Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

St James Elementary

Q: Is St James Elementary a good school?

St James Elementary ranks 264 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

264^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

St James Elementary is a public elementary school located in Denver, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 665 students. The school is part of the Lincoln County Schools district, which is ranked 68 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

St James Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in North Carolina, with a statewide ranking between 65 and 302 over the past 10 years. The school has maintained a 4 or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating strong academic performance. In the 2024-2025 school year, St James Elementary outperformed the Lincoln County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in the percentage of students proficient or better in EOG/Mathematics and EOG/Reading for grades 3-5. The school's 5th-grade students achieved an impressive 82.8% proficiency rate in EOG/Science, significantly higher than the district (73.3%) and state (62%) averages.

While St James Elementary has consistently strong performance across different student subgroups, the performance of Hispanic students and low socioeconomic status students has been more variable in recent years. Additionally, the school's per-student spending of $7,459 in the 2018-2019 school year is lower than the nearby schools, which range from $7,823 to $10,349 per student, and its student-teacher ratio of 16.7 in the 2023-2024 school year is higher than the nearby schools, which range from 12.5 to 17.6 students per teacher. Despite these factors, St James Elementary continues to deliver excellent academic outcomes for its students.

653

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,459

Per pupil spending ?

27%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1774 St James Church Road
Denver, NC 28037

(704) 736-1958

District: Lincoln County Schools

Students who attend St James Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	East Lincoln Middle
High:	East Lincoln High

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.6%

Hispanic:

9.5%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare St James Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2015 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (71% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Lincoln County Schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school71%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg57%

264^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	79.0	264 of 1490	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	76.5	302 of 1505	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	81.0	215 of 1502	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	87.8	134 of 1514	91.1%	★★★★★
2021	92.4	88 of 1489	94.1%	★★★★★
2019	89.7	99 of 1473	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	91.2	78 of 1434	94.6%	★★★★★
2017	90.7	81 of 1429	94.3%	★★★★★
2016	91.7	65 of 1425	95.4%	★★★★★
2015	88.7	108 of 1440	92.5%	★★★★★
2014	91.8	77 of 1390	94.5%	★★★★★
2013	87.8	129 of 1403	90.8%	★★★★★
2012	83.1	145 of 1388	89.6%	★★★★☆
2011	86.7	97 of 1381	93.0%	★★★★★
2010	86.7	96 of 1363	93.0%	★★★★★
2009	82.4	161 of 1354	88.1%	★★★★☆
2008	84.4	129 of 1324	90.3%	★★★★★
2007	83.8	106 of 1293	91.8%	★★★★★
2006	81.4	155 of 1276	87.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	73.7	155 of 924	83.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	82.6	41 of 634	93.5%	★★★★★
2021	72.4	88 of 646	86.4%	★★★★☆
2019	90.5	33 of 878	96.2%	★★★★★
2018	95.0	17 of 897	98.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.5	371 of 1451	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	69.8	370 of 1455	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	78.9	229 of 1459	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	84.9	156 of 1458	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	93.2	68 of 1440	95.3%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	93 of 1424	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	90.4	70 of 1405	95.0%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.5	20 of 710	97.2%	★★★★★
2024	57.7	347 of 669	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.5	180 of 582	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.6	130 of 494	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	65.8	100 of 612	83.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	55.4	383 of 951	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	81.7	94 of 915	89.7%	★★★★☆
2022	85.2	69 of 893	92.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	587 of 1437	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.1	724 of 1450	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.4	328 of 1437	77.2%	★★★★☆
2022	65.9	342 of 1366	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	88.2	69 of 1329	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	78.7	175 of 1361	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	85.6	90 of 1332	93.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	83.0	192 of 1450	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	221 of 1464	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	80.5	217 of 1461	85.1%	★★★★☆
2022	87.9	126 of 1464	91.4%	★★★★★
2021	88.5	124 of 1444	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	85.7	152 of 1430	89.4%	★★★★☆
2018	88.4	114 of 1413	91.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.0	194 of 821	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	82.7	63 of 801	92.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.5	407 of 1172	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.7	371 of 1166	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.8	309 of 1183	73.9%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	197 of 1194	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	83.6	142 of 1172	87.9%	★★★★☆
2019	81.1	171 of 1183	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	83.9	134 of 1178	88.6%	★★★★☆

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 (2025)97th percentile+15 vs school

Disabled (2022)94th percentile~ school

Male (2025)87th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2024)83rd percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)76th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)74th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)65th percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2024)60th percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)59th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science83%+21 vs state

Mathematics76%+15 vs state

Reading61%+8 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate St James Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near St James 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 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
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%)	79	264^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.3%		76.5	302^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	79.9%	38	76.9	79.7	72.1	49.6	72.4	59.8	82.8	$7,459	$375	$7,084
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%)	84.1	189^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.3%		89.7	116^th of 1505 public elementary schools	92.3%	73	86.2	83.7	68.7	70.1	83.7	61.6	70.7	$7,867	$484	$7,383
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%)	91.1	96^th of 1490 public elementary schools	93.6%		89.7	117^th of 1505 public elementary schools	92.2%	21	85.1	78.6	82.7	74.5	77.7	70.9	86.4	$7,824	$403	$7,420
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
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%)	78.6	268^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.0%		79.3	253^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	83.2%	15	71.5	66.7	80.9	51.2	68.3	74.0	78.6	$8,779	$466	$8,313
Woodland Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	288 Forest Lake Boulevard	Mooresville	28117	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 663-1370	594	39	15.4	16.7%	493 (83.0%)	13 (2.2%)	41 (6.9%)	23 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.0%)	90.5	103^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	93.1%		92.4	80^th of 1505 public elementary schools	94.7%	23	87.0	77.0	80.5	64.0	84.1	78.8	80.5	$7,823	$341	$7,482
J.V. Washam Elementary	Public	K-5	9611 Westmoreland Rd	Cornelius	28031	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-1071	818	47	17.5	23.2%	550 (67.2%)	66 (8.1%)	130 (15.9%)	29 (3.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.1%)	88.6	127^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.5%		87.9	143^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	90.5%	16	87.0	92.7	81.8	60.1	76.8	70.3	77.1	$8,082	$405	$7,677
Cornelius Elementary	Public	K-5	21126 Catawba Ave	Cornelius	28031	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3905	542	36	15.0	29.0%	373 (68.8%)	48 (8.9%)	81 (14.9%)	19 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.9%)	85.5	164^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.0%		78.6	270^th of 1505 public elementary schools	82.1%	106	89.2	76.2	74.2	69.9	72.5	64.0	77.5	$8,730	$538	$8,193
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

Frequently Asked Questions about St James Elementary

How many students attend St James Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 653 students attended St James Elementary.

What district is St James Elementary in?

Lincoln County Schools

What schools do graduates of St James Elementary attend?

Students who attend St James Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Lincoln Middle
High : East Lincoln High

Is St James Elementary a good school?

St James Elementary ranks 264^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of St James Elementary?

Students at St James Elementary are 80% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American, 1% Asian.

Rate St James Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Denver, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for St James Elementary!

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.