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Harris Elementary School

Q: Is Harris Elementary School a good school?

Harris Elementary School ranks 294 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

294^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Harris Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Forest City, NC, serving 434 students in Rutherford County Schools. The school holds a consistent 4-star rating and ranks in the top 20% of North Carolina elementary schools, a record that is especially notable given that 95.85% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-2025. Harris beats its district in six of seven tested grade/subject areas, with 91.1% of 3rd graders proficient in math (versus an 80.5% district average) and 80.4% proficient in 3rd-grade reading (versus a 66.6% district average) — results that also sit far above state averages.

Harris’s most distinctive strength is its effectiveness with students who are often underserved elsewhere. Economically disadvantaged students perform at the 91st percentile statewide — the top 10% — while Hispanic students rank at the 96th percentile, placing Harris in the top 4% of elementary schools for that group. Special education outcomes have also improved dramatically, with this subgroup climbing from the 28th to the 79th percentile over the last two years. Chronic absenteeism is low at just 21.5%, compared to a 38.1% district average, a 24.2% state average, and far higher rates at nearby Cliffside Elementary School (42.1%) and Spindale Elementary School (29.7%).

Fourth-grade reading is Harris’s one soft spot — at 57.1% proficiency, it trails the district’s 64.3% — though the prior year’s 75.4% indicates some year-to-year variation. Several neighboring schools rank higher overall, including Cliffside Elementary School (94th percentile), Rutherfordton Elementary School (88th), Ellenboro Elementary School (87th), and Sunshine Elementary School (86th). Harris achieves its results while spending less per student ($9,551) than every comparable in-district elementary school. For Forest City families, Harris offers a stable, four-star education where economic background is not destiny.

434

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

95.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3330 US 221 S Hwy
Forest City, NC 28043-9803

(828) 248-2354

District: Rutherford County Schools

Students who attend Harris Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Chase Middle School
High:	Chase High School
	Rutherford Early College High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.6%

Hispanic:

8.5%

Two or more races:

5.3%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Harris Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 86th percentile in 2023 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (73% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 86th-percentile peak (2023) to 80th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg61%

294^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From top 29% (2016) to top 20% (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	76.5	294 of 1492	80.3%	★★★★☆
2025	80.1	242 of 1490	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	80.6	232 of 1505	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.6	210 of 1502	86.0%	★★★★☆
2022	71.6	378 of 1514	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	71.6	377 of 1489	74.7%	★★★★☆
2019	70.3	402 of 1473	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.3	204 of 1434	85.8%	★★★★☆
2017	75.7	312 of 1429	78.2%	★★★★☆
2016	69.2	410 of 1425	71.2%	★★★★☆
2015	71.5	386 of 1440	73.2%	★★★★☆
2014	58.6	562 of 1390	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	43.2	781 of 1403	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	69.0	429 of 1388	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	72.8	343 of 1381	75.2%	★★★★☆
2010	71.6	363 of 1363	73.4%	★★★★☆
2009	72.3	351 of 1354	74.1%	★★★★☆
2008	52.4	676 of 1324	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	46.0	808 of 1293	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	39.5	871 of 1276	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	47.6	402 of 878	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.5	188 of 897	79.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.3	282 of 1447	80.5%	★★★★☆
2025	72.5	324 of 1451	77.7%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	203 of 1455	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	75.4	286 of 1459	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	68.2	406 of 1458	72.2%	★★★★☆
2021	65.2	431 of 1440	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	68.3	418 of 1424	70.6%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	243 of 1405	82.7%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.8	106 of 743	85.7%	★★★★☆
2025	70.7	102 of 710	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	70.2	61 of 669	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	61.7	247 of 582	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.6	88 of 500	82.4%	★★★★☆
2021	70.7	103 of 494	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	65.8	95 of 612	84.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.9	37 of 981	96.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.9	135 of 1434	90.6%	★★★★★
2025	88.5	66 of 1437	95.4%	★★★★★
2024	89.9	53 of 1450	96.3%	★★★★★
2023	89.3	62 of 1437	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	84.4	94 of 1366	93.1%	★★★★★
2021	80.7	143 of 1329	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	67.5	352 of 1361	74.1%	★★★★☆
2018	88.7	54 of 1332	95.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.5	313 of 1451	78.4%	★★★★☆
2025	82.7	196 of 1450	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	76.3	281 of 1464	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	83.1	181 of 1461	87.6%	★★★★☆
2022	71.9	356 of 1464	75.7%	★★★★☆
2021	74.3	333 of 1444	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	69.8	376 of 1430	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.7	192 of 1413	86.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.6	172 of 815	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	31.3	574 of 801	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.9	563 of 1146	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.6	454 of 1172	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.3	406 of 1166	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.2	400 of 1183	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.1	528 of 1194	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.0	575 of 1172	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.7	684 of 1183	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.0	451 of 1178	61.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)96th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)91st percentile+10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)86th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)81st percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)79th percentile~ school

Male (2026)78th percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)54th percentile-18 vs school

White (2026)51st percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science78%+10 vs state

Mathematics77%+14 vs state

Reading66%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Harris 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
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
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
Rutherfordton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	201 Bob Hardin Road	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 287-3778	397	24	16.4	95.2%	279 (70.3%)	34 (8.6%)	38 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (11.6%)	85.5	173^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	88.4%		74.7	320^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.5%	147	80.9	79.1	79.7	69.6	70.1	73.4	86.2	$10,825	$1,582	$9,243
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
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
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
Polk Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2141 South NC9 Hwy	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 894-8233	379	24	15.9	99.2%	299 (78.9%)	20 (5.3%)	39 (10.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.3%)	45.5	815^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.4%		59.6	570^th of 1490 public elementary schools	61.7%	245	56.5	56.4	69.4	48.4	60.0	53.1	59.2	$12,367	$1,550	$10,818
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Harris Elementary School

Is Harris Elementary School a good school?

Harris Elementary School ranks 294^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Harris Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 434 students attended Harris Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Harris Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Chase Middle School
High : Chase High School
High : Rutherford Early College High School

What district is Harris Elementary School in?

Rutherford County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Harris Elementary School?

Students at Harris Elementary School are 85% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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Schools in Forest City, NC

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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.