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Rutherfordton Elementary School

Q: Is Rutherfordton Elementary School a good school?

Rutherfordton Elementary School ranks 173 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

173^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 88% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Rutherfordton Elementary School, located in Rutherfordton, NC, is a PK–5 public school serving approximately 397 students in the Rutherford County Schools district. Despite about 95% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school has become one of the strongest elementary schools in the region, ranking 173rd out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (88th percentile) with a 4-star rating in 2025-26. That is a remarkable climb from a 3-star, mid-tier ranking just two years earlier.

What makes Rutherfordton stand out is its success with student subgroups that often struggle statewide. In 2025-26, economically disadvantaged students ranked in the 95th percentile (66th of 1,434 schools), special education students ranked in the 96th percentile (35th of 815), and gifted students ranked in the 98th percentile (16th of 743). Academically, the school beats district and state averages across nearly every grade and subject — 5th-grade reading proficiency hit 73.4% vs. 56.3% for the district and 55.3% statewide, while 5th-grade science reached 86.2% proficiency vs. 67.7% statewide. Test scores also stay consistent across 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, rather than declining in upper elementary the way many schools do.

Attendance is another big differentiator. Rutherfordton's chronic absenteeism rate has fallen from 37.5% in 2021-22 to 21.4% in 2024-25 — dramatically lower than the Rutherford County Schools district rate of 38.1% and even below the state average of 24.2%. Among nearby schools, Rutherfordton outperforms Spindale Elementary School (40th percentile) and Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School (23rd percentile) by wide margins, and it edges out Ellenboro Elementary School and Sunshine Elementary School. Only Cliffside Elementary School ranks higher (94th percentile), but Cliffside has a much higher chronic absenteeism rate of 42.1%. For parents, Rutherfordton's combination of top-tier academics, strong subgroup results, and improving attendance makes it a standout choice in the region.

397

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

95.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

94.3%

Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 5.7% (any vaccine)

201 Bob Hardin Road
Rutherfordton, NC 28139

(828) 287-3778

District: Rutherford County Schools

Students who attend Rutherfordton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	R-S Middle School
High:	R-S Central High School
	Rutherford Early College High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.3%

Two or more races:

11.6%

Hispanic:

9.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Rutherfordton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 70th percentile in 2016 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

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

✓Ranks in the top 12% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 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%

173^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 12%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to top 12% (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	85.5	173 of 1492	88.4%	★★★★☆
2025	74.7	320 of 1490	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	61.3	555 of 1505	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.7	451 of 1502	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	61.8	554 of 1514	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	607 of 1489	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.7	392 of 1473	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	77.3	267 of 1434	81.4%	★★★★☆
2017	75.7	313 of 1429	78.1%	★★★★☆
2016	67.6	434 of 1425	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	69.7	418 of 1440	71.0%	★★★★☆
2014	50.4	695 of 1390	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	49.5	671 of 1403	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	48.5	790 of 1388	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	69.1	432 of 1381	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	58.7	639 of 1363	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	60.7	595 of 1354	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.7	303 of 1324	77.1%	★★★★☆
2007	86.5	71 of 1293	94.5%	★★★★★
2006	82.6	140 of 1276	89.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	58.6	313 of 924	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.5	577 of 927	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	59.7	167 of 634	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	39.7	530 of 878	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.9	162 of 1447	88.8%	★★★★☆
2025	74.3	295 of 1451	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	64.1	472 of 1455	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.8	299 of 1459	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	58.0	588 of 1458	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.1	483 of 1440	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.6	443 of 1424	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.7	333 of 1405	76.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.6	16 of 743	97.8%	★★★★★
2025	61.0	305 of 710	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.9	431 of 669	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.6	30 of 582	94.8%	★★★★★
2022	54.8	301 of 500	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	12.7	473 of 494	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.3	558 of 612	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.6	66 of 1434	95.4%	★★★★★
2025	85.3	92 of 1437	93.6%	★★★★★
2024	72.1	284 of 1450	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	76.8	221 of 1437	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	83.1	110 of 1366	91.9%	★★★★★
2021	62.2	383 of 1329	71.2%	★★★★☆
2019	73.7	251 of 1361	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	217 of 1332	83.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.7	215 of 1451	85.2%	★★★★☆
2025	71.1	359 of 1450	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	58.1	595 of 1464	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.9	588 of 1461	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.8	517 of 1464	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.4	648 of 1444	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.5	329 of 1430	77.0%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	234 of 1413	83.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	88.2	35 of 815	95.7%	★★★★★
2025	46.7	374 of 821	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.6	517 of 801	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.4	307 of 1146	73.2%	★★★★☆
2025	53.9	538 of 1172	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.8	720 of 1166	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.6	646 of 1183	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	807 of 1194	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	758 of 1172	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.2	574 of 1183	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.2	320 of 1178	72.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)98th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2026)96th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)95th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)89th percentile~ school

Male (2026)85th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)74th percentile+10 vs school

White (2026)73rd percentile-15 vs school

African American (2024)66th percentile+3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science86%+18 vs state

Mathematics80%+16 vs state

Reading71%+15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rutherfordton 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	94.3%	5.7%	$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	88.9%	1.6%	$10,759	$1,904	$8,854
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	—	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	94.6%	2.7%	$12,235	$3,287	$8,948
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	90.4%	6.8%	$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	—	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	94.4%	5.6%	$10,377	$1,479	$8,898
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	—	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	90.7%	5.6%	$12,367	$1,550	$10,818
Pinnacle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1204 Painters Gap Road	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 287-3440	254	16	16.0	96.5%	209 (82.3%)	14 (5.5%)	22 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	53	680^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.4%		61.5	539^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.8%	141	91.8	69.5	54.5	73.5	61.0	39.4	53.0	92.1%	7.9%	$11,086	$1,573	$9,513
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	99%	1%	$9,921	$1,677	$8,244
Sunny View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	86 Sunny View School Road	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 894-1050	120	10	11.8	97.5%	115 (95.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	65.8	492^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	67.0%		60.3	562^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	62.3%	70	73.3	90.0	76.5	60.0	80.0	47.1	47.1	87.5%	6.3%	$15,864	$1,636	$14,228
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	—	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	93.3%	0%	$12,481	$1,748	$10,733

Frequently Asked Questions about Rutherfordton Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Rutherfordton Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : R-S Middle School
High : R-S Central High School
High : Rutherford Early College High School

How many students attend Rutherfordton Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 397 students attended Rutherfordton Elementary School.

Is Rutherfordton Elementary School a good school?

Rutherfordton Elementary School ranks 173^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Rutherfordton Elementary School?

Students at Rutherfordton Elementary School are 70% White, 12% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 9% African American.

What district is Rutherfordton Elementary School in?

Rutherford County Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.