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Nations Ford Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1450^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Nations Ford Elementary is a PK–5 neighborhood school in southwest Charlotte, NC, serving about 610 students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district. Despite the district performing near the state average, Nations Ford ranks near the very bottom of North Carolina elementary schools — in the bottom 1–3% for the past three years, with 0-star ratings.

Academic proficiency is critically low. Only about 26% of students are proficient in reading and 39% in math, trailing the district and state by roughly 30 percentage points in reading and about 27 points in math. Science proficiency is 45%, still well below the district's 71%. Perhaps most telling, other CMS schools serving nearly identical student populations are performing much better. Steele Creek Elementary, just 2.8 miles away, has similar poverty levels but 4th-grade math proficiency of 67% vs. Nations Ford's 36%. Montclaire Elementary, Pinewood Elementary, and South Pine Academy also beat Nations Ford by wide margins in math and reading. This shows the struggles are not simply about poverty — school-level factors matter.

Looking at subgroups, every group at Nations Ford ranks in the bottom 16th percentile or lower compared with the same student groups statewide. Reading is below 27% in every grade tested, with no improvement between 3rd and 5th grade — a serious barrier to learning in all subjects. On the positive side, chronic absenteeism has improved to 23.3%, now better than both the CMS and state averages, and 2025–2026 test scores moved up from the previous year's lows. The school also has a higher student-teacher ratio (16.5:1) than several high-poverty peers. While these improvements are encouraging, Nations Ford remains far behind neighboring schools serving similar populations, and meaningful improvement will require sustained effort in early literacy and instructional quality.

610

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7050 Nations Ford Rd
Charlotte, NC 28217-3461

(980) 343-5838

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Students who attend Nations Ford Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Southwest Middle School
High:	Harding University High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.4%

African American:

17.4%

White:

3.4%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Nations Ford Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 13th percentile in 2016 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (34% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg64%

North Carolina avg61%

1,450^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 3% (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	7.2	1450 of 1492	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.9	1472 of 1490	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	1365 of 1505	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	1250 of 1502	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	1355 of 1514	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.9	1435 of 1489	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	1251 of 1473	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.2	1087 of 1434	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.0	1107 of 1429	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.4	1242 of 1425	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.6	1318 of 1440	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.1	1320 of 1390	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.7	1295 of 1403	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.9	1337 of 1388	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.7	1359 of 1381	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	23.2	1136 of 1363	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.2	1090 of 1354	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	37.2	902 of 1324	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	29.1	1036 of 1293	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.2	754 of 1276	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.7	758 of 903	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.6	745 of 918	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.1	510 of 924	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	660 of 933	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.5	689 of 927	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	711 of 896	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.5	513 of 949	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.8	380 of 927	59.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.0	565 of 634	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	855 of 878	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.9	441 of 519	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.4	512 of 563	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	35.8	346 of 533	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	248 of 514	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	27.0	401 of 485	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	380 of 385	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.1	323 of 497	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.7	195 of 421	53.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	7.0	1417 of 1447	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.7	1419 of 1451	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	1334 of 1455	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	1340 of 1459	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	1342 of 1458	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.1	1376 of 1440	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.7	1254 of 1424	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	1088 of 1405	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.1	922 of 981	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	940 of 961	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	818 of 951	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.6	666 of 915	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	766 of 893	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	812 of 843	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.6	633 of 865	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.2	514 of 851	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	1237 of 1434	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.9	1410 of 1437	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	34.3	1035 of 1450	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.3	1103 of 1437	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.3	1069 of 1366	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.5	1251 of 1329	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	40.0	882 of 1361	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.1	685 of 1332	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.0	1394 of 1451	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.6	1439 of 1450	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.6	1309 of 1464	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	1116 of 1461	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	1280 of 1464	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.4	1393 of 1444	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	1171 of 1430	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	1069 of 1413	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	692 of 815	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.0	453 of 801	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)16th percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2026)15th percentile+12 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)15th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2022)11th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)6th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

Female (2026)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science45%-22 vs state

