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Poplin Elementary

Public Grades K-5

123^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 92% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Poplin Elementary is a K-5 school in Indian Trail, NC, serving roughly 756 students as part of the Union County Public Schools district. The school sits within a strong district that ranks 43rd out of 246 districts in North Carolina, and about 35% of Poplin students receive free or reduced-price lunch. The student-teacher ratio has improved steadily to 14.9:1 in 2024-25, down from 16.9 just a few years earlier.

Poplin Elementary has earned a 5-star rating in every reported year since at least 2015-16, ranking in the 92nd percentile of North Carolina elementary schools in 2025-26 — 123rd out of 1,492 schools statewide. The school's math results are exceptional, with 3rd through 5th grade proficiency rates running 6 to 15 points above the district and 22 to 27 points above the state. English learners and low-income students are particularly well served here: ELL students rank 4th out of 519 schools statewide, and low-SES students rank 45th out of 1,434. Chronic absenteeism has also dropped dramatically, from 28.9% in 2021-22 to 10.2% in 2024-25, which is less than half the statewide rate.

Reading is the one area that lags math, especially in 5th grade, where proficiency has fallen below the district average two years in a row — 65% at Poplin versus 67.4% districtwide in 2025-26. That said, gifted and special education outcomes have both improved meaningfully in recent years. Overall, this is a high-performing, stable school with a strong record of supporting students from many backgrounds. If it can lift upper-grade reading to match its math and lower-grade results, it has the potential to move from excellent to truly elite.

756

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

35.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5627 Poplin Rd
Indian Trail, NC 28079

(704) 296-0320

District: Union County Public Schools

Students who attend Poplin Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Porter Ridge Middle School
High:	Porter Ridge High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.9%

Hispanic:

16.5%

African American:

14.4%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Poplin Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2016 → 92nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (81% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of North Carolina elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school81%

District avg74%

North Carolina avg61%

123^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 8%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

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	89.5	123 of 1492	91.8%	★★★★★
2025	88.0	137 of 1490	90.8%	★★★★★
2024	89.5	119 of 1505	92.1%	★★★★★
2023	88.9	123 of 1502	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	92.1	88 of 1514	94.2%	★★★★★
2021	91.0	107 of 1489	92.8%	★★★★★
2019	92.2	64 of 1473	95.7%	★★★★★
2018	87.7	126 of 1434	91.2%	★★★★★
2017	88.3	105 of 1429	92.7%	★★★★★
2016	89.9	86 of 1425	94.0%	★★★★★
2015	92.4	61 of 1440	95.8%	★★★★★
2014	89.3	113 of 1390	91.9%	★★★★★
2013	87.3	136 of 1403	90.3%	★★★★★
2012	80.8	189 of 1388	86.4%	★★★★☆
2011	81.3	184 of 1381	86.7%	★★★★☆
2010	82.6	147 of 1363	89.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.3	140 of 903	84.5%	★★★★☆
2025	78.4	125 of 918	86.4%	★★★★☆
2024	87.8	49 of 924	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	88.8	50 of 933	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	31 of 927	96.7%	★★★★★
2021	95.8	18 of 896	98.0%	★★★★★
2019	94.4	23 of 949	97.6%	★★★★★
2018	83.6	71 of 927	92.3%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	83.4	39 of 634	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	70.2	156 of 897	82.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	98.0	4 of 519	99.2%	★★★★★
2025	79.6	55 of 563	90.2%	★★★★★
2024	82.0	55 of 533	89.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	87.6	131 of 1447	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	88.7	109 of 1451	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	90.6	90 of 1455	93.8%	★★★★★
2023	86.2	135 of 1459	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	66 of 1458	95.5%	★★★★★
2021	90.2	98 of 1440	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	91.2	62 of 1424	95.6%	★★★★★
2018	82.8	175 of 1405	87.5%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.7	113 of 743	84.8%	★★★★☆
2025	62.6	268 of 710	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.7	346 of 669	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.9	240 of 582	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.4	204 of 500	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.4	238 of 494	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.0	53 of 981	94.6%	★★★★★
2025	88.1	55 of 961	94.3%	★★★★★
2024	81.8	106 of 951	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	139 of 915	84.8%	★★★★☆
2022	86.8	61 of 893	93.2%	★★★★★
2021	89.2	58 of 843	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	91.5	30 of 865	96.5%	★★★★★
2018	80.4	104 of 851	87.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.6	45 of 1434	96.9%	★★★★★
2025	85.3	93 of 1437	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	87.1	71 of 1450	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	89.6	59 of 1437	95.9%	★★★★★
2022	93.6	28 of 1366	98.0%	★★★★★
2021	88.0	71 of 1329	94.7%	★★★★★
2019	87.7	72 of 1361	94.7%	★★★★★
2018	81.0	145 of 1332	89.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.9	132 of 1451	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	84.5	172 of 1450	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	85.3	157 of 1464	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	88.7	112 of 1461	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	88.6	116 of 1464	92.1%	★★★★★
2021	88.4	127 of 1444	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	91.5	73 of 1430	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	88.9	102 of 1413	92.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.2	17 of 181	90.6%	★★★★★
2025	88.0	13 of 175	92.6%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.1	96 of 815	88.2%	★★★★☆
2025	81.0	66 of 821	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	54.8	271 of 801	66.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.7	172 of 1146	85.0%	★★★★☆
2025	77.4	219 of 1172	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.0	131 of 1166	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	82.8	149 of 1183	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	84.9	115 of 1194	90.4%	★★★★★
2021	85.3	120 of 1172	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	85.4	108 of 1183	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	83.8	135 of 1178	88.5%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)99th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)97th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)95th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)94th percentile~ school

