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Smokey Mountain Elementary

Q: Is Smokey Mountain Elementary a good school?

Smokey Mountain Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.1% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Smokey Mountain Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 340 students attended Smokey Mountain Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Smokey Mountain Elementary?

Students at Smokey Mountain Elementary are 37% White, 33% American Indian, 16% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Smokey Mountain Elementary attend?

Students who attend Smokey Mountain Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Jackson County Early College High : Smoky Mountain High School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1460^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Smokey Mountain Elementary is a small PK–8 school in Whittier, NC, serving about 340 students in the mountainous western part of the state as part of Jackson County Public Schools. The school currently ranks 1,460th out of 1,492 North Carolina schools — the 2nd percentile with a 0-star rating — and has slipped steadily from the 15th–18th percentile range it held from 2015 through 2021.

Academic performance at Smokey Mountain Elementary falls well below district and state averages in every subject and grade level. Averaged across grades 3–8, math proficiency is 22.8% versus 47.6% for the district and 59.9% statewide; reading proficiency sits at 31.4% versus 45.4% for the district and 56.0% statewide. The comparison with nearby Fairview School is particularly striking: Fairview serves a nearly identical student population — 98% free/reduced-price lunch — yet ranks in the 35th percentile statewide and posts 80.2% proficiency in 8th grade math, compared with just 11.4% at Smokey Mountain. A large internal gap also exists by gender, with male students ranking in the 0th percentile statewide and female students in the 7th percentile.

Chronic absenteeism is the school's most pressing challenge. At 38.0% in 2024–25, it runs about 14 points above the state average of 24.2% and 11 points above the district average of 27.3%. Nearby schools range from 15.0% at Iotla Valley Elementary to 33.9% at Swain County East Elementary. Notably, Smokey Mountain spends more than many local peers — $11,755 per pupil versus $8,533 at Fairview — yet achieves far lower outcomes. One relative bright spot is the school's Native American students, who rank in the 14th percentile statewide, better than the school's overall profile. Given the persistent test-score gaps, high absenteeism, and five-year downward trend, Smokey Mountain is a high-alert school in need of targeted intervention.

340

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

96.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

884 US Hwy 441N
Whittier, NC 28789-9790

(828) 497-5535

District: Jackson County Public Schools

Students who attend Smokey Mountain Elementary usually attend:

High:	Jackson County Early College
	Smoky Mountain High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.8%

American Indian:

32.6%

Hispanic:

15.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Smokey Mountain Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2016 → 2nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (28% vs 59% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg48%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

1,460^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 15% (2016) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

727^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 37 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 7% (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	5.5	1460 of 1492	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.1	1434 of 1490	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	1444 of 1505	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	1422 of 1502	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	1381 of 1514	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	1259 of 1489	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	1205 of 1473	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	1257 of 1434	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.8	1144 of 1429	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.2	1218 of 1425	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.1	1184 of 1440	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.4	1046 of 1390	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	25.2	1109 of 1403	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.1	1140 of 1388	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.1	1188 of 1381	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	16.7	1218 of 1363	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.0	1080 of 1354	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	50.8	697 of 1324	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	34.1	974 of 1293	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	42.3	836 of 1276	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	1346 of 1447	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.3	1366 of 1451	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	1386 of 1455	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.9	1220 of 1459	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.4	1158 of 1458	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.9	1132 of 1440	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.0	1115 of 1424	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.1	1165 of 1405	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	7.9	1407 of 1434	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.2	1279 of 1437	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	1352 of 1450	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	1329 of 1437	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	1274 of 1366	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	28.3	988 of 1329	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.4	840 of 1361	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.6	1107 of 1332	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	2.6	1447 of 1451	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.0	1405 of 1450	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.8	1429 of 1464	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.6	1454 of 1461	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	1413 of 1464	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	1342 of 1444	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.0	1196 of 1430	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	1312 of 1413	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	25 of 29	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.7	21 of 30	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.7	22 of 28	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	27 of 29	6.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.6	24 of 29	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.1	23 of 28	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.5	21 of 27	22.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	12.9	25 of 28	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	4.3	1136 of 1146	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.4	1162 of 1172	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.4	1162 of 1166	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.8	1177 of 1183	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.2	1171 of 1194	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.7	1137 of 1172	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	1072 of 1183	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	1108 of 1178	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.3	727 of 778	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.4	632 of 773	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	635 of 793	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	624 of 784	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.2	483 of 786	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.1	625 of 741	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	660 of 737	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.8	477 of 691	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	31.8	495 of 694	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	45.2	389 of 692	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	28.9	516 of 705	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	34.2	409 of 627	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.3	451 of 673	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.8	407 of 662	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.5	409 of 648	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.2	389 of 640	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.1	410 of 630	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.0	386 of 620	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	29.0	492 of 606	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	49.5	358 of 598	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	42.6	248 of 478	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.8	393 of 475	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.3	653 of 731	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.1	624 of 733	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	561 of 738	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.0	458 of 731	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	437 of 733	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.8	617 of 706	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.2	647 of 684	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.1	466 of 656	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	689 of 725	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.1	560 of 729	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	604 of 743	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.7	589 of 735	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.9	450 of 689	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.7	543 of 633	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	492 of 639	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.5	361 of 604	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.4	720 of 736	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.1	588 of 733	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	641 of 751	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	699 of 747	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	492 of 748	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.4	573 of 711	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	612 of 697	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	471 of 665	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	18 of 21	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.4	15 of 21	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.7	18 of 21	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	66.3	5 of 20	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	46.8	15 of 23	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	8.2	23 of 24	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	33.1	18 of 23	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.4	627 of 644	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.8	642 of 649	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	621 of 652	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	556 of 656	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.3	429 of 658	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.5	586 of 632	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.3	596 of 624	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.6	438 of 596	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Native American (2026)14th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2026)7th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile~ school

White (2026)1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Disabled (2021)48th percentile+32 vs school

Native American (2026)14th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)11th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile~ school

White (2026)3rd percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)2nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science32%-36 vs state

Reading31%-25 vs state

Mathematics22%-38 vs state

★

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Schools Near Smokey Mountain Elementary

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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
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
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
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)
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
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
Swain County West Elementary	Public	K-5	4142 Hwy 19 West	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 488-2119	403	26	15.7	99.3%	293 (72.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.5%)	5 (1.2%)	32 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (11.7%)	27.4	1153^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	22.7%		40.9	902^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	39.5%	251	45.5	62.3	47.6				33.3	62.3	33.3				54.8		$10,938	$1,448	$9,491
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
Iotla Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1166 Iotla Church Road	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 524-2938	408	32	12.9	99.3%	328 (80.4%)	2 (0.5%)	64 (15.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.9%)	50.1	726^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.3%		41	900^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.6%	174	61.2	62.0					54.1	57.7							$10,664	$1,364	$9,300
East Franklin Elementary	Public	K-4	100 Watauga St	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 524-3216	315	25	12.5	99.0%	200 (63.5%)	0 (0.0%)	109 (34.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	23.2	1222^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	18.1%		31.1	1072^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	28.1%	150	56.1	44.4					40.9	42.9							$10,178	$875	$9,304

Frequently Asked Questions about Smokey Mountain Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Smokey Mountain Elementary?

Students at Smokey Mountain Elementary are 37% White, 33% American Indian, 16% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Smokey Mountain Elementary a good school?

Smokey Mountain Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.1% of North Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Smokey Mountain Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 340 students attended Smokey Mountain Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Smokey Mountain Elementary attend?

Students who attend Smokey Mountain Elementary usually go on to attend:

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

What district is Smokey Mountain Elementary in?

Jackson County Public Schools

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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.