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Iron Station Elementary

Q: Is Iron Station Elementary a good school?

Iron Station Elementary ranks 563 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

563^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Iron Station Elementary is a PK-5 school in Iron Station, NC, serving 367 students in Lincoln County Schools. The school serves a very high-poverty population—about 98.6% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch—yet it spends about $10,349 per student and has a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio, considerably more favorable than nearby higher-income schools like St James Elementary and Catawba Springs Elementary. Chronic absenteeism is 15.2%, well below the state rate of 24.2% and better than most comparable high-poverty neighbors such as Love Memorial Elementary and S Ray Lowder Elementary.

Academically, Iron Station's signature strengths are 5th-grade science and upper-grade math. In 2024-2025, 86% of 5th graders scored proficient in science (versus 62% statewide), and 80.7% were proficient in 5th-grade math. The clear weak spot is 3rd-grade reading: in 2025-2026, only 40.3% of 3rd graders were proficient, roughly 18 points below the district and 15 points below the state. That single grade-level decline likely explains why the school's overall state ranking fell from #288 (81st percentile) in 2024-2025 to #563 (62nd percentile) in 2025-2026. Nearby Battleground Elementary, another high-poverty school, demonstrates the difference early literacy makes: its 3rd-grade reading proficiency was 70.6%, and its overall ranking is now in the 75th percentile, ahead of Iron Station.

Perhaps the most distinctive findings are Iron Station's subgroup results. The school ranks in the 96th percentile statewide for gifted students and in the 92nd percentile for economically disadvantaged students (2024-2025)—an unusual combination in a school where nearly all students face poverty. Attendance is also a bright spot, running well below the state average since 2023. The bottom line is encouraging: Iron Station is a high-poverty school that nearly matched a school like St James (whose poverty rate is just 27%) in overall ranking in 2024-2025, while offering more staff and spending per student than many of its peers. Its primary challenge is stabilizing early reading, and addressing that weakness should allow the school to return to the top-quartile performance it has reached multiple times in recent years.

367

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4207 Hwy 27 E
Iron Station, NC 28080-8701

(704) 736-4292

District: Lincoln County Schools

Students who attend Iron Station Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	East Lincoln Middle
High:	East Lincoln High

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.0%

Hispanic:

11.7%

Two or more races:

7.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Iron Station Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 66th percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg61%

563^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From top 34% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

75^th of 246Lincoln 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	61.1	563 of 1492	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	77.3	288 of 1490	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.1	424 of 1505	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	63.4	527 of 1502	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.8	663 of 1514	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.6	265 of 1489	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	56.3	653 of 1473	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.8	613 of 1434	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.3	605 of 1429	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.7	484 of 1425	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.0	571 of 1440	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	77.2	282 of 1390	79.7%	★★★★☆
2013	65.8	425 of 1403	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.0	560 of 1388	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.1	725 of 1381	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.7	688 of 1363	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	65.3	501 of 1354	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.2	309 of 1324	76.7%	★★★★☆
2007	85.3	92 of 1293	92.9%	★★★★★
2006	67.6	378 of 1276	70.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	57.6	341 of 927	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	75.1	75 of 634	88.2%	★★★★☆
2021	58.7	178 of 646	72.4%	★★★★☆
2019	51.5	343 of 878	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.8	195 of 897	78.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.0	721 of 1447	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	81.6	191 of 1451	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	64.9	456 of 1455	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.6	442 of 1459	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.9	590 of 1458	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	79.0	238 of 1440	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	63.1	502 of 1424	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.7	529 of 1405	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★★
2025	70.8	28 of 710	96.1%	★★★★★
2023	67.9	140 of 582	75.9%	★★★★☆
2021	77.0	22 of 494	95.5%	★★★★★
2019	44.2	506 of 612	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.7	462 of 1434	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	82.6	119 of 1437	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	74.0	250 of 1450	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	73.9	255 of 1437	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	56.9	525 of 1366	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	83.6	111 of 1329	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	63.6	421 of 1361	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.6	445 of 1332	66.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.1	426 of 1451	70.6%	★★★★☆
2025	71.6	351 of 1450	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	69.3	399 of 1464	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	59.3	583 of 1461	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.6	706 of 1464	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.5	308 of 1444	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	50.0	743 of 1430	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.8	655 of 1413	53.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	48.4	343 of 801	57.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	688 of 1146	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.8	526 of 1172	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.3	700 of 1166	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.6	784 of 1183	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.7	910 of 1194	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	63.4	396 of 1172	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.4	842 of 1183	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.6	733 of 1178	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)96th percentile+34 vs school

