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East Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1315^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

East Elementary in Monroe, North Carolina, serves 423 students in grades PK-5 as part of Union County Public Schools, a district ranked in the 83rd percentile statewide. More than 99% of the school's students qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, making it one of the most economically disadvantaged schools in the area. Despite comparatively strong resources — a student-teacher ratio of 11.7 and per-pupil spending of $14,165 — the school placed in just the 12th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools in 2025-2026 and has been persistently low-performing for the past decade.

At East Elementary, academic proficiency trails the district by wide margins in nearly every subject and grade. The most pressing concern is reading, especially in the upper grades: just 19% of 4th graders were proficient in reading in 2025-2026, compared with 69.5% across the district. Chronic absenteeism (missing a substantial number of school days) is also dramatically higher than the district average, at 28% in 2024-2025 versus 14.6% districtwide, following several years at 30% or higher. Together, attendance and reading lie at the heart of the school's challenges.

Nearby schools demonstrate that success is possible under similar circumstances. Rock Rest Elementary, just 2.9 miles away, serves a nearly identical student population (99.2% free/reduced lunch) yet ranked in the 76th percentile in 2025-2026 with an 11.1% chronic absenteeism rate and posted far higher scores in 3rd-grade math (86.8% versus East's 61.8%). Other nearby high-poverty schools, including Benton Heights Elementary and Rocky River Elementary, also rank above the school. There are some encouraging signs at East: its African American students moved from the 11th to the 47th percentile over the past year, and English Language Learners reached the 40th percentile. These gains suggest targeted efforts may be gaining traction, even as the school works to close persistent gaps in reading and attendance.

423

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

221 Elizabeth Ave
Monroe, NC 28112-5018

(704) 296-3110

District: Union County Public Schools

Students who attend East Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Monroe Middle
High:	Monroe High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.4%

African American:

30.5%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare East Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2016 → 12th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (41% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Reading scores 27 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg74%

North Carolina avg61%

1,315^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

43^rd of 246Union County Public 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	17.9	1315 of 1492	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.2	1359 of 1490	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	1398 of 1505	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	1305 of 1502	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	1345 of 1514	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.4	1287 of 1489	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	1279 of 1473	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	1337 of 1434	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.7	1264 of 1429	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.4	1304 of 1425	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.6	1357 of 1440	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.4	1275 of 1390	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.0	1348 of 1403	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.4	1330 of 1388	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	22.1	1175 of 1381	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	20.1	1181 of 1363	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	5.4	1315 of 1354	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.4	1253 of 1324	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	18.9	1144 of 1293	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	12.8	1192 of 1276	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.5	479 of 903	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.9	819 of 918	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	758 of 924	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	876 of 933	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	884 of 927	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	814 of 896	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	804 of 949	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	749 of 927	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	67.1	119 of 646	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	10.5	874 of 878	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	54.7	333 of 897	62.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.1	312 of 519	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.6	317 of 563	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.0	424 of 533	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.6	228 of 514	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.7	214 of 485	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.1	94 of 385	75.6%	★★★★☆
2019	51.4	194 of 497	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	32.5	313 of 421	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.6	1225 of 1447	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.2	1354 of 1451	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	1396 of 1455	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	1171 of 1459	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.4	1194 of 1458	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.5	1068 of 1440	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	1211 of 1424	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.9	1359 of 1405	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	757 of 981	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.9	755 of 961	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	753 of 951	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.5	557 of 915	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.2	530 of 893	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.3	419 of 843	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.6	466 of 865	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.1	768 of 851	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.5	1073 of 1434	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.2	1096 of 1437	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.4	1180 of 1450	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	1274 of 1437	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.5	1089 of 1366	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.0	977 of 1329	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	1091 of 1361	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	1130 of 1332	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	1318 of 1451	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.2	1307 of 1450	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	1282 of 1464	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	1336 of 1461	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	1364 of 1464	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.7	1328 of 1444	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	1235 of 1430	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	1260 of 1413	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2021)82nd percentile+68 vs school

African American (2026)47th percentile+35 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)40th percentile+28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)23rd percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)15th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)9th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics51%-13 vs state

Science50%-18 vs state

Reading29%-27 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Saturday, June 15, 2013

The teachers at East Elementary have a large heart for students in need. Many students that attend this school live below the poverty level. They face issues related to this that mean school is a daily struggle. Many students also face the struggle of learning a new langage while learning academic content. They are then forced to test in a new language. (Academic language takes 5-9 years to acquire, but the students must take the EOGs after 1-3.) The teachers at East teach not only academics, but also self care, language, emotional, and psychological skills. Do not judge this school by the level of poverty or test scores. Close Quote

