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Bethel Elementary

Q: Is Bethel Elementary a good school?

Bethel Elementary ranks 785 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

785^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Bethel Elementary is a small rural K-8 school in Sugar Grove, NC, serving just 128 students as part of the well-regarded Watauga County Schools district. This is a school that pairs exceptional resources with very personal attention, yet its academic results are still finding consistency. Bethel spends more per student ($14,795) than every nearby comparison school and has an impressively low student-teacher ratio of about 7.7:1, suggesting small classes and individualized attention. However, outcomes are mixed: the school ranks in the 47th percentile statewide (785th of 1,492 elementary schools), a step back from the prior year. In early grades (3rd-5th), math proficiency trails the district significantly, but upper grades show genuine bright spots. For example, 6th-grade math proficiency is 78.6% (vs. 72.6% district) and 8th-grade science hits 90% proficiency (vs. 77.5% district). Reading in 5th and 8th grades is also a relative strength, and science is strong overall.

One of the most encouraging trends at Bethel is attendance. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from a post-pandemic high of 33.8% in 2021-2022 to just 8.8% in 2024-2025 — well below the state average of 24.2% and even below the Watauga district average of 12.1%. Among nearby schools, only Blowing Rock Elementary had a lower rate (7.2%). This turnaround is a strong foundation, though it has not yet translated into a higher overall school ranking. With only 10-20 students per tested grade, year-to-year proficiency swings can be dramatic and may reflect cohort differences as much as real academic changes.

Bethel's closest peer is Mabel Elementary, just 6 miles away — both are small, rural, and serve moderate-high poverty populations with very similar overall rankings. However, other same-district schools like Cove Creek Elementary and Valle Crucis Elementary achieve stronger results, ranking in the 70th percentile. Notably, Banner Elk Elementary — with a poverty rate of 92.5%, far higher than Bethel's 55.5% — ranks in the 5-star range, a reminder that demographics don't determine outcomes. For parents, Bethel offers a safe, well-attended, personalized environment in a strong district, but its early-elementary academic performance suggests the school has meaningful room to grow by learning from its higher-performing rural neighbors.

128

Students ?

7.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

55.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

138 Bethel School Rd
Sugar Grove, NC 28679-9720

(828) 297-2240

District: Watauga County Schools

Students who attend Bethel Elementary usually attend:

High:

Watauga High

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.8%

Two or more races:

7.0%

Hispanic:

3.1%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Bethel Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 63rd percentile in 2025 → 47th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 63rd-percentile peak (2025) to 47th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg69%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

785^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

159^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 26 pts since 2016

From top 46% (2016) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

46^th of 246Watauga 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	785 of 1492	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.8	550 of 1490	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.1	744 of 1505	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.7	702 of 1502	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.9	660 of 1514	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.6	623 of 1489	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.6	753 of 1473	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.9	679 of 1434	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	45.2	828 of 1429	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.7	843 of 1425	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	62.9	518 of 1440	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	46.1	763 of 1390	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.7	967 of 1403	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.7	854 of 1388	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.5	750 of 1381	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	70.0	397 of 1363	70.9%	★★★★☆
2009	68.5	430 of 1354	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	79.3	195 of 1324	85.3%	★★★★☆
2007	79.7	180 of 1293	86.1%	★★★★☆
2006	72.6	298 of 1276	76.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	77.9	243 of 1424	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	59.5	598 of 1405	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	39.0	798 of 1329	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.6	981 of 1361	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.4	947 of 1451	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.3	819 of 1450	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.5	605 of 1444	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.9	992 of 1430	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.5	958 of 1146	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.8	819 of 1172	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.2	1008 of 1166	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.1	867 of 1183	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.2	869 of 1194	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.5	833 of 1172	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	985 of 1183	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.1	939 of 1178	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.0	159 of 778	79.6%	★★★★☆
2025	68.3	218 of 773	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	46.3	427 of 793	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.8	262 of 784	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.6	316 of 786	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.8	184 of 741	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	59.5	294 of 737	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.5	299 of 691	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.2	307 of 694	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.9	320 of 692	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.0	397 of 705	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	22.9	495 of 627	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	43.2	380 of 673	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	69.5	206 of 662	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	80.2	81 of 648	87.5%	★★★★☆
2010	81.3	75 of 640	88.3%	★★★★☆
2009	85.0	45 of 630	92.9%	★★★★★
2008	91.4	20 of 620	96.8%	★★★★★
2007	86.1	32 of 606	94.7%	★★★★★
2006	82.4	57 of 598	90.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.1	378 of 733	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	81.2	101 of 706	85.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	58.4	274 of 743	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	88.7	38 of 735	94.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	53.4	329 of 751	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.8	312 of 748	58.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.2	281 of 644	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.5	370 of 649	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.5	558 of 652	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.8	427 of 656	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	468 of 658	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	51.1	289 of 632	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.0	478 of 624	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.4	433 of 596	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2019)83rd percentile+34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)40th percentile-18 vs school

