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Koontz Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1440^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Koontz Elementary is a PK-5 school in Salisbury, NC, serving about 554 students in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools district. The school has historically ranked at or near the very bottom of all elementary schools in North Carolina, and its students face significant economic challenges, with about 93% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Koontz's overall academic performance is very low, even compared to nearby schools serving similar populations. For example, Rockwell Elementary and Shive Elementary are only a few miles away, serve families with similar income levels, and yet they perform far above Koontz in every subject. This suggests school-level factors, not just poverty, are driving the differences. One of the most striking patterns is a dramatic drop in proficiency after third grade. While 57% of Koontz third graders scored proficient in math, only 10% of fourth graders and 9.8% of fifth graders did. Reading scores show the same decline. This "third-grade cliff" is the school's most critical challenge.

There are some positive signs. The current third-grade class is an outlier compared to previous cohorts, and chronic absenteeism has improved significantly, dropping to 32.1% from 46% the year before. The school also shows relative strength with English learners, Hispanic students, and special education students. However, these bright spots have not yet translated into success for older students. Whether Koontz can maintain its third-grade momentum as that cohort moves up will likely determine if the school can escape the bottom of the state rankings. The data clearly point to upper-grade instruction and support as the most urgent areas for improvement.

554

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

92.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

685 East Ritchie Rd
Salisbury, NC 28146

(704) 216-0273

District: Rowan-Salisbury Schools

Students who attend Koontz Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Southeast Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.2%

Hispanic:

29.6%

White:

11.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Koontz Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 8th percentile in 2016 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (25% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg46%

North Carolina avg61%

1,440^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 3% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

199^th of 246Rowan-Salisbury 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	8.5	1440 of 1492	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	0.9	1490 of 1490	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.1	1505 of 1505	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.4	1484 of 1502	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.7	1496 of 1514	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.7	1438 of 1489	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.2	1468 of 1473	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.3	1428 of 1434	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.2	1416 of 1429	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	10.7	1318 of 1425	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.2	1337 of 1440	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	18.3	1183 of 1390	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	7.7	1353 of 1403	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.9	1322 of 1388	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	21.7	1182 of 1381	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.1	1139 of 1363	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	9.7	1271 of 1354	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	6.5	1279 of 1324	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.4	1236 of 1293	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	846 of 903	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.9	918 of 918	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	922 of 924	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	900 of 933	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	875 of 927	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.1	813 of 896	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.1	944 of 949	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.0	927 of 927	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.8	554 of 634	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.1	897 of 897	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.5	439 of 519	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	527 of 533	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	469 of 514	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	34.0	338 of 485	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.2	432 of 497	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	1359 of 1447	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.7	1451 of 1451	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.7	1455 of 1455	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	1445 of 1459	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.1	1426 of 1458	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.2	1345 of 1440	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.0	1420 of 1424	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.8	1392 of 1405	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.0	863 of 981	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	4.1	960 of 961	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	950 of 951	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	888 of 915	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.4	881 of 893	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	851 of 865	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	829 of 851	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.5	1341 of 1434	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.3	1437 of 1437	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.6	1449 of 1450	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.0	1418 of 1437	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.4	1343 of 1366	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.2	1238 of 1329	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.3	1357 of 1361	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.0	1328 of 1332	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	7.6	1416 of 1451	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	0.9	1450 of 1450	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.3	1464 of 1464	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	1421 of 1461	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.3	1454 of 1464	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.5	1389 of 1444	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.4	1424 of 1430	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.2	1412 of 1413	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	657 of 815	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	4.0	1137 of 1146	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	1140 of 1183	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.6	1174 of 1194	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)19th percentile+16 vs school

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

Disabled (2022)13th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)6th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)6th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

White (2026)1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics26%-38 vs state

Reading25%-31 vs state

Science23%-45 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, June 2, 2019