Mathematics39%-25 vs state

Reading26%-30 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Nations Ford 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 Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Nations Ford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7050 Nations Ford Rd	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5838	610	37	16.5	99.5%	21 (3.4%)	106 (17.4%)	472 (77.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.3%)	7.2	1450^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.8%		4.9	1472^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	1.2%	22	44.8	35.8	35.7				26.4	26.6	25.3				45.2		$9,317	$1,154	$8,163
Movement School Southwest	Public, Charter	K-4	150 Osprey Point Dr.	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Movement School Southwest	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(704) 420-7980	284	18	15.5	96.8%	4 (1.4%)	193 (68.0%)	66 (23.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.7%)	10.5	1414^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.2%					(n/a)	42.9	36.7					35.7	33.3
South Academy of International Languages	Public, Magnet	K-8	8300 Nations Ford Rd	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5815	1,259	85	14.7	34.1%	421 (33.4%)	230 (18.3%)	418 (33.2%)	72 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (9.4%)	89.8	117^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.2%		87.7	142^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	90.5%	25	93.5	93.2	88.2	72.3	68.6	66.9	81.5	87.4	69.3	66.5	70.2	67.7	88.2	82.0	$9,365	$441	$8,925
Steele Creek Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2200 Shopton Road	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Steele Creek Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(980) 243-5580	335	8	41.8	89.9%	6 (1.8%)	220 (65.7%)	82 (24.5%)	8 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.7%)	17.7	1325^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.2%		21.6	1251^st of 1490 public elementary schools	16.0%	74	45.2	19.1	16.7	54.3	55.6	40.9	45.2	31.9	30.6	60.0	63.0	63.6	30.6	68.2
Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	5225 Seventy-seven Center Dr	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(704) 503-1112	396	27	14.4		61 (15.4%)	18 (4.5%)	12 (3.0%)	281 (71.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	99.2	1^st of 1492 public elementary schools	99.9%		99.2	1^st of 1490 public elementary schools	99.9%		562.8	97.7	561.5	562.4	564.0	97.8	97.7	100.0	560.5	99.9	99.9	100.0	100.0	100.0
Collinswood Language Academy	Public, Magnet	K-8	5621 Flagstaff Drive	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5820	893	55	16.2	42.1%	235 (26.3%)	91 (10.2%)	537 (60.1%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (2.9%)	91.6	93^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	93.8%		88.2	135^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.9%	42	95.3	91.4	88.0	72.9	66.7	69.3	79.2	75.9	82.0	72.9	67.9	82.4	84.0	90.7	$9,479	$487	$8,993
Montclaire Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5801 Farmbrook Dr	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-3635	512	38	13.4	99.4%	31 (6.1%)	48 (9.4%)	422 (82.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	31.2	1070^th of 1492 public elementary schools	28.3%		23.9	1205^th of 1490 public elementary schools	19.1%	135	65.3	53.8	55.0				40.0	42.3	41.3				57.5		$11,179	$1,203	$9,976
Starmount Academy of Excellence	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Brookdale Ave	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-3630	416	28	14.6	98.8%	10 (2.4%)	70 (16.8%)	331 (79.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	10.5	1415^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.2%		6.4	1456^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.3%	41	65.1	37.3	37.9				23.3	28.8	21.2				34.8		$9,766	$1,171	$8,595
South Pine Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2541 Sandy Porter Rd	Charlotte	28273	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-0765	765	40	18.9	99.6%	29 (3.8%)	264 (34.5%)	433 (56.6%)	21 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.4%)	22	1245^th of 1492 public elementary schools	16.6%		6	1462^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	1.9%	217	53.0	61.9	41.7				28.7	42.9	36.9				51.5
Pinewood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	805 Seneca Pl	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5825	521	35	14.9	99.4%	38 (7.3%)	152 (29.2%)	300 (57.6%)	14 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.1%)	21.9	1250^th of 1492 public elementary schools	16.2%		18.7	1299^th of 1490 public elementary schools	12.8%	49	68.3	32.5	45.6				35.4	41.3	30.4				57.0		$11,962	$1,640	$10,322

Frequently Asked Questions about Nations Ford Elementary

Is Nations Ford Elementary a good school?

Nations Ford Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Nations Ford Elementary?

Students at Nations Ford Elementary are 77% Hispanic, 17% African American, 3% White, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Nations Ford Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 610 students attended Nations Ford Elementary.

What district is Nations Ford Elementary in?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

What schools do graduates of Nations Ford Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nations Ford Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southwest Middle School
High : Harding University High School

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.