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Mars Hill Elementary

Q: Is Mars Hill Elementary a good school?

Mars Hill Elementary ranks 821 st of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

821^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Mars Hill Elementary is a public elementary school serving 477 students in grades K-5 in the town of Mars Hill, North Carolina, which is part of the Madison County Schools district.

While Mars Hill Elementary generally performs below the state average on standardized tests, it often outperforms its district. The school has some notable strengths, ranking highly (top 25%) for its gifted and talented students, but struggles with its white student population, ranking in the bottom 25% of the state. The school has seen a significant increase in its free/reduced lunch rate, going from 40.04% in 2021-2022 to 99.37% in 2023-2024, suggesting it serves a high-poverty student population. Despite this, the school spends more per student than the state average and has a relatively low student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools.

The data suggests Mars Hill Elementary is facing some significant challenges, with declining academic performance over time and equity issues among student subgroups. However, the district appears to be investing resources into the school. Compared to other nearby elementary schools, such as Leicester Elementary and West Buncombe Elementary, Mars Hill Elementary generally performs in the middle of the pack, outperforming some schools but lagging behind higher-performing ones. Addressing the root causes of the school's struggles will be crucial for improving outcomes for all students.

445

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,436

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 School House Lane
Mars Hill, NC 28754-9512

(828) 689-2922

District: Madison County Schools

Students who attend Mars Hill Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Madison Middle School
High:	Madison Early College High
	Madison High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.9%

Two or more races:

3.4%

Hispanic:

1.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Mars Hill Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2015 → 45th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 35 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg54%

North Carolina avg57%

821^st of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 35 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to bottom 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Madison County Schools

89^th of 242Madison 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	45.7	821 of 1490	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.1	561 of 1505	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.0	601 of 1502	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.9	480 of 1514	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.3	476 of 1489	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	80.4	227 of 1473	84.6%	★★★★☆
2018	78.2	252 of 1434	82.4%	★★★★☆
2017	80.1	224 of 1429	84.3%	★★★★☆
2016	71.5	370 of 1425	74.0%	★★★★☆
2015	77.2	286 of 1440	80.1%	★★★★☆
2014	62.0	509 of 1390	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	49.7	670 of 1403	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.3	640 of 1388	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.9	710 of 1381	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	64.5	519 of 1363	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.8	403 of 1354	70.2%	★★★★☆
2008	66.3	420 of 1324	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	67.5	399 of 1293	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	64.0	453 of 1276	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	50.0	250 of 634	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.8	210 of 646	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.0	178 of 878	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.8	112 of 897	87.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.1	813 of 1451	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.7	521 of 1455	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.0	534 of 1459	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.0	344 of 1458	76.4%	★★★★☆
2021	61.1	506 of 1440	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.1	239 of 1424	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	80.6	213 of 1405	84.8%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	68.0	102 of 582	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	56.9	354 of 612	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	828 of 1437	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.5	742 of 1450	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.5	781 of 1437	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.4	531 of 1366	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.0	218 of 1329	83.6%	★★★★☆
2019	77.7	189 of 1361	86.1%	★★★★☆
2018	82.9	122 of 1332	90.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	46.2	791 of 1450	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.5	602 of 1464	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	647 of 1461	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	642 of 1464	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.5	448 of 1444	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	80.0	215 of 1430	85.0%	★★★★☆
2018	73.4	330 of 1413	76.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	280 of 821	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	26.0	671 of 801	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.1	1030 of 1172	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.7	798 of 1166	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.1	866 of 1183	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.6	731 of 1194	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.4	692 of 1172	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.4	433 of 1183	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.3	535 of 1178	54.6%	★★★☆☆

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 (2023)82nd percentile+22 vs school

Special Education (2025)66th percentile+21 vs school

Disabled (2022)61st percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)45th percentile~ school

Female (2025)44th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)12th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science62%~ state avg