Horrible school. Close Quote

Schools Near Koontz 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
Koontz Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	685 East Ritchie Rd	Salisbury	28146	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 216-0273	554	38	14.7	92.8%	65 (11.7%)	278 (50.2%)	164 (29.6%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.4%)	8.5	1440^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.5%		0.9	1490^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.0%	50	57.0	10.0	9.8	41.9	18.9	15.2	22.5	$10,522	$1,875	$8,647
Granite Quarry Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	118 South Walnut St	Salisbury	28072	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 279-2154	586	29	19.9	99.5%	284 (48.5%)	128 (21.8%)	105 (17.9%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (10.4%)	19.8	1283^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	14.0%		19.1	1295^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.1%	12	50.0	34.4	45.5	30.5	49.0	41.6	55.7	$9,473	$1,028	$8,446
Knollwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3075 Shue Rd	Salisbury	28147	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 857-3400	585	31	18.8	99.5%	126 (21.5%)	95 (16.2%)	318 (54.4%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.5%)	13.6	1381^st of 1492 public elementary schools	7.4%		6	1459^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.1%	78	36.7	31.0	55.3	26.6	35.3	36.0	50.6	$9,926	$1,540	$8,386
Overton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1825 Park Rd W	Salisbury	28144	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3000	237	15	15.3	92.0%	24 (10.1%)	109 (46.0%)	73 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (12.7%)	3.9	1475^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.1%		6.7	1451^st of 1490 public elementary schools	2.6%	24	18.6	28.6	31.4	23.3	26.3	31.4	37.1	$12,485	$2,175	$10,310
Dole Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	465 Choate Rd	Salisbury	28146	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3046	388	25	15.5	99.2%	87 (22.4%)	138 (35.6%)	120 (30.9%)	9 (2.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.2%)	3	1485^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.5%		5.5	1466^th of 1490 public elementary schools	1.6%	19	18.8	17.1	31.1	18.8	29.3	29.7	31.1	$11,955	$1,494	$10,461
Isenberg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2800 Jake Alexander Blvd N	Salisbury	28147	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3009	509	34	15.0	95.3%	95 (18.7%)	249 (48.9%)	109 (21.4%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (9.8%)	19.9	1280^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.2%		25	1185^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.5%	95	51.9	42.2	31.8	45.0	43.4	28.2	61.2	$10,360	$1,726	$8,634
Hurley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	625 Hurley School Rd	Salisbury	28147	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3038	466	31	14.8	99.4%	68 (14.6%)	176 (37.8%)	179 (38.4%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.9%)	4.6	1468^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.6%		4	1475^th of 1490 public elementary schools	1.0%	7	14.9	9.6	26.9	23.9	24.7	30.8	48.7	$10,704	$1,927	$8,777
China Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	514 South Franklin St	China Grove	28023	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 857-7708	592	32	18.5	99.5%	326 (55.1%)	47 (7.9%)	172 (29.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.8%)	20.6	1266^th of 1492 public elementary schools	15.1%		9.2	1433^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	3.8%	167	48.1	39.2	46.2	46.3	43.3	33.0	58.2	$9,544	$1,171	$8,373
Rockwell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	114 Link St	Rockwell	28138	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 279-3145	502	30	16.8	99.4%	441 (87.8%)	9 (1.8%)	31 (6.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.8%)	66.5	475^th of 1492 public elementary schools	68.2%		49.4	752^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	49.5%	277	80.2	74.4	72.0	52.3	59.8	54.7	74.7	$9,665	$1,123	$8,541
North Rowan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Charles St	Spencer	28159	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3042	405	27	15.0	99.3%	85 (21.0%)	152 (37.5%)	122 (30.1%)	9 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.9%)	1	1491^st of 1492 public elementary schools	0.1%		1.5	1487^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.2%	4	16.9	12.2	10.6	18.6	18.9	18.2	32.3	$10,610	$1,852	$8,758

Frequently Asked Questions about Koontz Elementary

What schools do graduates of Koontz Elementary attend?

Students who attend Koontz Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Southeast Middle

What district is Koontz Elementary in?

Rowan-Salisbury Schools

What is the racial makeup of Koontz Elementary?

Students at Koontz Elementary are 50% African American, 30% Hispanic, 12% White, 7% Two or more races.

How many students attend Koontz Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 554 students attended Koontz Elementary.

Is Koontz Elementary a good school?

Koontz Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.5% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Koontz Elementary!

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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.