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Catawba Springs Elementary

Q: Is Catawba Springs Elementary a good school?

Catawba Springs Elementary ranks 233 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

233^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Catawba Springs Elementary is a PK–5 school in Denver, NC, serving 543 students as part of Lincoln County Schools, a district that ranks above the state average. The school places 233rd among 1,492 elementary schools statewide—84th percentile, 4 stars—and tops district and state averages in nearly every tested subject. In 3rd-grade math, 84.4% of students are proficient versus 66.4% statewide; in 4th-grade reading, 73.4% are proficient versus 57.7% statewide. Within Lincoln County, only Rock Springs Elementary ranks higher this year, while Catawba Springs outperforms St James Elementary, Iron Station Elementary, and Pumpkin Center Intermediate by wide margins.

Attendance is another standout strength: chronic absenteeism is just 9.4%, far below the district's 17.2% and the state's 24.2%. Catawba Springs also compares well with nearby schools serving fewer low-income students. Take St James Elementary, located 2.1 miles away: only 27.0% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch versus 34.4% at Catawba Springs, yet Catawba Springs leads in 3rd-grade reading (67.8% vs. 60.2%), 4th-grade math (74.5% vs. 70.1%), and 4th-grade reading (73.4% vs. 61.5%). The relative soft spot is 5th-grade science: 76.3% proficient, still above the state average, but below Rock Springs Elementary's 90.6% and Pumpkin Center Intermediate's 83.0%.

Catawba Springs also posts impressive results for several student groups. Special education students ranked at the 98th percentile statewide in 2023–2024 and 97th percentile in 2024–2025, and Hispanic students reached the 90th percentile in 2024–2025 after sitting around the 60th percentile the prior year. The latest snapshot shows gifted students (26th percentile) and multi-racial students (38th percentile) as the groups families may want to ask about. All told, the school blends solid academics, low absenteeism, and moderate per-pupil spending of about $7,867—signs of an efficient, well-run school—although its statewide ranking has drifted from a 96th-percentile peak in 2020–2021 to its current 84th-percentile level.

543

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

34.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

206 North Little Egypt Rd
Denver, NC 28037-9509

(704) 736-1895

District: Lincoln County Schools

Students who attend Catawba Springs Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	East Lincoln Middle
High:	East Lincoln High

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.3%

Hispanic:

10.9%

Two or more races:

8.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Catawba Springs Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (74% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school74%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg61%

233^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 8% (2016) to top 16% (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	80.8	233 of 1492	84.4%	★★★★☆
2025	84.1	189 of 1490	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	89.7	116 of 1505	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	84.4	173 of 1502	88.5%	★★★★☆
2022	86.5	155 of 1514	89.8%	★★★★☆
2021	95.1	55 of 1489	96.3%	★★★★★
2019	90.1	95 of 1473	93.6%	★★★★★
2018	86.9	137 of 1434	90.4%	★★★★★
2017	83.1	174 of 1429	87.8%	★★★★☆
2016	88.4	109 of 1425	92.4%	★★★★★
2015	86.1	142 of 1440	90.1%	★★★★★
2014	88.5	119 of 1390	91.4%	★★★★★
2013	80.2	225 of 1403	84.0%	★★★★☆
2012	80.5	194 of 1388	86.0%	★★★★☆
2011	80.7	193 of 1381	86.0%	★★★★☆
2010	76.4	269 of 1363	80.3%	★★★★☆
2009	75.3	289 of 1354	78.7%	★★★★☆
2008	62.3	507 of 1324	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	69.9	344 of 1293	73.4%	★★★★☆
2006	73.7	282 of 1276	77.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	67.0	220 of 924	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	73.5	154 of 927	83.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	78.4	62 of 634	90.2%	★★★★★
2021	64.4	138 of 646	78.6%	★★★★☆
2019	85.8	49 of 878	94.4%	★★★★★
2018	80.5	80 of 897	91.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	238 of 1447	83.6%	★★★★☆
2025	85.1	150 of 1451	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	89.6	100 of 1455	93.1%	★★★★★
2023	79.0	227 of 1459	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	89.1	103 of 1458	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	95.1	40 of 1440	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	88.5	92 of 1424	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	91.3	60 of 1405	95.7%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.2	547 of 743	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	61.3	298 of 710	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.4	538 of 669	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	60.9	257 of 582	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.4	409 of 500	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	77.4	12 of 494	97.6%	★★★★★
2019	65.9	63 of 612	89.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	82.0	93 of 961	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	55.6	381 of 951	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	360 of 915	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.7	131 of 893	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	94.8	33 of 843	96.1%	★★★★★
2018	82.6	84 of 851	90.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.1	390 of 1434	72.8%	★★★★☆
2025	68.7	334 of 1437	76.8%	★★★★☆
2024	78.5	172 of 1450	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	74.9	237 of 1437	83.5%	★★★★☆
2022	63.8	376 of 1366	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	91.8	45 of 1329	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	87.5	74 of 1361	94.6%	★★★★★
2018	76.8	190 of 1332	85.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	79.0	235 of 1451	83.8%	★★★★☆
2025	79.7	233 of 1450	83.9%	★★★★☆
2024	87.3	135 of 1464	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	88.4	117 of 1461	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	77.1	276 of 1464	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	91.5	86 of 1444	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	88.7	105 of 1430	92.7%	★★★★★
2018	80.2	209 of 1413	85.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	112 of 181	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.0	46 of 154	70.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	268 of 815	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	91.7	24 of 821	97.1%	★★★★★
2024	93.7	19 of 801	97.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.0	270 of 1146	76.4%	★★★★☆
2025	75.2	250 of 1172	78.7%	★★★★☆
2024	85.3	117 of 1166	90.0%	★★★★★
2023	75.2	247 of 1183	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.7	209 of 1194	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	91.4	45 of 1172	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	80.3	179 of 1183	84.9%	★★★★☆
2018	80.3	188 of 1178	84.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)90th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)90th percentile~ school

