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Swain County West Elementary

Public Grades K-5

1153^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Swain County West Elementary is a K–5 public school in Bryson City, NC, serving 403 students near the Smoky Mountains. Nearly all students (99.3%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the high poverty common across the region. The school’s state ranking has fallen in recent years, from the 60th percentile in 2020–2021 to the 23rd percentile (1,153rd of 1,492) in the latest year. Within Swain County Schools, it is currently the stronger of the two traditional elementary schools: Swain County East Elementary ranks in the 15th percentile, and West leads East in most subjects, including 4th-grade math (62.3% vs. 36.2%) and 5th-grade reading (33.3% vs. 28.3%).

Swain West’s biggest academic strength has been 5th-grade science, which ran well above the state average for three straight years (peaking at 82.1%) before dropping sharply to 54.8%. The clearest recent bright spot is 4th grade, where students met or exceeded state averages in both reading and math (62.3% each). Reading is the main challenge: only about one-third of 3rd and 5th graders scored proficient, well below state averages. Nearby Mountain Discovery, a charter school just 2.7 miles away, outperforms Swain West in reading at every grade level and ranks in the 42nd percentile. And Cartoogechaye Elementary and Iotla Valley Elementary in Macon County show that similarly high-poverty schools can achieve much stronger rankings (55th and 51st percentiles) with far lower chronic absenteeism.

Attendance is the most encouraging trend. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 50.9% in 2021–2022 to 30.8% — a 20-point improvement that now beats the district average of 36.3%. Still, roughly one in three students misses enough school to be considered chronically absent. Recent subgroup results have slipped, particularly for female students (9th percentile) and special education students (15th percentile), though the school previously ranked in the 74th percentile for disabled students, showing it can serve vulnerable populations well. Continuing to reduce absenteeism may be the most practical lever for improving the reading and math outcomes that currently trail the state.

403

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4142 Hwy 19 West
Bryson City, NC 28713

(828) 488-2119

District: Swain County Schools

Students who attend Swain County West Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Swain County Middle School
High:	Swain County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.7%

Two or more races:

11.7%

American Indian:

7.9%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Swain County West Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 39th percentile in 2016 → 23rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (48% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg46%

North Carolina avg61%

1,153^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 39% (2016) to bottom 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

205^th of 246Swain 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	27.4	1153 of 1492	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.9	902 of 1490	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.3	907 of 1505	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.3	810 of 1502	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.6	782 of 1514	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.9	596 of 1489	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.9	716 of 1473	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.7	879 of 1434	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	55.0	663 of 1429	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	43.1	875 of 1425	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	68.3	447 of 1440	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	74.2	321 of 1390	76.9%	★★★★☆
2013	63.2	467 of 1403	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.4	655 of 1388	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.5	481 of 1381	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.2	461 of 1363	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.4	564 of 1354	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.1	421 of 1324	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.5	597 of 1293	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	43.4	817 of 1276	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	59.4	168 of 634	73.5%	★★★★☆
2021	60.3	170 of 646	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	56.7	285 of 878	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.0	482 of 897	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.8	1315 of 1447	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	33.6	1015 of 1451	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.8	1093 of 1455	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.9	951 of 1459	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	816 of 1458	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.1	576 of 1440	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.8	764 of 1424	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.9	747 of 1405	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	51.9	443 of 669	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.2	322 of 500	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.3	1037 of 1434	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.4	854 of 1437	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.3	612 of 1450	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.4	563 of 1437	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.2	517 of 1366	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.7	260 of 1329	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	51.1	652 of 1361	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.0	717 of 1332	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	908 of 1451	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.7	783 of 1450	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.4	686 of 1464	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.3	541 of 1461	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.2	704 of 1464	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.3	572 of 1444	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.2	637 of 1430	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.6	966 of 1413	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	694 of 815	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.3	572 of 821	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.0	532 of 801	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.7	1083 of 1146	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.7	999 of 1172	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.3	980 of 1166	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.8	888 of 1183	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.0	961 of 1194	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.4	779 of 1172	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.8	938 of 1183	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	1040 of 1178	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)74th percentile+25 vs school

Male (2026)37th percentile+15 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)34th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2026)15th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)9th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)5th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science55%-13 vs state

Mathematics51%-12 vs state

Reading42%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Swain County West Elementary