Disabled (2022)88th percentile+32 vs school

Male (2026)71st percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)68th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2018)63rd percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2024)57th percentile-15 vs school

Female (2026)50th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)40th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science78%+10 vs state

Mathematics72%+8 vs state

Reading53%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Iron Station 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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Iron Station Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4207 Hwy 27 E	Iron Station	28080	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 736-4292	367	29	12.6	98.6%	279 (76.0%)	16 (4.4%)	43 (11.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.1%)	61.1	563^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	62.3%		77.3	288^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.7%	275	71.0	74.5	68.9		40.3	59.6	62.2		77.8	$10,349	$1,187	$9,162
GE Massey Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	130 Newbold St	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 735-2322	370	27	13.6	99.2%	175 (47.3%)	63 (17.0%)	103 (27.8%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.9%)	31.1	1071^st of 1492 public elementary schools	28.2%		31.2	1070^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.2%	1	70.2	55.4	41.5		43.9	41.5	41.5		53.7	$9,086	$1,289	$7,797
Pumpkin Center Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	3970 King Wilkinson Road	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 736-1394	325	24	13.6	99.1%	260 (80.0%)	10 (3.1%)	32 (9.8%)	11 (3.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)								(n/a)										$9,198	$156	$9,042
Pumpkin Center Intermediate	Public	3-5	3980 King Wilkinson Road	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 736-1504	295	19	15.9	99.0%	239 (81.0%)	4 (1.4%)	31 (10.5%)	8 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.4%)	57.2	623^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	58.2%		59.6	571^st of 1490 public elementary schools	61.7%	52	60.5	48.2	69.8		54.7	49.4	65.1		83.0	$9,377	$670	$8,707
S Ray Lowder Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	350 Kennedy Dr	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 735-2741	306	23	13.4	97.4%	152 (49.7%)	50 (16.3%)	71 (23.2%)	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.8%)	41.8	883^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	40.8%		47.2	798^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.4%	85	51.1	65.2	51.4		46.8	58.7	51.4		62.9	$10,042	$1,245	$8,797
Battleground Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Jeb Seagle Dr	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 736-1626	420	32	13.1	97.1%	190 (45.2%)	66 (15.7%)	118 (28.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.7%)	72.2	374^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.9%		71.3	369^th of 1490 public elementary schools	75.2%	5	88.2	71.0	87.1		70.6	54.8	48.4		80.6	$9,785	$1,121	$8,664
Love Memorial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1463 Love Memorial Sch Rd	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 735-5649	315	25	12.4	99.0%	244 (77.5%)	10 (3.2%)	38 (12.1%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.0%)	18.7	1304^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.6%		24.6	1194^th of 1490 public elementary schools	19.9%	110	61.5	35.1	39.5		53.8	29.7	32.6		39.5	$12,264	$1,597	$10,666
Kiser Elementary	Public	3-5	311 E College Street	Stanley	28164	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9105	328	19	17.1	99.1%	195 (59.5%)	45 (13.7%)	60 (18.3%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (7.0%)	31.7	1061^st of 1492 public elementary schools	28.9%		30.9	1073^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	28.0%	12	60.4	48.5	54.8		43.1	42.3	45.2		61.3	$8,597	$996	$7,601
Catawba Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	206 North Little Egypt Rd	Denver	28037	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 736-1895	543	33	16.3	34.4%	371 (68.3%)	43 (7.9%)	59 (10.9%)	16 (2.9%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (8.5%)	80.8	233^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	84.4%		84.1	189^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.3%	44	84.4	74.5	72.2		67.8	73.4	69.1		76.3	$7,867	$484	$7,383
Maiden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	245 Bob Smyre Ave	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 428-8769	562	32	17.6	98.9%	357 (63.5%)	48 (8.5%)	92 (16.4%)	26 (4.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.4%)	70.9	398^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.3%		67.8	431^st of 1490 public elementary schools	71.1%	33	81.4	67.9	78.0	74.1	65.7	60.7	57.3	51.9	78.0	$9,171	$1,063	$8,108

Frequently Asked Questions about Iron Station Elementary

Is Iron Station Elementary a good school?

Iron Station Elementary ranks 563^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Iron Station Elementary in?

Lincoln County Schools

How many students attend Iron Station Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 367 students attended Iron Station Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Iron Station Elementary?

Students at Iron Station Elementary are 76% White, 12% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Iron Station Elementary attend?

Students who attend Iron Station Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Lincoln Middle
High : East Lincoln High

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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.