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Rocky River Elementary

Q: Is Rocky River Elementary a good school?

Rocky River Elementary ranks 660 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

660^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 56% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Rocky River Elementary is a PK–5 school in Monroe, NC, serving 536 students as part of Union County Public Schools, one of North Carolina's strongest districts. Nearly all of its students (99.4%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school's overall state ranking sits near the middle — 660th out of roughly 1,492 elementary schools. That ranking, however, masks a more complex picture.

Academically, the bright spots appear in upper grades. In 5th grade, 81.1% of students are proficient in math — above the district average and well above the state average — and 80% are proficient in science, right at the district level. English Language Learners also perform well, ranking in the 79th percentile statewide. The school clearly outperforms its closest high-poverty neighbors: 5th-grade math proficiency is far higher than at Benton Heights Elementary (46.2%), East Elementary (50.0%), or Walter Bickett Elementary (31.3%). Yet the same district offers a stark contrast just a few miles away: Wesley Chapel Elementary ranks #7 in the state with only 14.4% of students in poverty.

The clearest opportunity for growth is early literacy. Only 45.7% of 3rd graders read proficiently — about 19 points below the district average — and 3rd- and 4th-grade math also trails the district by roughly 24 points. Chronic absenteeism has dropped steadily from 34.9% to 18.7% over five years but remains above the district rate of 14.6%. In short, this is not a consistently low-performing school. It is a high-need school that produces genuine successes in upper grades, serves many of its most vulnerable students well, and has a clear focus for improvement: building stronger reading foundations in the earliest grades.

536

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 N. Rocky River Road
Monroe, NC 28110

(704) 290-1523

District: Union County Public Schools

Students who attend Rocky River Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Monroe Middle
High:	Monroe High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

36.4%

White:

34.1%

African American:

21.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Rocky River Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg74%

North Carolina avg61%

660^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 44% (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	54.6	660 of 1492	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.1	442 of 1490	70.3%	★★★★☆
2024	65.7	480 of 1505	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.1	670 of 1502	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.3	411 of 1514	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	63.9	500 of 1489	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.4	479 of 1473	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.3	291 of 1434	79.7%	★★★★☆
2017	69.6	414 of 1429	71.0%	★★★★☆
2016	73.7	335 of 1425	76.5%	★★★★☆
2015	78.6	265 of 1440	81.6%	★★★★☆
2014	80.4	231 of 1390	83.4%	★★★★☆
2013	75.7	290 of 1403	79.3%	★★★★☆
2012	77.4	256 of 1388	81.6%	★★★★☆
2011	69.0	435 of 1381	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	32.6	1028 of 1363	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.9	1069 of 1354	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.5	988 of 1324	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	373 of 903	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.5	209 of 918	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	176 of 924	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	51.0	423 of 933	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.5	116 of 927	87.5%	★★★★☆
2021	75.4	116 of 896	87.1%	★★★★☆
2019	71.2	185 of 949	80.5%	★★★★☆
2018	86.2	51 of 927	94.5%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	28.4	492 of 634	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.8	356 of 878	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.2	98 of 897	89.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.7	108 of 519	79.2%	★★★★☆
2025	88.2	34 of 563	94.0%	★★★★★
2024	62.5	129 of 533	75.8%	★★★★☆
2023	37.0	316 of 514	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	71.1	49 of 385	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	52.0	187 of 497	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	82.2	34 of 421	91.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.3	483 of 1447	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	72.4	329 of 1451	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	63.5	485 of 1455	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.4	846 of 1459	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	68.2	408 of 1458	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	66.9	402 of 1440	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	68.5	416 of 1424	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	76.1	283 of 1405	79.9%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★☆
2025	48.9	511 of 710	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.9	370 of 669	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.9	491 of 582	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.2	193 of 981	80.3%	★★★★☆
2025	81.9	94 of 961	90.2%	★★★★★
2024	73.3	180 of 951	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	73.6	162 of 915	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	85.0	73 of 893	91.8%	★★★★★
2021	81.5	89 of 843	89.4%	★★★★☆
2019	84.5	70 of 865	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	82.4	86 of 851	89.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	513 of 1434	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	77.3	199 of 1437	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	78.0	185 of 1450	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	65.5	404 of 1437	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	82.3	124 of 1366	90.9%	★★★★★
2021	77.6	174 of 1329	86.9%	★★★★☆
2019	77.4	192 of 1361	85.9%	★★★★☆
2018	87.0	71 of 1332	94.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	789 of 1451	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	59.4	559 of 1450	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.8	476 of 1464	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.3	467 of 1461	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.1	412 of 1464	71.9%	★★★★☆
2021	60.1	547 of 1444	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.9	518 of 1430	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.4	306 of 1413	78.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	426 of 815	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	19.6	771 of 821	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.3	543 of 1146	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.5	352 of 1172	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	58.4	480 of 1166	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.6	692 of 1183	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.5	662 of 1194	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.0	514 of 1172	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.4	488 of 1183	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.0	336 of 1178	71.5%	★★★★☆

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 (2026)96th percentile+40 vs school

Hispanic (2026)80th percentile+25 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)79th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)67th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2026)59th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)53rd percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)46th percentile-10 vs school

Disabled (2022)22nd percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science80%+12 vs state

Mathematics63%~ state avg

Reading54%~ state avg

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, January 12, 2020

This is a wonderful school where the teachers are loving, fun, yet have high standards for the students. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Monday, August 16, 2010

My daughter had a wonderful teacher last year for Kindergarten. Mrs. Beane is the best!! I hope this year she will be just as lucky. Close Quote

Schools Near Rocky River 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
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
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
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
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
Wesley Chapel Elementary	Public	K-5	110 Potter Rd S	Monroe	28110	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-3081	729	48	15.3	14.4%	423 (58.0%)	51 (7.0%)	70 (9.6%)	142 (19.5%)	10 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (4.4%)	97.5	7^th of 1492 public elementary schools	99.5%		98.6	3^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	99.8%	4	95.4	94.5	94.7				87.0	93.7	91.0				93.2		$9,378	$521	$8,857
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
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
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
Sardis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4416 Sardis Church Road	Monroe	28110	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 296-3145	529	41	13.0	98.1%	171 (32.3%)	74 (14.0%)	248 (46.9%)	24 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.3%)	61	565^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.1%		67.1	443^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	70.3%	122	62.7	80.7	74.6				44.8	55.7	61.9				71.4		$11,237	$2,176	$9,062
New Town Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 Waxhaw-Indian Tr. Rd.	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1525	691	47	14.7	10.9%	493 (71.3%)	43 (6.2%)	71 (10.3%)	61 (8.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.0%)	93.7	64^th of 1492 public elementary schools	95.7%		96.1	39^th of 1490 public elementary schools	97.4%	25	91.3	87.3	93.3				79.1	88.2	77.6				83.6		$8,693	$723	$7,971

Frequently Asked Questions about Rocky River Elementary

What district is Rocky River Elementary in?

Union County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Rocky River Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rocky River Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Monroe Middle
High : Monroe High

What is the racial makeup of Rocky River Elementary?

Students at Rocky River Elementary are 36% Hispanic, 34% White, 22% African American, 7% Two or more races.

How many students attend Rocky River Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 536 students attended Rocky River Elementary.

Is Rocky River Elementary a good school?

Rocky River Elementary ranks 660^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Rocky River 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.