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Spindale Elementary School

Q: Is Spindale Elementary School a good school?

Spindale Elementary School ranks 899 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

899^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Spindale Elementary School serves about 337 students in grades PK through 5 in Spindale, NC, and is part of Rutherford County Schools, a district that overall earns a 4-star rating. The school itself, however, holds a 2-star rating and ranks in the 40th percentile statewide, trailing many of its local neighbors. For context, nearly all students at Spindale come from low-income households, with a free/reduced-price lunch rate above 95%, yet nearby schools with similar poverty levels—such as Cliffside Elementary School (94th percentile) and Ellenboro Elementary School (87th percentile)—rank dramatically higher, showing that high poverty does not determine academic outcomes.

Spindale's academic data reveals a mix of progress and persistent challenges. On a positive note, 3rd-grade reading proficiency has climbed steadily from 25% in 2022-2023 to 53.2% in 2025-2026, nearly reaching the state average of 55.6%. However, this early progress has not yet translated into stronger upper-elementary results. In 4th-grade reading, only 40.4% of Spindale students scored proficient, making it the lowest-performing school in its local comparison group and well below the district (64.3%) and state (57.7%) averages. Similarly, 5th-grade math has fallen sharply from 73.8% proficiency in 2022-2023 to just 50% in 2025-2026, now lagging behind the district average of 66% and the state average of 62.9%.

Looking deeper into the data, Spindale shows a significant gender gap, with female students ranking in the 71st percentile statewide compared to male students in the 13th percentile—a pattern that has emerged recently and pulls down the school's overall rating. Encouragingly, the school's economically disadvantaged students perform better relative to their peers across the state, ranking in the 58th percentile, which suggests the school is making some headway despite challenging demographics. Attendance is also a mixed picture: chronic absenteeism stands at 29.7%, which is much better than the district average of 38.1% but still higher than the state rate of 24.2% and well above rates at higher-performing neighboring schools like Pinnacle Elementary School and Rutherfordton Elementary School.

337

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

95.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

161 N Oak St
Spindale, NC 28160

(828) 286-2861

District: Rutherford County Schools

Students who attend Spindale Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.9%

African American:

28.5%

Hispanic:

11.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Spindale Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (55% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school55%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg61%

899^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to bottom 40% (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	40.5	899 of 1492	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.8	1040 of 1490	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	919 of 1505	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.8	757 of 1502	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	1047 of 1514	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.0	1038 of 1489	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.4	897 of 1473	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.4	919 of 1434	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	52.9	702 of 1429	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.3	690 of 1425	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.6	595 of 1440	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	38.4	879 of 1390	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.7	768 of 1403	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.0	787 of 1388	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.3	737 of 1381	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	49.9	774 of 1363	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.2	780 of 1354	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.8	771 of 1324	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	58.7	571 of 1293	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	45.8	778 of 1276	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	647 of 903	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.2	634 of 918	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.8	609 of 924	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.3	250 of 933	73.2%	★★★★☆
2022	45.1	475 of 927	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.5	424 of 896	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.4	679 of 949	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	709 of 927	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	23.9	542 of 634	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	62.2	156 of 646	75.9%	★★★★☆
2019	83.6	59 of 878	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	33.0	640 of 897	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.1	413 of 1447	71.5%	★★★★☆
2025	37.2	946 of 1451	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	892 of 1455	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.8	509 of 1459	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.0	952 of 1458	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.3	1052 of 1440	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.1	909 of 1424	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	978 of 1405	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	69.8	72 of 669	89.2%	★★★★☆
2021	5.7	482 of 494	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	45.3	493 of 612	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	599 of 1434	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.1	796 of 1437	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.9	760 of 1450	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.7	517 of 1437	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.0	784 of 1366	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.0	865 of 1329	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.1	558 of 1361	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.8	607 of 1332	54.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.3	1259 of 1451	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.2	1078 of 1450	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.9	892 of 1464	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.1	917 of 1461	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	1083 of 1464	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.5	967 of 1444	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	859 of 1430	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	862 of 1413	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	37.0	110 of 159	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.5	523 of 815	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.5	660 of 821	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.5	264 of 801	67.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.9	869 of 1146	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.5	971 of 1172	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.8	840 of 1166	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.8	689 of 1183	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.6	1005 of 1194	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	1063 of 1172	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	49.1	625 of 1183	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.9	756 of 1178	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2024)89th percentile+50 vs school

Female (2026)71st percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)58th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2026)36th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)31st percentile-8 vs school

African American (2026)28th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)24th percentile-16 vs school

Disabled (2022)15th percentile-16 vs school

Male (2026)13th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science67%~ state avg

Mathematics60%-4 vs state

Reading46%-10 vs state

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Schools Near Spindale 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
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
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
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
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
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
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	$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	$9,921	$1,677	$8,244
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Spindale Elementary School

How many students attend Spindale Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 337 students attended Spindale Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Spindale Elementary School attend?

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

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

Is Spindale Elementary School a good school?

Spindale Elementary School ranks 899^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Spindale Elementary School?

Students at Spindale Elementary School are 50% White, 28% African American, 12% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

What district is Spindale Elementary School in?

Rutherford County Schools

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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.