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Ellenboro Elementary School

Q: Is Ellenboro Elementary School a good school?

Ellenboro Elementary School ranks 188 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

188^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Ellenboro Elementary School is a PK–5 school in the rural community of Ellenboro in Rutherford County Schools, serving 567 students. This is a school that truly stands out: even though roughly 97% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, Ellenboro ranks 188th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, placing it in the 87th percentile statewide. That strong result is not a one-year fluke — the school has now spent three consecutive years in the top 20% of the state after a steady post-pandemic rebound.

What makes Ellenboro most impressive is how well it serves students facing economic challenges. Its low-income students rank in the top 5% of low-income students statewide, an exceptional outcome for a school where nearly every child is economically disadvantaged. Math is the school's clear signature strength, with about 84.5% of students in grades 3–5 scoring proficient, compared with roughly 72.7% for the district and 63.6% statewide. Fifth graders posted especially strong results, with 82.1% proficient in math and 83.3% in science. Reading is also above state averages in every grade, led by an 80% proficiency rate in fourth grade, though third-grade reading is the one area where the school trails its district average — a worthwhile focus for improvement.

Ellenboro compares well with nearby elementary schools. It ranks above Harris Elementary School, Sunshine Elementary School, Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School, Spindale Elementary School, and Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School. It also edges out nearby Cliffside Elementary School in fourth- and fifth-grade math while posting a much lower chronic absenteeism rate (26.7% vs. 42.1%). The contrast with Forest City-Dunbar, which has nearly identical poverty levels but ranks in the bottom quarter statewide, shows that school-level practices matter — and Ellenboro is clearly doing something right for its students.

567

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

97.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

813 Piney Mountain Church Rd
Ellenboro, NC 28040

(828) 453-8185

District: Rutherford County Schools

Students who attend Ellenboro Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	East Rutherford Middle School
High:	East Rutherford High School
	Rutherford Early College High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.1%

Two or more races:

9.2%

Hispanic:

7.4%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Ellenboro Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 71st percentile in 2016 → 87th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (77% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school77%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg61%

188^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 16 pts since 2016

From top 29% (2016) to top 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

71^st of 246Rutherford 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	84.1	188 of 1492	87.4%	★★★★☆
2025	85.7	163 of 1490	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	78.8	263 of 1505	82.5%	★★★★☆
2023	70.1	407 of 1502	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	60.5	583 of 1514	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.2	457 of 1489	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.6	270 of 1473	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	80.2	224 of 1434	84.4%	★★★★☆
2017	80.5	217 of 1429	84.8%	★★★★☆
2016	69.2	411 of 1425	71.2%	★★★★☆
2015	75.2	321 of 1440	77.7%	★★★★☆
2014	71.5	369 of 1390	73.5%	★★★★☆
2013	56.6	565 of 1403	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	75.8	280 of 1388	79.8%	★★★★☆
2011	76.6	260 of 1381	81.2%	★★★★☆
2010	64.7	514 of 1363	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.3	566 of 1354	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.0	350 of 1324	73.6%	★★★★☆
2007	76.5	235 of 1293	81.8%	★★★★☆
2006	74.0	275 of 1276	78.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	45.2	285 of 634	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.6	501 of 646	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	73.4	127 of 878	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	74.4	118 of 897	86.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.3	220 of 1447	84.8%	★★★★☆
2025	87.2	125 of 1451	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	74.5	290 of 1455	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	408 of 1459	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	63.9	478 of 1458	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.3	348 of 1440	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	82.7	170 of 1424	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	80.0	226 of 1405	83.9%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.5	146 of 743	80.3%	★★★★☆
2025	70.7	81 of 710	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	58.7	335 of 669	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	433 of 582	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	69.9	66 of 500	86.8%	★★★★☆
2021	57.1	268 of 494	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.8	246 of 612	59.8%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	87.7	2 of 13	84.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	90.4	59 of 1434	95.9%	★★★★★
2025	92.7	34 of 1437	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	87.8	64 of 1450	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	84.3	101 of 1437	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	74.0	225 of 1366	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	69.7	262 of 1329	80.3%	★★★★☆
2019	75.8	212 of 1361	84.4%	★★★★☆
2018	81.0	144 of 1332	89.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.3	161 of 1451	88.9%	★★★★☆
2025	81.2	218 of 1450	85.0%	★★★★☆
2024	79.3	245 of 1464	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	69.3	388 of 1461	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	55.9	627 of 1464	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.0	550 of 1444	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.8	348 of 1430	75.7%	★★★★☆
2018	79.0	230 of 1413	83.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.3	146 of 815	82.1%	★★★★☆
2025	64.8	177 of 821	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	48.4	344 of 801	57.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.9	348 of 1146	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.9	403 of 1172	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.1	590 of 1166	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.1	625 of 1183	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.4	825 of 1194	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.6	652 of 1172	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.0	437 of 1183	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.6	410 of 1178	65.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)96th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)89th percentile~ school

