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

Upward Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1201^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Upward Elementary is a public elementary school located in Flat Rock, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 413 students. The school is part of the Henderson County Schools district, which is ranked 86 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Upward Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of North Carolina elementary schools, with a ranking between 1,020 and 1,248 out of 1,489 to 1,514 schools over the past 5 years. The school's performance on state assessments is significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 27.1% of 3rd graders proficient in reading compared to 48.1% in the district and 46.7% statewide. Upward Elementary also has an extremely high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 72.45% to 99.27%, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Henderson County Schools district, such as Atkinson Elementary, Edneyville Elementary, and Clear Creek Elementary, generally outperform Upward Elementary on state assessments and have higher rankings within the state, despite serving similar student populations in terms of socioeconomic status. This suggests that factors beyond just poverty, such as school leadership, instructional practices, and targeted interventions, may be contributing to the performance differences between Upward Elementary and its neighbors.

389

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,637

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

45 Education Drive
Flat Rock, NC 28731-8749

(828) 697-4764

District: Henderson County Schools

Students who attend Upward Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Flat Rock Middle
High:	East Henderson High
	Henderson County Early College

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

52.7%

White:

37.0%

Two or more races:

3.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Upward Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (43% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg57%

1,201^st of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 32 pts since 2015

From top 49% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Henderson County Schools

86^th of 242Henderson 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	24.2	1201 of 1490	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	1248 of 1505	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	1213 of 1502	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.8	1160 of 1514	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	1020 of 1489	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.4	883 of 1473	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.9	801 of 1434	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.5	734 of 1429	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	56.9	602 of 1425	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.8	703 of 1440	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	33.7	958 of 1390	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	58.7	543 of 1403	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	47.8	799 of 1388	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	36.7	967 of 1381	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.8	866 of 1363	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.4	676 of 1354	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	69.4	355 of 1324	73.2%	★★★★☆
2007	54.6	655 of 1293	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	63.0	478 of 1276	62.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.5	412 of 563	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	450 of 533	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	438 of 514	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.5	380 of 485	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.9	290 of 385	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.9	190 of 497	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.5	165 of 421	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.5	1250 of 1451	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	1150 of 1455	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.7	1243 of 1459	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.4	1075 of 1458	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	1083 of 1440	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.9	956 of 1424	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.7	752 of 1405	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	733 of 961	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	772 of 951	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	771 of 915	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.2	671 of 893	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.9	549 of 843	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.7	492 of 865	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.0	359 of 851	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	1258 of 1437	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	1125 of 1450	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	1016 of 1437	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.6	924 of 1366	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.8	618 of 1329	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.0	599 of 1361	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.3	665 of 1332	50.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.9	1039 of 1450	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.7	1247 of 1464	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	1115 of 1461	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	1164 of 1464	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.4	913 of 1444	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.0	782 of 1430	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.5	855 of 1413	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	34.6	527 of 801	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.4	865 of 1172	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	1048 of 1166	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	951 of 1183	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	1077 of 1194	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	994 of 1172	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.0	711 of 1183	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	855 of 1178	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2024)34th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2025)28th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)27th percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)26th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)24th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)14th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science58%-4 vs state

Mathematics46%-15 vs state

Reading35%-17 vs state

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Upward 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 Upward Elementary

