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Scotts Creek School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1240^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Scotts Creek School is a PK–8 school in Sylva, NC, serving 422 students in Jackson County Public Schools, a district currently ranked in the bottom quarter of North Carolina districts. In the 2025–26 school year, Scotts Creek School ranked 1,240th of 1,492 North Carolina schools, placing it in the 17th percentile — a step down from the prior two years, when it sat in the 29th percentile. Nearly all students (98.6%) qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, and the school has never ranked above the 37th percentile over the past decade.

Academically, math and reading results trail both district and state averages. Across grades 3–8, math proficiency is 41.5%, compared to 47.6% for Jackson County and 59.9% statewide; reading proficiency is 43.1%, versus 45.4% for the district and 56.0% for North Carolina. The weakest spots are early elementary reading and 8th grade math, though 6th grade stands out as a relative bright spot with 51.3% proficiency in both subjects. Science is the school's clearest academic strength: 8th grade science proficiency reached 83.8% in 2025–26, well above the district (66.8%) and state (68.6%) averages — a pattern that has held for several years. Attendance is another positive trend, with chronic absenteeism dropping from 39.3% in 2020–21 to 22.7% in 2024–25, now below both the district (27.3%) and state (24.2%) averages.

Comparisons with nearby schools show that high poverty does not have to mean low performance. Fairview School, just 3.8 miles away in the same district, has nearly identical demographics (98% free/reduced lunch) but far stronger results: 80.2% of its 8th graders were proficient in math, versus 40.5% at Scotts Creek. Similarly, several schools in Haywood County Schools with 98–99% poverty rates perform in the 58th to 81st percentile statewide. That said, Scotts Creek considerably outperforms Smokey Mountain Elementary, which ranks at the 2nd percentile. In short, Scotts Creek has a genuine strength in science and improving attendance, but its overall math and reading performance remains in the bottom quarter of North Carolina schools.

422

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

516 Parris Branch
Sylva, NC 28779-9083

(828) 631-2740

District: Jackson County Public Schools

Students who attend Scotts Creek School usually attend:

High:	Jackson County Early College
	Smoky Mountain High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.7%

Hispanic:

17.8%

Two or more races:

7.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Scotts Creek School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2016 → 17th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (46% vs 59% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg48%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

1,240^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 23% (2016) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

490^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 28 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

184^th of 246Jackson County Public 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
2026	22.3	1240 of 1492	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.3	1051 of 1490	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	1072 of 1505	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	1116 of 1502	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.7	992 of 1514	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.1	1160 of 1489	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.5	1042 of 1473	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.0	909 of 1434	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	30.9	1061 of 1429	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.4	1098 of 1425	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	37.6	962 of 1440	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.9	689 of 1390	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	49.1	676 of 1403	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.7	608 of 1388	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.2	515 of 1381	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.2	568 of 1363	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.8	402 of 1354	70.3%	★★★★☆
2008	65.6	436 of 1324	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.7	532 of 1293	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.4	533 of 1276	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	24.2	766 of 897	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.2	1079 of 1447	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.0	1045 of 1451	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	1105 of 1455	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	1107 of 1459	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.2	921 of 1458	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.3	1001 of 1440	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.5	1153 of 1424	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.8	1011 of 1405	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	12.8	472 of 494	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	55.1	382 of 612	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.0	10 of 69	85.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	36.1	655 of 951	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.9	883 of 915	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	48.4	428 of 893	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.1	751 of 843	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	1091 of 1434	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.9	974 of 1437	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.6	976 of 1450	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	1028 of 1437	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.0	822 of 1366	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.8	1033 of 1329	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.6	760 of 1361	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.1	551 of 1332	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	1292 of 1451	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.4	984 of 1450	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	936 of 1464	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	1049 of 1461	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.8	1005 of 1464	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.9	1165 of 1444	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.3	874 of 1430	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.3	786 of 1413	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	656 of 821	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.4	1089 of 1146	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.7	998 of 1172	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	1067 of 1166	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	1079 of 1183	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1001 of 1194	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.8	1147 of 1172	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	1103 of 1183	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	1041 of 1178	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.7	490 of 778	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.9	470 of 773	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	478 of 793	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	510 of 784	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.5	476 of 786	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.1	402 of 741	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	427 of 737	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	454 of 691	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.6	374 of 694	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	63.0	245 of 692	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.3	378 of 705	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	60.5	230 of 627	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.9	287 of 673	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.6	230 of 662	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.2	206 of 648	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.1	270 of 640	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.0	245 of 630	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	69.5	180 of 620	71.0%	★★★★☆
2007	74.3	119 of 606	80.4%	★★★★☆
2006	73.1	129 of 598	78.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.0	475 of 731	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.7	464 of 733	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.8	392 of 738	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.7	509 of 731	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.6	412 of 733	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.8	407 of 706	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	448 of 684	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	469 of 656	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.0	448 of 465	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.0	445 of 458	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.6	461 of 461	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	61.4	199 of 448	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.9	496 of 566	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.9	480 of 562	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	479 of 553	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	57.0	181 of 522	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.0	393 of 725	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.9	429 of 729	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.6	439 of 743	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	394 of 735	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.3	270 of 689	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.5	248 of 633	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.2	221 of 639	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.6	415 of 604	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	436 of 736	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.4	437 of 733	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	534 of 751	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.6	470 of 747	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	494 of 748	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.9	314 of 711	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.0	378 of 697	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.4	408 of 665	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.8	504 of 644	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.8	497 of 649	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	507 of 652	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	555 of 656	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	531 of 658	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	468 of 632	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.3	475 of 624	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.9	536 of 596	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Hispanic (2024)31st percentile~ school