Male (2026)35th percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-31 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)63rd percentile+17 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile-23 vs school

Male (2024)56th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)48th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science80%+12 vs state

Reading61%+5 vs state

Mathematics56%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bethel 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Bethel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	138 Bethel School Rd	Sugar Grove	28679	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2240	128	17	7.7	55.5%	115 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.0%)	46.9	785^th of 1492 public elementary schools	47.4%		60.8	550^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.1%	235	43.8	38.5	50.0	78.6	75.0	50.0	50.0	46.2	80.0	64.3	58.3	80.0	70.0	90.0	$14,795	$1,301	$13,494
Mabel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	404 Mabel School Road	Zionville	28698	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2512	140	16	8.8	66.4%	128 (91.4%)	1 (0.7%)	6 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	46.3	798^th of 1492 public elementary schools	46.5%		47.2	794^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.7%	4	40.0	86.7	57.9	72.7	64.3		40.0	73.3	47.4	45.5	50.0		57.9		$13,398	$1,416	$11,982
Cove Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	930 Vanderpool Rd	Vilas	28692	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2781	289	23	12.6	41.2%	252 (87.2%)	2 (0.7%)	22 (7.6%)	9 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	68.4	451^st of 1492 public elementary schools	69.8%		66.6	457^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.3%	6	80.6	30.0	75.0	76.0	81.6	52.2	66.7	40.0	68.8	76.0	76.3	65.2	68.8	65.2	$12,375	$859	$11,515
Valle Crucis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	2736 Broadstone Road	Banner Elk	28604	Avery County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 263-1821	345	27	12.5	40.3%	285 (82.6%)	4 (1.2%)	48 (13.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.7%)	68.5	450^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.8%		66.4	462^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	69.0%	12	76.7	60.4	71.0	73.2	73.2	65.9	50.0	56.3	71.0	78.0	65.9	68.2	74.2	79.5	$10,351	$520	$9,831
Banner Elk Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	155 Orchard Lane	Banner Elk	28604	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 737-5700	159	10	15.3	92.5%	139 (87.4%)	2 (1.3%)	14 (8.8%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	89.9	114^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.4%		90.5	104^th of 1490 public elementary schools	93.0%	10	81.0	90.0	83.3				81.0	83.3	83.3				72.2		$11,831	$1,739	$10,092
Green Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	189 Big Hill Road	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 264-3606	292	28	10.6	64.4%	254 (87.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (6.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.5%)	45.6	813^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.5%		39.9	920^th of 1490 public elementary schools	38.3%	107	65.2	62.1	53.1	48.4	58.1	41.4	52.2	62.1	56.3	48.4	61.3	55.2	59.4	62.1	$11,237	$1,247	$9,990
Hardin Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	361 Jefferson Road	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 264-8481	854	73	11.7	41.6%	599 (70.1%)	21 (2.5%)	143 (16.7%)	50 (5.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.3%)	76.7	288^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.7%		72.7	350^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.5%	62	65.6	72.1	70.4	75.3	81.6	67.3	65.6	72.1	70.4	68.2	77.0	68.5	79.6	81.3	$11,487	$1,000	$10,486
Freedom Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6110 North US Hwy 19E	Elk Park	28622	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 733-2932	202	15	13.0	94.1%	178 (88.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	61.4	557^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.7%		64	500^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.4%	57	84.4	74.1	68.8				68.8	48.1	43.8				50.0		$12,077	$1,306	$10,771
Two Rivers Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	1018 Archie Carroll Road	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Two Rivers Community School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 262-5411	163	12	13.5	—	146 (89.6%)	2 (1.2%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.7%)	63.4	530^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.5%		69.1	406^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.8%	124	52.9	44.4	76.5	83.3		50.0	47.1	55.6	70.6	91.7		62.5	70.6	75.0
Blowing Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	165 Morris Street	Blowing Rock	28605	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 295-3204	409	28	14.6	20.0%	371 (90.7%)	2 (0.5%)	25 (6.1%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.5%)	81.8	221^st of 1492 public elementary schools	85.2%		84.3	187^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.4%	34	92.5	85.7	87.1	57.8	66.0	73.3	77.5	65.3	83.9	57.8	68.0	83.3	93.5	76.7	$10,946	$628	$10,318

Frequently Asked Questions about Bethel Elementary

Is Bethel Elementary a good school?

Bethel Elementary ranks 785^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Bethel Elementary in?

Watauga County Schools

How many students attend Bethel Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 128 students attended Bethel Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Bethel Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bethel Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Watauga High

What is the racial makeup of Bethel Elementary?

Students at Bethel Elementary are 90% White, 7% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

Rate Bethel Elementary!

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Schools in Sugar Grove, NC

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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.