Female (2026)91st percentile~ school

Male (2026)91st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)91st percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)88th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)85th percentile-7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)85th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2026)84th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics89%+25 vs state

Science85%+18 vs state

Reading72%+16 vs state

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Schools Near Poplin 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
Poplin Elementary	Public	K-5	5627 Poplin Rd	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-0320	756	51	14.9	35.6%	430 (56.9%)	109 (14.4%)	125 (16.5%)	28 (3.7%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.3%)	89.5	123^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	91.8%		88	137^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.8%	14	92.4	88.0	85.4				75.2	75.2	65.0				85.4		$9,772	$606	$9,166
Porter Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2843 Ridge Road	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 289-1965	765	47	16.2	56.6%	283 (37.0%)	152 (19.9%)	241 (31.5%)	45 (5.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.6%)	59.3	596^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.1%		58.5	590^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.4%	6	64.7	76.7	72.0				51.7	54.1	53.8				71.2		$9,258	$549	$8,709
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
Hemby Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6701 Indian Trl-Fairview Rd	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-6352	491	32	15.3	35.0%	276 (56.2%)	50 (10.2%)	75 (15.3%)	67 (13.6%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.9%)	74.8	326^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.2%		80.8	236^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.2%	90	80.0	75.3	81.2				62.5	63.6	61.4				72.3		$9,610	$803	$8,807
Stallings Elementary	Public	K-5	3501 Stallings Rd	Stallings	28104	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1558	766	46	16.6	27.7%	445 (58.1%)	53 (6.9%)	98 (12.8%)	121 (15.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (6.1%)	88.6	137^th of 1492 public elementary schools	90.8%		89.1	120^th of 1490 public elementary schools	91.9%	17	82.7	84.4	83.3				73.4	75.0	72.0				84.8		$9,041	$346	$8,695
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
Indian Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Education Rd	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-3095	633	42	15.0	50.6%	335 (52.9%)	76 (12.0%)	149 (23.5%)	25 (3.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.3%)	66.4	481^st of 1492 public elementary schools	67.8%		59.4	574^th of 1490 public elementary schools	61.5%	93	68.4	76.5	71.3				54.1	57.8	60.4				78.2		$8,736	$366	$8,370
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
Matthews Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2332 Mount Harmony Church Rd.	Matthews	28104	Union County	Matthews Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(980) 339-5449	771	34	22.3	57.5%	288 (37.4%)	217 (28.1%)	174 (22.6%)	30 (3.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	58 (7.5%)	70.6	403^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	73.0%		61.6	537^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.0%	134	85.4	66.3	66.7	70.7	66.7	51.3	72.0	73.5	52.4	53.7	64.2	55.0	73.8	63.8
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Poplin Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Poplin Elementary?

Students at Poplin Elementary are 57% White, 17% Hispanic, 14% African American, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% American Indian.

Is Poplin Elementary a good school?

Yes. Poplin Elementary ranks in the top 8.2% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Poplin Elementary attend?

Students who attend Poplin Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Porter Ridge Middle School
High : Porter Ridge High School

How many students attend Poplin Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 756 students attended Poplin Elementary.

What district is Poplin Elementary in?

Union County Public Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.