Male (2026)84th percentile~ school

Female (2026)84th percentile~ school

White (2026)76th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2024)76th percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)73rd percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2026)67th percentile-17 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)38th percentile-46 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)26th percentile-58 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics77%+13 vs state

Science76%+9 vs state

Reading70%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Catawba Springs 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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
St James Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1774 St James Church Road	Denver	28037	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 736-1958	653	43	15.2	27.0%	520 (79.6%)	23 (3.5%)	62 (9.5%)	8 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.8%)	69	435^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.8%		79	264^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.3%	171	71.3	70.1	68.7	60.2	61.5	60.9	80.0	$7,459	$375	$7,084
Rock Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3633 Hwy 16 N	Denver	28037	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 483-2281	639	40	16.1	21.4%	520 (81.4%)	28 (4.4%)	49 (7.7%)	8 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.2%)	89.8	118^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.1%		91.1	96^th of 1490 public elementary schools	93.6%	22	87.5	80.9	85.5	77.5	70.2	71.8	90.6	$7,824	$403	$7,420
Barnette Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	13659 Beatties Ford Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-0372	818	49	16.5	33.7%	430 (52.6%)	163 (19.9%)	124 (15.2%)	46 (5.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (6.4%)	71.6	388^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.0%		78.6	268^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.0%	120	73.8	72.2	74.4	58.7	59.8	63.2	80.8	$8,779	$466	$8,313
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
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
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
Springfield Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	900 S Main Street	Stanley	28164	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9106	352	24	14.9	99.1%	195 (55.4%)	60 (17.0%)	65 (18.5%)	11 (3.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.4%)								(n/a)								$10,230	$1,346	$8,884
Grand Oak Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	15410 Stumptown Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-2063	549	36	15.2	21.3%	368 (67.0%)	61 (11.1%)	69 (12.6%)	23 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.1%)	95.9	28^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.1%		97.1	19^th of 1490 public elementary schools	98.7%	9	89.1	91.8	87.2	85.9	92.8	88.5	89.7	$9,599	$758	$8,841

Frequently Asked Questions about Catawba Springs Elementary

What schools do graduates of Catawba Springs Elementary attend?

Students who attend Catawba Springs Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Lincoln Middle
High : East Lincoln High

Is Catawba Springs Elementary a good school?

Catawba Springs Elementary ranks 233^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Catawba Springs Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 543 students attended Catawba Springs Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Catawba Springs Elementary?

Students at Catawba Springs Elementary are 68% White, 11% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 8% African American, 3% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What district is Catawba Springs Elementary in?

Lincoln County 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.