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S Ray Lowder Elementary

Q: Is S Ray Lowder Elementary a good school?

S Ray Lowder Elementary ranks 798 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

798^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

S Ray Lowder Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Lincolnton, North Carolina, with 280 students enrolled. The school is part of the Lincoln County Schools district, which is ranked 68 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

S Ray Lowder Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina elementary schools over the past several years, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger indicating it is performing below average compared to other schools in the state. The school's test scores lag behind the Lincoln County Schools district and the state of North Carolina across most grade levels and subjects, with only 59.2% of 3rd graders proficient in math compared to 71.2% for the district and 64.1% for the state.

Several nearby elementary schools in the Lincoln County district, such as Union Elementary, Pumpkin Center Intermediate, and Battleground Elementary, significantly outperform S Ray Lowder Elementary on test scores and statewide rankings, with 4-5 star ratings from SchoolDigger. This suggests the school may need to examine how it is allocating and utilizing its relatively high per-student spending of around $10,000 to better support student learning and address the significant socioeconomic challenges it faces.

306

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,042

Per pupil spending ?

97.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

350 Kennedy Dr
Lincolnton, NC 28092-3260

(704) 735-2741

District: Lincoln County Schools

Students who attend S Ray Lowder Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lincolnton Middle
High:	Lincolnton High

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.7%

Hispanic:

23.2%

African American:

16.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare S Ray Lowder Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 42nd percentile in 2006 → 46th in 2025

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Lincoln County Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg57%

798^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 2 pts since 2018

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Lincoln County Schools

68^th of 242Lincoln 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	47.2	798 of 1490	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.2	681 of 1505	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.4	743 of 1502	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.4	877 of 1514	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.9	899 of 1489	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	967 of 1473	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.0	744 of 1434	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	48.2	742 of 1276	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	53.6	392 of 949	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	876 of 1451	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.6	565 of 1455	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.3	798 of 1459	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.1	829 of 1458	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.0	910 of 1440	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.2	822 of 1424	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.5	559 of 1405	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.6	438 of 710	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	29.2	749 of 961	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	722 of 893	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	64.1	215 of 843	74.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	39.7	922 of 1437	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.8	509 of 1450	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.7	479 of 1437	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.4	575 of 1366	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.9	659 of 1329	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.9	791 of 1361	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.4	800 of 1332	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.2	663 of 1450	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.8	789 of 1464	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.6	633 of 1461	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.6	869 of 1464	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.1	817 of 1444	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.8	1063 of 1430	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.8	882 of 1413	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	467 of 821	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.0	269 of 801	66.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	654 of 1172	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.6	600 of 1166	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	810 of 1183	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.9	950 of 1194	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.6	1004 of 1172	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	941 of 1183	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	1012 of 1178	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2019)59th percentile+24 vs school

Male (2025)54th percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)44th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)43rd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)40th percentile-7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)38th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)36th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)22nd percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science67%+5 vs state

Mathematics54%-7 vs state

Reading50%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near S Ray Lowder 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 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
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%)	47.2	798^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.4%		54.2	681^st of 1505 public elementary schools	54.8%	117	59.2	52.8	49.0		55.1	47.2	46.9		67.3	$10,042	$1,245	$8,797
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%)	31.2	1070^th of 1490 public elementary schools	28.2%		40.1	933^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	38.0%	137	76.2	48.9	34.5		39.7	44.7	30.9		41.8	$9,086	$1,289	$7,797
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%)	71.3	369^th of 1490 public elementary schools	75.2%		55.2	656^th of 1505 public elementary schools	56.4%	287	78.3	71.0	92.2		38.3	66.7	50.6		75.3	$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%)	24.6	1194^th of 1490 public elementary schools	19.9%		24.1	1207^th of 1505 public elementary schools	19.8%	13	47.4	46.3	48.8		34.2	39.0	34.9		53.5	$12,264	$1,597	$10,666
Childers Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2595 Rock Dam Road	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 736-9610	418	30	13.7	97.1%	306 (73.2%)	10 (2.4%)	81 (19.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.5%)	42.6	868^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.7%		42.3	881^st of 1505 public elementary schools	41.5%	13	50.0	56.7	62.8		32.4	50.7	44.9		66.7	$9,897	$1,409	$8,488
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%)	77.3	288^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.7%		69.1	424^th of 1505 public elementary schools	71.8%	136	75.5	73.3	80.7		50.9	62.2	59.6		86.0	$10,349	$1,187	$9,162
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%)	59.6	571^st of 1490 public elementary schools	61.7%		62.7	531^st of 1505 public elementary schools	64.7%	40	55.3	72.1	56.3		43.5	66.3	52.1		72.9	$9,377	$670	$8,707
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4875 Reepsville Rd	Vale	28168	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 276-1493	342	22	15.2	99.1%	310 (90.6%)	2 (0.6%)	15 (4.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.1%)	72.4	356^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.1%		83.2	200^th of 1505 public elementary schools	86.7%	156	73.8	77.1	74.6		43.1	62.5	62.7		76.3	$10,166	$909	$9,257
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%)	67.8	431^st of 1490 public elementary schools	71.1%		63.5	517^th of 1505 public elementary schools	65.6%	86	62.8	66.7	83.8	70.0	50.0	62.8	51.3	57.5	72.5	$9,171	$1,063	$8,108

Frequently Asked Questions about S Ray Lowder Elementary

What district is S Ray Lowder Elementary in?

Lincoln County Schools

What schools do graduates of S Ray Lowder Elementary attend?

Students who attend S Ray Lowder Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lincolnton Middle
High : Lincolnton High

What is the racial makeup of S Ray Lowder Elementary?

Students at S Ray Lowder Elementary are 50% White, 23% Hispanic, 16% African American, 9% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend S Ray Lowder Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 306 students attended S Ray Lowder Elementary.

Is S Ray Lowder Elementary a good school?

S Ray Lowder Elementary ranks 798^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate S Ray Lowder Elementary!

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Schools in Lincolnton, NC

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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.