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West Marion Elementary School

Q: Is West Marion Elementary School a good school?

West Marion Elementary School ranks 643 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

643^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

West Marion Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Marion, NC, serving roughly 390 students within the McDowell County Schools district, in a community where nearly all students come from economically disadvantaged households. The school has recently achieved its strongest academic standing in over a decade, earning a 57th percentile state ranking and a 3-star rating for 2025-2026—a substantial jump from its typical 2-star, low-40s percentile performance in prior years. This places West Marion as the third-highest-ranked elementary school in its district, trailing high-performing peers like Old Fort Elementary and Marion Elementary, but ahead of Nebo Elementary and several others.

Academically, West Marion shows clear strengths in math and science. Student proficiency in 5th-grade science is a standout at 80.9%, well above the state average of 67.7%, and has been a consistent bright spot for several years. Math scores in grades 3 through 5 are near or above state averages, with 5th-grade math proficiency at 70.2% compared to 62.9% statewide. Reading performance is more uneven, with 3rd and 4th-grade proficiency below state averages, though 5th-grade reading exceeds the state at 57.4%. These results show promising momentum, but the school's grade-level scores can swing dramatically from year to year, a common challenge in smaller schools, suggesting the progress should be viewed as encouraging rather than fully stable.

The most significant area for improvement is attendance. West Marion's chronic absenteeism rate of 31.4% is higher than the district (26.5%) and state (24.2%) averages, and noticeably higher than peer schools like Old Fort and North Cove Elementary. The school also shows uneven performance across student groups, with notably strong results for its low-income students but weaker outcomes in other subgroup categories. For parents, West Marion represents a school on an upward trajectory with real academic strengths, particularly in science and math, but it still faces challenges with attendance and consistency that the school's leadership will need to address to build on its recent success.

390

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

98%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

820 Marler Road
Marion, NC 28752

(828) 738-3353

District: McDowell County Schools

Students who attend West Marion Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	West McDowell Middle School
High:	McDowell Early College
	McDowell High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.4%

Hispanic:

12.8%

Two or more races:

6.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare West Marion Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 30th percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 24% North Carolina)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg61%

643^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 27 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

103^rd of 246McDowell 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	55.8	643 of 1492	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.3	874 of 1490	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.1	781 of 1505	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.1	792 of 1502	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.2	1002 of 1514	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	969 of 1489	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.0	941 of 1473	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	849 of 1434	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.1	966 of 1429	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.0	1000 of 1425	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	41.1	889 of 1440	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.0	848 of 1390	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.0	902 of 1403	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.0	741 of 1388	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	63.7	552 of 1381	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.8	651 of 1363	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.9	743 of 1354	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.9	768 of 1324	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.1	685 of 1293	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	52.7	667 of 1276	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	34.9	406 of 634	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	541 of 878	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.8	542 of 897	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.1	570 of 1447	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.4	809 of 1451	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.1	714 of 1455	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.1	755 of 1459	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	1041 of 1458	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.4	828 of 1440	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.2	1147 of 1424	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.5	719 of 1405	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	64.0	202 of 494	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.4	520 of 612	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	585 of 961	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.5	617 of 951	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	567 of 893	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.9	779 of 843	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	710 of 865	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	704 of 851	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	40.5	5 of 8	37.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.5	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	610 of 1434	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	757 of 1437	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.6	426 of 1450	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	57.0	553 of 1437	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.4	663 of 1366	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.9	637 of 1329	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.0	834 of 1361	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	807 of 1332	39.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.0	701 of 1451	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.7	901 of 1450	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.3	821 of 1464	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.0	805 of 1461	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	930 of 1464	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.2	1004 of 1444	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.4	701 of 1430	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.4	921 of 1413	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	533 of 821	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	566 of 801	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	890 of 1146	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.0	940 of 1172	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.9	861 of 1166	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.7	875 of 1183	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	1038 of 1194	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	1070 of 1172	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.2	1098 of 1183	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.7	995 of 1178	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)61st percentile+4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2021)59th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)57th percentile~ school

Male (2026)52nd percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile~ school

Homeless (2022)38th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2022)36th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)35th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)22nd percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science81%+13 vs state

Mathematics66%+3 vs state

Reading52%-5 vs state

1.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Friday, December 7, 2012

As I understand it, a little girl's paper was not accepted because she quoted her grampa, when he said he prayed to God in wartime. She wasn't advocating that others pray to God, she was just stating a fact. Please clarify your position. Close Quote