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 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
Upward Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	45 Education Drive	Flat Rock	28731	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 697-4764	389	29	13.4	99.2%	144 (37.0%)	10 (2.6%)	205 (52.7%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.3%)	14 (3.6%)	24.2	1201^st of 1490 public elementary schools	19.4%		22	1248^th of 1505 public elementary schools	17.1%	47	45.7	49.1	42.4				27.1	39.6	41.4				57.6		$10,637	$1,538	$9,099
Hillandale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	40 Preston Lane	East Flat Rock	28726	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 697-4782	483	35	14.0	99.4%	238 (49.3%)	15 (3.1%)	188 (38.9%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	29 (6.0%)	30.8	1076^th of 1490 public elementary schools	27.8%		23.9	1211^th of 1505 public elementary schools	19.5%	135	58.5	58.8	35.4				41.5	48.8	25.3				49.4		$10,217	$1,373	$8,844
The Mountain Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	613 Glover Street	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	The Mountain Community School	Yes	No	No	No	(828) 696-8480	190	13	14.1		158 (83.2%)	2 (1.1%)	17 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.8%)	67.8	432^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	71.0%		64	507^th of 1505 public elementary schools	66.3%	75	61.9	76.2	52.4	65.2	50.0	50.0	61.9	81.0	57.1	65.2	40.9	62.5	57.1	87.5
Sugarloaf Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2270 Sugarloaf Rd	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 697-4600	415	31	13.5	99.3%	150 (36.1%)	19 (4.6%)	196 (47.2%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.4%)	35 (8.4%)	27.3	1127^th of 1490 public elementary schools	24.4%		35.5	1007^th of 1505 public elementary schools	33.1%	120	45.0	56.3	43.7				21.7	45.1	39.4				56.3		$10,601	$1,711	$8,890
Dana Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	690 Ridge Road	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 685-7743	403	30	13.6	99.3%	157 (39.0%)	4 (1.0%)	227 (56.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	13 (3.2%)	10.2	1419^th of 1490 public elementary schools	4.8%		23.7	1219^th of 1505 public elementary schools	19.0%	200	28.8	43.2	23.1				21.2	47.3	9.2				18.8		$10,155	$1,652	$8,503
Bruce Drysdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	271 Bearcat Blvd.	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 697-5568	473	32	14.5	99.4%	203 (42.9%)	48 (10.1%)	145 (30.7%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.5%)	17 (3.6%)	51 (10.8%)	49.5	750^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.7%		56.5	639^th of 1505 public elementary schools	57.5%	111	53.6	49.4	67.6				40.5	52.9	60.8				67.6		$10,708	$1,509	$9,198
Saluda Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	214 E Main Street	Saluda	28773	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 894-1040	142	14	10.3	97.9%	125 (88.0%)	2 (1.4%)	10 (7.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.8%)	91.2	92^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	93.8%		91.7	91^st of 1505 public elementary schools	94.0%	1	95.6	76.9	94.4				78.3	61.5	94.4				77.8		$13,956	$1,586	$12,371
Hendersonville Elementary	Public	K-5	1039 Randall Circle	Hendersonville	28791	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4752	323	22	14.3	38.7%	263 (81.4%)	8 (2.5%)	27 (8.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.1%)	90.2	108^th of 1490 public elementary schools	92.8%		90.2	112^th of 1505 public elementary schools	92.6%	4	86.8	83.0	78.0				69.8	71.7	76.0				84.0		$10,145	$1,115	$9,030
Atkinson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2510 Old Kanuga Road	Hendersonville	28739	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 697-4755	288	22	13.2	42.4%	240 (83.3%)	5 (1.7%)	26 (9.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (1.0%)	10 (3.5%)	64.5	490^th of 1490 public elementary schools	67.1%		77.9	280^th of 1505 public elementary schools	81.4%	210	67.3	65.3	60.4				55.1	63.3	56.3				66.7		$9,752	$871	$8,881
Edneyville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2875 Pace Road	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 685-7600	405	31	13.2	99.3%	238 (58.8%)	3 (0.7%)	144 (35.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	15 (3.7%)	33.4	1031^st of 1490 public elementary schools	30.8%		36.9	979^th of 1505 public elementary schools	35.0%	52	64.1	42.9	51.6				38.5	45.7	33.9				56.5		$10,529	$1,426	$9,103

Frequently Asked Questions about Upward Elementary

What district is Upward Elementary in?

Henderson County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Upward Elementary?

Students at Upward Elementary are 53% Hispanic, 37% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Upward Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 389 students attended Upward Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Upward Elementary attend?

Students who attend Upward Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Flat Rock Middle
High : East Henderson High
High : Henderson County Early College

Is Upward Elementary a good school?

Upward Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.4% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Upward Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Flat Rock, NC

Sign up for updates!

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

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.