racial makeup of Junaluska Elementary?

Students at Junaluska Elementary are 83% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Junaluska Elementary in?

Haywood County Schools

Is Junaluska Elementary a good school?

Junaluska Elementary ranks 279^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Junaluska Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Waynesville, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Junaluska Elementary!

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.