Schools Near West Marion Elementary School

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Ranking:

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Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Marion Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	820 Marler Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 738-3353	390	28	14.1	—	298 (76.4%)	12 (3.1%)	50 (12.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.9%)	55.8	643^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	56.9%		42.3	874^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.3%	231	65.5	63.0	70.2	44.8	54.3	57.4	80.9	98%	0%	$11,463	$1,657	$9,807
Glenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1545 Old Hwy 221 South	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 738-4220	435	27	15.9	—	364 (83.7%)	5 (1.1%)	28 (6.4%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.9%)	43.6	852^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	42.9%		34.9	1004^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.6%	152	53.1	68.3	53.4	46.9	60.3	46.6	65.5	95.1%	4.9%	$10,691	$1,210	$9,481
Pleasant Gardens Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 John Roach Drive	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 724-4422	289	21	13.4	—	214 (74.0%)	3 (1.0%)	48 (16.6%)	5 (1.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.9%)	28.6	1123^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	24.7%		48.2	777^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.9%	346	66.7	40.0	46.3	40.5	48.6	41.5	58.5	95.5%	2.3%	$10,413	$1,532	$8,881
Marion Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	209 Robert Street	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 652-2141	333	23	14.6	—	222 (66.7%)	14 (4.2%)	68 (20.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (8.1%)	71.6	385^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.2%		62.2	528^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.6%	143	86.4	71.4	74.6	65.9	71.4	58.2	65.7	95%	1.7%	$9,997	$1,489	$8,507
Eastfield Global Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	170 Eastfield School Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 652-3730	279	21	13.2	97.8%	161 (57.7%)	6 (2.2%)	99 (35.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.7%)	46	802^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	46.2%		56.1	632^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	57.6%	170	41.0	73.2	70.7	28.2	51.2	43.9	85.4	97.4%	2.6%	$11,548	$1,932	$9,616
Old Fort Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	128 Mauney Avenue	Old Fort	28762	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 668-7646	360	24	15.3	95.0%	302 (83.9%)	9 (2.5%)	23 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.9%)	78.7	256^th of 1492 public elementary schools	82.8%		68.4	417^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.0%	161	77.2	69.6	72.3	68.4	63.0	74.5	85.1	96%	2%	$11,403	$1,803	$9,600
Nebo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	254 Nebo School Road	Nebo	28761	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 652-4737	354	22	15.8	—	272 (76.8%)	8 (2.3%)	51 (14.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.9%)	51.6	705^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.7%		47.6	788^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.1%	83	70.8	53.7	53.4	60.0	53.7	58.6	65.5	98.3%	1.7%	$10,949	$1,855	$9,095
Pinnacle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1204 Painters Gap Road	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 287-3440	254	16	16.0	96.5%	209 (82.3%)	14 (5.5%)	22 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	53	680^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.4%		61.5	539^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.8%	141	91.8	69.5	54.5	73.5	61.0	39.4	53.0	92.1%	7.9%	$11,086	$1,573	$9,513
North Cove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 American Thread Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 756-4342	230	16	14.4	—	174 (75.7%)	2 (0.9%)	37 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.4%)	35.3	998^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.1%		25.3	1176^th of 1490 public elementary schools	21.1%	178	60.0	36.2	73.9	40.0	44.7	47.8	82.6	100%	0%	$11,425	$1,369	$10,056
Black Mountain Elementary	Public	4-5	100 Flat Creek Road	Black Mountain	28711	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 669-5217	163	11	15.2	96.9%	135 (82.8%)	7 (4.3%)	12 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.5%)	46.4	797^th of 1492 public elementary schools	46.6%		53	689^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.8%	108		54.3	51.8		61.7	57.8	60.2			$10,935	$1,199	$9,736

Frequently Asked Questions about West Marion Elementary School

Is West Marion Elementary School a good school?

West Marion Elementary School ranks 643^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is West Marion Elementary School in?

McDowell County Schools

How many students attend West Marion Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 390 students attended West Marion Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of West Marion Elementary School?

Students at West Marion Elementary School are 76% White, 13% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What schools do graduates of West Marion Elementary School attend?

Students who attend West Marion Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : West McDowell Middle School
High : McDowell Early College
High : McDowell High School

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.