Schools Near East 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
East Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	221 Elizabeth Ave	Monroe	28112	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 296-3110	423	36	11.7	99.3%	11 (2.6%)	129 (30.5%)	268 (63.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.8%)	17.9	1315^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.9%		14.2	1359^th of 1490 public elementary schools	8.8%	44	61.8	41.3	50.0				38.2	19.0	31.4				50.0		$14,165	$2,305	$11,860
Benton Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 Concord Ave	Monroe	28110	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 296-3100	451	44	10.2	99.3%	34 (7.5%)	91 (20.2%)	310 (68.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.9%)	36.4	974^th of 1492 public elementary schools	34.7%		33	1035^th of 1490 public elementary schools	30.5%	61	73.4	59.4	46.2				51.6	50.0	40.0				49.2		$16,222	$2,475	$13,747
Walter Bickett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	830 South ML King Blvd	Monroe	28112	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 238-8704	444	41	10.9	99.3%	30 (6.8%)	135 (30.4%)	257 (57.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.3%)	8.4	1441^st of 1492 public elementary schools	3.4%		7.9	1443^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	3.2%	2	39.4	39.5	31.3				36.4	26.7	21.5				48.8		$14,234	$2,482	$11,752
Rock Rest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	814 Old Pageland-Monroe Rd	Monroe	28112	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 290-1513	394	37	10.6	99.2%	35 (8.9%)	58 (14.7%)	295 (74.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	73.3	356^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.1%		67.1	445^th of 1490 public elementary schools	70.1%	89	86.8	88.6	83.1				55.9	67.1	53.8				67.7		$13,512	$2,722	$10,790
ALA Monroe	Public, Charter	K-8	2505 Weddington Rd	Monroe	28110	Union County	ALA Monroe	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(919) 807-3300	237	13	18.2		34 (14.3%)	92 (38.8%)	73 (30.8%)	15 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.7%)	23.5	1215^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.6%					(n/a)	68.0	28.6	51.9	31.0	45.8	26.3	32.0	46.4	37.0	51.7	54.2	36.8	48.1	52.6
Wingate Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Bivens Street	Wingate	28174	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 296-0635	394	30	13.1	99.2%	52 (13.2%)	126 (32.0%)	193 (49.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.1%)	39	920^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.3%		56.1	634^th of 1490 public elementary schools	57.4%	286	52.4	75.0	50.0				41.3	55.9	44.6				58.9		$12,882	$2,524	$10,358
Rocky River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 N. Rocky River Road	Monroe	28110	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 290-1523	536	40	13.4	99.4%	183 (34.1%)	117 (21.8%)	195 (36.4%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.7%)	54.6	660^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.8%		67.1	442^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	70.3%	218	52.4	55.6	81.1				45.7	57.8	61.1				80.0		$13,540	$2,549	$10,991
Unionville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4511 Unionville Rd	Monroe	28110	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-3055	679	45	15.0	38.0%	484 (71.3%)	31 (4.6%)	118 (17.4%)	22 (3.2%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.1%)	80.5	240^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.9%		85.1	170^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.6%	70	73.2	84.4	87.4				63.4	71.1	62.1				80.0		$8,964	$432	$8,532
Shiloh Valley Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	5200 Rogers Rd	Monroe	28110	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1559	563	42	13.3	55.2%	256 (45.5%)	101 (17.9%)	137 (24.3%)	12 (2.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (9.4%)								(n/a)															$9,132	$624	$8,508
Shiloh Valley Elementary	Public	3-5	5210 Rogers Rd	Monroe	28110	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-3035	574	35	16.4	51.2%	266 (46.3%)	111 (19.3%)	130 (22.6%)	17 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.7%)	53.9	669^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.2%		62.4	524^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.8%	145	64.8	68.9	61.5				50.5	58.4	53.4				68.7		$9,884	$425	$9,459

Frequently Asked Questions about East Elementary

What schools do graduates of East Elementary attend?

Students who attend East Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Monroe Middle
High : Monroe High

How many students attend East Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended East Elementary.

What district is East Elementary in?

Union County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of East Elementary?

Students at East Elementary are 63% Hispanic, 30% African American, 3% Two or more races, 3% White.

Is East Elementary a good school?

East Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.9% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate East 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.