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Pinnacle Elementary School

Q: Is Pinnacle Elementary School a good school?

Pinnacle Elementary School ranks 539 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

539^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Pinnacle Elementary School is a public elementary school in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with 227 students. The school is part of the Rutherford County Schools district, which is ranked 73 out of 242 districts in the state and rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Pinnacle Elementary has shown strong academic performance, particularly in mathematics, with 3rd-grade students consistently outperforming the district and state averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, 84.8% of 3rd-graders were proficient or better in math, compared to 81% for Rutherford County and 64.1% for North Carolina. However, the school's reading performance has been more mixed, with 3rd-grade reading proficiency slightly below the district average but still above the state average. Pinnacle Elementary has also performed well in 5th-grade science, with 63.4% of students proficient or better in 2024-2025, compared to 65.2% for the district and 62% for the state.

Despite having a very high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 98.68% receiving free or reduced-price lunch, Pinnacle Elementary has maintained relatively strong academic performance, ranking 184 out of 1,450 North Carolina elementary schools for this subgroup in 2023-2024. The school's performance is generally stronger than nearby Forrest W. Hunt Elementary and Sunshine Elementary, but lags behind the higher-performing Forest City-Dunbar Elementary and Rutherfordton Elementary schools in the district.

254

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,086

Per pupil spending ?

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 — 85th percentile in 2015 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2015

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

!Near the bottom of Rutherford County Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg66%

North Carolina avg57%

539^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 21 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Rutherford County Schools

73^rd of 242Rutherford 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
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
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
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
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
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%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
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

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)66th percentile~ school

Male (2025)59th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)32nd percentile-31 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)5th percentile-58 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics65%+5 vs state

Science63%~ state avg

Reading57%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pinnacle Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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%)	61.5	539^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.8%		61.4	554^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.2%	15	84.8	61.5	53.7	57.6	53.8	58.5	63.4	$11,086	$1,573	$9,513
Mt. Vernon-Ruth Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2785 Hudlow Road	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 287-4792	231	13	17.6	98.7%	182 (78.8%)	8 (3.5%)	15 (6.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (10.8%)	56.7	616^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.7%		61.9	545^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.8%	71	78.4	46.2	67.6	37.8	53.8	51.4	83.8	$11,338	$1,542	$9,796
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%)	32.8	1040^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.2%		40.7	919^th of 1505 public elementary schools	38.9%	121	67.4	45.3	56.9	46.5	38.5	40.4	37.9	$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%)	74.7	320^th of 1490 public elementary schools	78.5%		61.3	555^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.1%	235	87.1	80.6	63.1	61.3	77.4	60.0	54.5	$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%)	34.9	1004^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.6%		36.7	982^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	34.8%	22	47.0	50.9	56.7	40.9	54.4	50.0	36.7	$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%)	68	427^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.3%		74.1	340^th of 1505 public elementary schools	77.4%	87	82.1	48.1	76.0	57.1	51.9	64.0	76.0	$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%)	72.3	357^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.0%		78	278^th of 1505 public elementary schools	81.5%	79	75.8	91.4	55.7	56.1	82.7	44.3	67.2	$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%)	42.3	874^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.3%		48.1	781^st of 1505 public elementary schools	48.1%	93	76.1	56.0	29.0	56.5	54.0	33.9	59.0	$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%)	60.3	562^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	62.3%		70	401^st of 1505 public elementary schools	73.4%	161	83.3	75.0	53.8	55.6	68.8	50.0	53.8	$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%)	59.6	570^th of 1490 public elementary schools	61.7%		63.3	521^st of 1505 public elementary schools	65.4%	49	66.7	67.3	66.7	43.9	69.2	49.0	58.8	$12,367	$1,550	$10,818

Frequently Asked Questions about Pinnacle Elementary School

How many students attend Pinnacle Elementary School?

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

Is Pinnacle Elementary School a good school?

Pinnacle Elementary School ranks 539^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Pinnacle Elementary School in?

Rutherford County Schools

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.

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

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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.