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Pinnacle Elementary School

Q: Is Pinnacle Elementary School a good school?

Pinnacle Elementary School ranks 680 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

680^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Pinnacle Elementary School is a small, rural PK-5 school in Rutherfordton, NC, serving 254 students as part of Rutherford County Schools. Nearly all of its students (96.5% in 2024-25) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it a highly economically disadvantaged school. Its overall state ranking has shifted over time: after ranking in the 83rd–91st percentile in the late 2010s, Pinnacle now sits at the 54th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating for 2025-26.

Pinnacle's greatest strengths appear in the early grades. In 2025-26, 91.8% of 3rd graders were proficient in math—far above the district's 80.5% and the state's 66.4%—while 73.5% were proficient in reading, also topping the state's 55.6%. Among nearby schools, only Harris Elementary School posted a higher 3rd grade reading score. Attendance is another bright spot: at 19.1%, Pinnacle's chronic absenteeism rate is the lowest among Rutherford County elementary schools and well below both the district average of 38.1% and the state's 24.2%—an unusual achievement given the school's high poverty levels.

The challenge is that these early gains tend to fade by 5th grade. A cohort that scored 70.3% proficient in 3rd grade math in 2023-24 fell to 54.5% by 5th grade in 2025-26, while reading dropped from 48.6% to 39.4%—leaving Pinnacle behind district and state averages in every 5th grade subject. The science gap is especially striking at 53.0% proficient, the lowest among Rutherford County elementary schools. Nearby schools like Rutherfordton Elementary School and Sunshine Elementary School serve similarly high-poverty populations yet ranked in the 80th–88th percentile statewide in 2025-26, suggesting demographics alone don't explain the difference. This pattern points to an upper-elementary transition issue, making 4th and 5th grade reading comprehension and science instruction the most important areas to watch. With strong attendance, outstanding 3rd grade results, and a history of stronger performance, Pinnacle has solid foundations to build on.

254

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

96.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1204 Painters Gap Road
Rutherfordton, NC 28139

(828) 287-3440

District: Rutherford County Schools

Students who attend Pinnacle Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.3%

Hispanic:

8.7%

African American:

5.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Pinnacle Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2016

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

!Science scores 15 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg68%

North Carolina avg61%

680^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 32 pts since 2016

From top 14% (2016) to top 46% (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	53.0	680 of 1492	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.5	539 of 1490	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.4	554 of 1505	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.1	559 of 1502	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.2	255 of 1514	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	38.1	897 of 1489	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	78.9	245 of 1473	83.4%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	191 of 1434	86.7%	★★★★☆
2017	87.1	124 of 1429	91.3%	★★★★★
2016	82.0	195 of 1425	86.3%	★★★★☆
2015	81.3	218 of 1440	84.9%	★★★★☆
2014	81.5	216 of 1390	84.5%	★★★★☆
2013	74.6	302 of 1403	78.5%	★★★★☆
2012	65.7	487 of 1388	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.3	426 of 1381	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.1	487 of 1363	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.4	475 of 1354	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	50.8	698 of 1324	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	63.5	482 of 1293	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.1	519 of 1276	59.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	72.3	134 of 878	84.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	828 of 1447	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.5	498 of 1451	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.2	409 of 1455	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.1	371 of 1459	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	84.6	159 of 1458	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	35.4	903 of 1440	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	76.4	272 of 1424	80.9%	★★★★☆
2018	69.9	393 of 1405	72.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.2	730 of 743	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	635 of 669	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	65.9	70 of 612	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	60.5	24 of 69	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.1	660 of 1434	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.2	475 of 1437	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	78.0	184 of 1450	87.3%	★★★★☆
2023	49.1	734 of 1437	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	73.8	227 of 1366	83.4%	★★★★☆
2021	33.5	898 of 1329	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	90.1	53 of 1361	96.1%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	22 of 1332	98.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	574 of 1451	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.7	590 of 1450	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	655 of 1464	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.8	776 of 1461	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	62.8	516 of 1464	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.1	818 of 1444	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	78.5	236 of 1430	83.5%	★★★★☆
2018	84.8	157 of 1413	88.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	400 of 815	50.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.8	773 of 1146	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.0	792 of 1172	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	793 of 1166	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.6	785 of 1183	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	62.7	406 of 1194	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	21.1	1014 of 1172	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.1	518 of 1183	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.6	409 of 1178	65.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Disabled (2019)85th percentile~ school

Male (2026)60th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)51st percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)43rd percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)33rd percentile-22 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)2nd percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics70%+7 vs state

Reading56%~ state avg

Science53%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pinnacle 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
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
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
Glenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1545 Old Hwy 221 South	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 738-4220	435	27	15.9	99.3%	364 (83.7%)	5 (1.1%)	28 (6.4%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.9%)	43.6	852^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	42.9%		34.9	1004^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.6%	152	53.1	68.3	53.4	46.9	60.3	46.6	65.5	$10,691	$1,210	$9,481
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
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
West Marion Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	820 Marler Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 738-3353	390	28	14.1	99.2%	298 (76.4%)	12 (3.1%)	50 (12.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.9%)	55.8	643^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	56.9%		42.3	874^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.3%	231	65.5	63.0	70.2	44.8	54.3	57.4	80.9	$11,463	$1,657	$9,807
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	$15,864	$1,636	$14,228
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Pinnacle Elementary School

What district is Pinnacle Elementary School in?

Rutherford County Schools

What schools do graduates of Pinnacle Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Pinnacle 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 Pinnacle Elementary School a good school?

Pinnacle Elementary School ranks 680^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pinnacle Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 254 students attended Pinnacle Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Pinnacle Elementary School?

Students at Pinnacle Elementary School are 82% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% African American, 4% Two or more races.

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Schools in Rutherfordton, 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.