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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 Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Swain County West Elementary	Public	K-5	4142 Hwy 19 West	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 488-2119	403	26	15.7	99.3%	293 (72.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.5%)	5 (1.2%)	32 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (11.7%)	27.4	1153^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	22.7%		40.9	902^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	39.5%	251	45.5	62.3	47.6				33.3	62.3	33.3				54.8		$10,938	$1,448	$9,491
Mountain Discovery	Public, Charter	K-8	890 Jenkins Branch Rd N	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Mountain Discovery Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 488-1222	221	14	16.2		174 (78.7%)	4 (1.8%)	3 (1.4%)	3 (1.4%)	17 (7.7%)	1 (0.5%)	19 (8.6%)	42.8	861^st of 1492 public elementary schools	42.3%		43.5	860^th of 1490 public elementary schools	42.3%	1	38.7	68.2	36.4	47.4	61.9	46.7	61.3	72.7	59.1	50.0	71.4	86.7	50.0	100.0
Swain County East Elementary	Public	K-5	4747 Ela Rd	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 488-0939	338	20	16.4	99.1%	160 (47.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.6%)	3 (0.9%)	88 (26.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (17.2%)	20	1275^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.5%		22.7	1226^th of 1490 public elementary schools	17.7%	49	51.9	36.2	43.5				47.3	42.6	28.3				56.5		$12,145	$1,906	$10,238
Smokey Mountain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	884 US Hwy 441N	Whittier	28789	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 497-5535	340	22	15.7	96.2%	125 (36.8%)	3 (0.9%)	53 (15.6%)	5 (1.5%)	111 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (12.6%)	5.5	1460^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.1%		9.1	1434^th of 1490 public elementary schools	3.8%	26	27.6	31.0	17.5	28.6	20.9	11.4	27.6	24.1	27.5	42.9	34.9	31.4	22.5	42.9	$11,755	$1,735	$10,021
Iotla Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1166 Iotla Church Road	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 524-2938	408	32	12.9	99.3%	328 (80.4%)	2 (0.5%)	64 (15.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.9%)	50.1	726^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.3%		41	900^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.6%	174	61.2	62.0					54.1	57.7							$10,664	$1,364	$9,300
Cherokee Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	130 Ravensford Drive	Cherokee	28719	Swain County	Cherokee Central Elementary School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(828) 554-5020	607	94	6.4	99.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	607 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
East Franklin Elementary	Public	K-4	100 Watauga St	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 524-3216	315	25	12.5	99.0%	200 (63.5%)	0 (0.0%)	109 (34.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	23.2	1222^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	18.1%		31.1	1072^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	28.1%	150	56.1	44.4					40.9	42.9							$10,178	$875	$9,304
Cartoogechaye Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	3295 Old Murphy Road	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 524-2845	354	25	14.3	99.2%	256 (72.3%)	5 (1.4%)	76 (21.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.5%)	53.4	676^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.7%		61.1	545^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.4%	131	61.5	61.4					50.8	65.7							$10,078	$941	$9,137
Fairview School	Public	PK, KG-8	251 Big Orange Way	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 586-2819	797	48	16.5	98.0%	550 (69.0%)	11 (1.4%)	144 (18.1%)	10 (1.3%)	32 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (6.3%)	36.2	977^th of 1492 public elementary schools	34.5%		49.6	749^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.7%	228	62.5	43.6	63.5	55.2	62.3	80.2	55.6	41.5	42.7	47.9	64.9	65.1	57.3	83.7	$8,533	$860	$7,673
Scotts Creek School	Public	PK, KG-8	516 Parris Branch	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 631-2740	422	29	14.6	98.6%	290 (68.7%)	9 (2.1%)	75 (17.8%)	6 (1.4%)	12 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.1%)	22.3	1240^th of 1492 public elementary schools	16.9%		32.3	1051^st of 1490 public elementary schools	29.5%	189	44.2	35.7	38.1	51.3	39.0	40.5	37.2	44.6	35.7	51.3	46.3	43.2	61.9	83.8	$9,973	$1,203	$8,770

Frequently Asked Questions about Swain County West Elementary

Is Swain County West Elementary a good school?

Swain County West Elementary ranks in the bottom 22.7% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What district is Swain County West Elementary in?

Swain County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Swain County West Elementary?

Students at Swain County West Elementary are 73% White, 12% Two or more races, 8% American Indian, 6% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Swain County West Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 403 students attended Swain County West Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Swain County West Elementary attend?

Students who attend Swain County West Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Swain County Middle School
High : Swain County High School

Rate Swain County West Elementary!

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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.