Mathematics57%-4 vs state

Reading48%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mars Hill 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
Mars Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	200 School House Lane	Mars Hill	28754	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 689-2922	445	33	13.4	98.9%	418 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	15 (3.4%)	45.7	821^st of 1490 public elementary schools	44.9%		61.1	561^st of 1505 public elementary schools	62.7%	260	54.7	60.7	54.9	40.7	56.0	47.9	62.0	$10,436	$1,370	$9,066
North Buncombe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	251 Flat Creek Church Rd	Weaverville	28787	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 645-6054	593	39	15.3	98.7%	440 (74.2%)	9 (1.5%)	111 (18.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.4%)	67.5	436^th of 1490 public elementary schools	70.7%		63	525^th of 1505 public elementary schools	65.1%	89	66.7	68.9		57.1	60.0			$12,071	$1,473	$10,597
Barnardsville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	20 Hillcrest Drive	Barnardsville	28709	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 626-2290	125	11	10.9	97.6%	113 (90.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.8%)	83.9	192^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	87.1%		89.3	124^th of 1505 public elementary schools	91.8%	68	69.6	82.6		60.9	82.6			$13,378	$1,474	$11,905
Brush Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	265 Upper Brush Creek Road	Marshall	28753	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 649-1547	356	30	11.8	99.2%	330 (92.7%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	45.2	827^th of 1490 public elementary schools	44.5%		73.6	351^st of 1505 public elementary schools	76.7%	476	51.4	41.9	64.8	41.4	48.4	61.1	70.4	$11,596	$1,473	$10,123
Weaverville Primary	Public	PK, KG-1	39 S Main Street	Weaverville	28787	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 645-4275	245	16	15.8	98.8%	194 (79.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (15.5%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (3.3%)								(n/a)								$13,048	$1,194	$11,853
Weaverville Elementary	Public	2-4	129 S Main Street	Weaverville	28787	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 645-3127	342	22	15.9	97.4%	272 (79.5%)	7 (2.0%)	50 (14.6%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	81.6	229^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.6%		85	178^th of 1505 public elementary schools	88.2%	51	71.5	70.2		69.9	74.0			$10,024	$1,099	$8,924
Blue Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	910 Cane River School Rd	Burnsville	28714	Yancey County	Yancey County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 682-8150	382	25	15.3	98.4%	351 (91.9%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	48.4	770^th of 1490 public elementary schools	48.3%		51.1	728^th of 1505 public elementary schools	51.6%	42	26.2	76.7	47.7	35.4	66.7	55.4	66.2
Woodfin Elementary	Public	K-5	108 Elk Mountain Road	Asheville	28804	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 232-4287	111	11	10.2	97.3%	39 (35.1%)	3 (2.7%)	60 (54.1%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.3%)	8.2	1442^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	3.2%		10.8	1416^th of 1505 public elementary schools	5.9%	26	25.9	36.4		14.8	40.9			$17,004	$1,575	$15,428
Ira B Jones Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	544 Kimberly Avenue	Asheville	28804	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 350-6700	369	27	13.5	54.5%	199 (53.9%)	97 (26.3%)	31 (8.4%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.5%)	24 (6.5%)	41.1	897^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.8%		60.1	581^st of 1505 public elementary schools	61.4%	316	43.5	48.1	53.3	43.5	63.0	51.1	57.8	$13,444	$825	$12,620
Leicester Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	31 Gilbert Road	Leicester	28748	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 683-2341	399	26	15.3	98.7%	322 (80.7%)	8 (2.0%)	61 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.5%)	43.9	852^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	42.8%		27.7	1145^th of 1505 public elementary schools	23.9%	293	58.8	47.3		52.5	50.0			$11,642	$1,459	$10,183

Frequently Asked Questions about Mars Hill Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Mars Hill Elementary?

Students at Mars Hill Elementary are 94% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What district is Mars Hill Elementary in?

Madison County Schools

What schools do graduates of Mars Hill Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mars Hill Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Madison Middle School
High : Madison Early College High
High : Madison High School

Is Mars Hill Elementary a good school?

Mars Hill Elementary ranks 821^st of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mars Hill Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 445 students attended Mars Hill Elementary.

Rate Mars Hill Elementary!

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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.