Dana Elementary

Dana Elementary is a mid-sized school in Hendersonville, NC, serving 403 students in grades 1–5 as part of Henderson County Schools, a district that earns a 4-star rating and ranks 74th of 246 districts statewide. Dana's own story is quite different: the school currently ranks in the bottom 15% of North Carolina elementary schools, and its long-term decline is the most important context for parents to understand. Dana ranked in the 60th percentile in the mid-2010s, sat at the 47th percentile in 2021–2022, then fell to the 19th and 5th percentiles before recovering modestly to the 14th percentile in 2025–2026. While that recent uptick is a real sign of stabilization, the school remains far below its own history and far below the district around it.

Nearly all of Dana's roughly 403 students come from low-income households, with a free/reduced lunch rate above 99%. However, that demographic context does not tell the full story. The most telling comparison is Clear Creek Elementary, a Henderson County Schools school just 4.6 miles away with a nearly identical poverty rate of 99.31%. Clear Creek ranks in the 67th percentile statewide—more than 50 points ahead of Dana—and posts dramatically stronger results in 5th-grade math (84.2% vs. 45.8% proficient), reading (63.2% vs. 38.9%), and science (86.8% vs. 41.7%). Dana also trails other high-poverty neighbors like Edneyville Elementary, Sugarloaf Elementary, and Hillandale Elementary, all of which serve essentially the same student economic profile but rank higher statewide.

Dana currently trails district and state proficiency averages by roughly 15 to 29 points in nearly every subject and grade, with 5th-grade science showing the largest gap (41.7% proficient vs. 70.3% in the district). Subgroup data suggests the challenge is school-wide: in 2025–2026, no subgroup ranked above the 22nd percentile compared with similar students statewide. The encouraging news is that Dana's chronic absenteeism rate (13.5%) is actually better than the district and much better than the state, and spending and class sizes are in line with better-performing peers—suggesting the issue is neither resources nor attendance. The 2025–2026 gains, including a jump in 3rd-grade math from 28.8% to 62% proficient, show the school is capable of improving. The key question for parents is whether this bounce can be sustained across every grade, subject, and subgroup.