Female (2026)25th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2018)15th percentile-22 vs school

Male (2026)11th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)5th percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2021)4th percentile-18 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)46th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)41st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)35th percentile~ school

White (2026)22nd percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile-25 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)4th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science72%+4 vs state

Reading43%-13 vs state

Mathematics41%-19 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, May 28, 2011

Scotts creek is a wonderful school. The teachers care and the principal makes sure that there is control and discipline. There are many rewards throughout the year for the students (incentives). They have a reading celebration at the end of school that includes a waterslide fashioned by the teachers. They have quarter reading celebrations to improve reading. They participate in AR reading. I have a 3 and 5 th grader. Close Quote

Schools Near Scotts Creek School

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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
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
Fairview School	Public	PK, KG-8	251 Big Orange Way	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 586-2819	797	48	16.5	98.0%	550 (69.0%)	11 (1.4%)	144 (18.1%)	10 (1.3%)	32 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (6.3%)	36.2	977^th of 1492 public elementary schools	34.5%		49.6	749^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.7%	228	62.5	43.6	63.5	55.2	62.3	80.2	55.6	41.5	42.7	47.9	64.9	65.1	57.3	83.7	$8,533	$860	$7,673
Cullowhee Valley School	Public	PK, KG-8	240 Wisdom Drive	Cullowhee	28723	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 293-5667	570	35	16.3	99.5%	341 (59.8%)	5 (0.9%)	171 (30.0%)	3 (0.5%)	22 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.9%)	30.2	1089^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.0%		25.4	1172^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	21.3%	83	52.9	50.7	59.2	35.6	45.7	27.3	39.7	57.7	46.5	33.3	47.2	45.5	54.9	52.7	$10,392	$1,261	$9,131
Smokey Mountain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	884 US Hwy 441N	Whittier	28789	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 497-5535	340	22	15.7	96.2%	125 (36.8%)	3 (0.9%)	53 (15.6%)	5 (1.5%)	111 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (12.6%)	5.5	1460^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.1%		9.1	1434^th of 1490 public elementary schools	3.8%	26	27.6	31.0	17.5	28.6	20.9	11.4	27.6	24.1	27.5	42.9	34.9	31.4	22.5	42.9	$11,755	$1,735	$10,021
Cherokee Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	130 Ravensford Drive	Cherokee	28719	Swain County	Cherokee Central Elementary School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(828) 554-5020	607	94	6.4	99.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	607 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
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
Swain County East Elementary	Public	K-5	4747 Ela Rd	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 488-0939	338	20	16.4	99.1%	160 (47.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.6%)	3 (0.9%)	88 (26.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (17.2%)	20	1275^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.5%		22.7	1226^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.7%	49	51.9	36.2	43.5				47.3	42.6	28.3				56.5		$12,145	$1,906	$10,238
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
Mountain Discovery	Public, Charter	K-8	890 Jenkins Branch Rd N	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Mountain Discovery Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 488-1222	221	14	16.2		174 (78.7%)	4 (1.8%)	3 (1.4%)	3 (1.4%)	17 (7.7%)	1 (0.5%)	19 (8.6%)	42.8	861^st of 1492 public elementary schools	42.3%		43.5	860^th of 1490 public elementary schools	42.3%	1	38.7	68.2	36.4	47.4	61.9	46.7	61.3	72.7	59.1	50.0	71.4	86.7	50.0	100.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Scotts Creek School

What district is Scotts Creek School in?

Jackson County Public Schools

Is Scotts Creek School a good school?

Scotts Creek School ranks in the bottom 16.9% of North Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Scotts Creek School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 422 students attended Scotts Creek School.

What schools do graduates of Scotts Creek School attend?

Students who attend Scotts Creek School usually go on to attend:

High : Jackson County Early College
High : Smoky Mountain High School

What is the racial makeup of Scotts Creek School?

Students at Scotts Creek School are 69% White, 18% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

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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.