Female (2026)85th percentile-3 vs school

Homeless (2026)85th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)82nd percentile-5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)80th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)70th percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)55th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics85%+21 vs state

Science83%+16 vs state

Reading68%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ellenboro Elementary School

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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
Ellenboro Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	813 Piney Mountain Church Rd	Ellenboro	28040	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 453-8185	567	30	18.7	97.4%	437 (77.1%)	36 (6.3%)	42 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (9.2%)	84.1	188^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.4%		85.7	163^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	89.1%	25	88.0	83.5	82.1	62.6	80.0	60.3	83.3	$9,921	$1,677	$8,244
Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Forrest Hunt Drive	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 245-2161	460	24	19.2	98.3%	265 (57.6%)	37 (8.0%)	92 (20.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (13.9%)	64.2	516^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.4%		62.6	521^st of 1490 public elementary schools	65.0%	5	81.3	69.5	62.1	67.2	66.1	36.2	74.1	$10,377	$1,479	$8,898
Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	286 Learning Parkway	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 245-4978	459	25	18.4	98.3%	140 (30.5%)	161 (35.1%)	89 (19.4%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (13.3%)	27.8	1143^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	23.4%		72.3	357^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.0%	786	53.6	45.6	46.1	41.1	52.9	47.4	55.3	$12,235	$3,287	$8,948
Cliffside Elementary School	Public	K-5	4016 US Hwy 221-A	Cliffside	28024	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 288-2235	188	13	14.9	94.7%	133 (70.7%)	11 (5.9%)	32 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.9%)	92	85^th of 1492 public elementary schools	94.3%		86.7	150^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.9%	65	90.9	82.6	79.2	91.2	73.9	83.3	87.5	$11,539	$1,925	$9,614
Sunshine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	231 Toney Road	Bostic	28018	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 245-0658	217	13	16.4	98.6%	197 (90.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	82.4	210^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.9%		68	427^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.3%	217	73.5	97.0	74.1	71.4	84.8	63.0	77.8	$12,481	$1,748	$10,733
Springmore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	616 McBrayer Homestead Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8235	618	41	15.1	99.5%	445 (72.0%)	77 (12.5%)	63 (10.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.2%)	81.4	224^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.0%		82.2	212^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.8%	12	80.2	76.6	86.1	62.0	66.0	65.2	88.7	$9,568	$1,145	$8,422
Harris Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3330 US 221 S Hwy	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 248-2354	434	27	16.1	95.9%	367 (84.6%)	5 (1.2%)	37 (8.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.3%)	76.5	294^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.3%		80.1	242^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	83.8%	52	91.1	74.3	69.7	80.4	57.1	64.5	77.6	$9,551	$1,364	$8,186
Spindale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	161 N Oak St	Spindale	28160	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 286-2861	337	20	16.4	95.3%	168 (49.9%)	96 (28.5%)	39 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (10.1%)	40.5	899^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.7%		32.8	1040^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.2%	141	72.3	56.9	50.0	53.2	40.4	44.4	66.7	$10,759	$1,904	$8,854
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1440 Union Church Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8250	413	30	13.6	99.3%	248 (60.0%)	95 (23.0%)	27 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.7%)	48.5	760^th of 1492 public elementary schools	49.1%		56.9	613^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.9%	147	63.8	68.4	75.3	46.4	50.9	43.8	64.4	$10,135	$1,538	$8,597
Boiling Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1522 Patrick Avenue	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8361	558	38	14.8	99.5%	389 (69.7%)	82 (14.7%)	42 (7.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.7%)	79.1	252^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	83.1%		85.1	172^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	88.5%	80	80.0	80.2	84.4	55.8	71.9	60.0	85.6	$9,229	$1,162	$8,067

Frequently Asked Questions about Ellenboro Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Ellenboro Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Ellenboro Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Rutherford Middle School
High : East Rutherford High School
High : Rutherford Early College High School

What district is Ellenboro Elementary School in?

Rutherford County Schools

Is Ellenboro Elementary School a good school?

Ellenboro Elementary School ranks 188^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Ellenboro Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 567 students attended Ellenboro Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Ellenboro Elementary School?

Students at Ellenboro Elementary School are 77% White, 9% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 6% African American.

Rate Ellenboro Elementary School!

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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.