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Cornelius Elementary

Q: Is Cornelius Elementary a good school?

Cornelius Elementary ranks 155 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

155^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 90% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Cornelius Elementary is a K–5 school in Cornelius, NC, that serves about 542 students and is part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The school currently holds a 4-star rating and placed 155th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, putting it in the 90th percentile statewide — an especially strong result given that CMS as a whole ranks only at the 57th percentile. Cornelius sits in a highly competitive cluster of nearby schools: Grand Oak Elementary and Davidson Elementary rank higher, while Cornelius outranks J.V. Washam Elementary, Huntersville Elementary, Torrence Creek Elementary, Barnette Elementary, and Coddle Creek Elementary.

Academically, Cornelius beats both CMS and North Carolina averages in every tested grade and subject. Its largest advantages come in 4th grade, where math proficiency is 90.4% and reading is 81.9% — roughly 24 and 23 points above the CMS average, respectively. Reading is a particular strength: Cornelius posts higher 4th-grade reading scores than J.V. Washam (81.9% vs. 74.1%), even though Washam edges it out in math and science. Fifth grade is the relative soft spot, with math proficiency at 77.5% and science at 80.4% — both strong in absolute terms but below several neighboring schools.

Attendance is a major differentiator. Chronic absenteeism at Cornelius is 12.4%, less than half the CMS rate of 26.8% and well below the state's 24.2%. The school has also shown recent progress across student subgroups: low-income students climbed to the 75th percentile statewide from the 41st percentile the prior year, and special education students reached the 88th percentile. Cornelius's overall state rank has improved steadily from 284th in 2021-22 to 155th today. The clearest opportunity for growth is closing the comparative gap for its Hispanic and English-learner populations, whose statewide subgroup rankings trail the school's overall results. Given the gains Cornelius has made for other groups, addressing that gap remains the highest-leverage path from excellent to exceptional.

542

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

29%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21126 Catawba Ave
Cornelius, NC 28031-8503

(980) 343-3905

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Students who attend Cornelius Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bailey Middle
High:	William Amos Hough High

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.8%

Hispanic:

14.9%

African American:

8.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Cornelius Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 87th percentile in 2016 → 90th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (79% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school79%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

155^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From top 13% (2016) to top 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

105^th of 246Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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	87.1	155 of 1492	89.6%	★★★★☆
2025	85.5	164 of 1490	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	78.6	270 of 1505	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	81.8	208 of 1502	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	77.5	284 of 1514	81.2%	★★★★☆
2021	79.4	252 of 1489	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	79.7	235 of 1473	84.0%	★★★★☆
2018	81.8	199 of 1434	86.1%	★★★★☆
2017	84.0	166 of 1429	88.4%	★★★★☆
2016	82.1	191 of 1425	86.6%	★★★★☆
2015	83.3	180 of 1440	87.5%	★★★★☆
2014	90.8	96 of 1390	93.1%	★★★★★
2013	91.3	90 of 1403	93.6%	★★★★★
2012	83.2	141 of 1388	89.8%	★★★★☆
2011	81.7	172 of 1381	87.5%	★★★★☆
2010	81.1	175 of 1363	87.2%	★★★★☆
2009	87.1	88 of 1354	93.5%	★★★★★
2008	84.4	130 of 1324	90.2%	★★★★★
2007	86.1	80 of 1293	93.8%	★★★★★
2006	88.4	65 of 1276	94.9%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.1	304 of 903	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.4	318 of 924	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.0	127 of 933	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	62.6	256 of 927	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	54.2	298 of 896	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.9	644 of 949	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	44.5	289 of 634	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.4	144 of 646	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	61.8	227 of 878	74.1%	★★★★☆
2018	42.3	488 of 897	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.1	313 of 519	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.2	247 of 563	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.2	254 of 533	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.4	285 of 514	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.7	123 of 385	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.7	152 of 497	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.6	77 of 421	81.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.9	148 of 1447	89.8%	★★★★☆
2025	84.7	155 of 1451	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.4	347 of 1455	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	236 of 1459	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	75.4	298 of 1458	79.6%	★★★★☆
2021	78.5	249 of 1440	82.7%	★★★★☆
2019	79.9	211 of 1424	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	82.5	180 of 1405	87.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.8	185 of 743	75.1%	★★★★☆
2025	66.3	196 of 710	72.4%	★★★★☆
2024	66.3	182 of 669	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	65.4	185 of 582	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.5	232 of 500	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.8	124 of 494	74.9%	★★★★☆
2019	41.9	538 of 612	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	72.0	8 of 69	88.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	687 of 981	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.1	823 of 961	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.1	580 of 951	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.4	669 of 915	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	56.1	329 of 893	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.6	337 of 843	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	406 of 865	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.1	158 of 851	81.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.5	353 of 1434	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	65.3	392 of 1437	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	43.3	859 of 1450	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.3	731 of 1437	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	768 of 1366	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.8	591 of 1329	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.1	971 of 1361	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	58.1	533 of 1332	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.2	164 of 1451	88.7%	★★★★☆
2025	83.2	190 of 1450	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	82.9	190 of 1464	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	82.1	198 of 1461	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	76.2	291 of 1464	80.1%	★★★★☆
2021	77.0	280 of 1444	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	76.7	264 of 1430	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	233 of 1413	83.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.0	97 of 815	88.1%	★★★★☆
2025	68.3	145 of 821	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	55.5	262 of 801	67.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.0	100 of 1146	91.3%	★★★★★
2025	84.1	138 of 1172	88.2%	★★★★☆
2024	83.4	146 of 1166	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	82.3	152 of 1183	87.2%	★★★★☆
2022	79.2	200 of 1194	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	74.0	261 of 1172	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	81.6	160 of 1183	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.0	207 of 1178	82.4%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)91st percentile~ school

Female (2026)90th percentile~ school

Male (2026)89th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)88th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)75th percentile-14 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)75th percentile-15 vs school

African American (2026)66th percentile-23 vs school

Disabled (2022)54th percentile-27 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)40th percentile-50 vs school

Hispanic (2026)30th percentile-60 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics83%+20 vs state

Science80%+13 vs state

Reading74%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cornelius 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
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%)	87.1	155^th of 1492 public elementary schools	89.6%		85.5	164^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.0%	9	83.0	90.4	77.5	68.9	81.9	73.5	80.4	$8,730	$538	$8,193
Davidson Elementary	Public	K-5	635 South St	Davidson	28036	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3900	1,185	74	16.1	11.3%	879 (74.2%)	67 (5.7%)	133 (11.2%)	54 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	50 (4.2%)	95.8	30^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.0%		95.8	44^th of 1490 public elementary schools	97.0%	14	87.8	94.3	90.1	87.1	91.4	85.9	88.7	$8,947	$371	$8,576
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%)	91.6	91^st of 1492 public elementary schools	93.9%		88.6	127^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.5%	36	90.8	87.4	93.8	73.8	74.1	72.4	89.0	$8,082	$405	$7,677
Lakeside Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	17609 Old Statesville Rd	Cornelius	28031	Mecklenburg County	Lakeside Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(704) 896-9500	221	15	14.9		77 (34.8%)	62 (28.1%)	66 (29.9%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.4%)	5.3	1461^st of 1492 public elementary schools	2.1%		38.6	944^th of 1490 public elementary schools	36.6%	517	539.4		27.3	9.1		36.4	36.4
Coddle Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	141 Frank's Crossing Loop	Mooresville	28115	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 439-1550	808	51	15.6	29.1%	423 (52.4%)	69 (8.5%)	134 (16.6%)	116 (14.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (8.0%)	70.3	409^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.6%		70.1	390^th of 1490 public elementary schools	73.8%	19	84.2	64.0	67.4	74.8	62.1	59.4	71.0	$7,589	$331	$7,258
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
Torrence Creek Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	14550 Ranson Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-0695	653	45	14.5	39.5%	338 (51.8%)	86 (13.2%)	170 (26.0%)	18 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	37 (5.7%)	76.4	298^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.0%		78.5	270^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.9%	28	78.1	74.8	73.7	65.1	71.2	59.6	75.8	$9,633	$652	$8,981
Huntersville Elementary	Public	K-5	200 Gilead Rd	Huntersville	28078	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3835	867	56	15.3	23.3%	462 (53.3%)	104 (12.0%)	154 (17.8%)	107 (12.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (4.5%)	90.6	107^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.8%		89.4	117^th of 1490 public elementary schools	92.1%	10	86.5	78.9	85.3	79.1	77.7	74.0	88.0	$9,728	$667	$9,061
South Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	839 S Magnolia St	Mooresville	28115	Iredell County	Mooresville Graded School District	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 658-2650	466	36	13.0	63.3%	211 (45.3%)	110 (23.6%)	87 (18.7%)	9 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (10.1%)								(n/a)								$11,774	$934	$10,840
Rocky River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	483 Rocky River Rd	Mooresville	28115	Iredell County	Mooresville Graded School District	No	No	No	No	(704) 658-2740	460	37	12.4	41.3%	294 (63.9%)	64 (13.9%)	57 (12.4%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.5%)								(n/a)								$11,429	$629	$10,800

Frequently Asked Questions about Cornelius Elementary

What district is Cornelius Elementary in?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

What is the racial makeup of Cornelius Elementary?

Students at Cornelius Elementary are 69% White, 15% Hispanic, 9% African American, 4% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Cornelius Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 542 students attended Cornelius Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cornelius Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cornelius Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bailey Middle
High : William Amos Hough High

Is Cornelius Elementary a good school?

Cornelius Elementary ranks 155^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Cornelius Elementary!

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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.