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South Toe Elementary

Q: Is South Toe Elementary a good school?

South Toe Elementary ranks 255 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

255^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 83% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

South Toe Elementary is a small, rural elementary school in Burnsville, North Carolina, serving 107 students in grades K–5 as part of Yancey County Schools. Despite nearly all of its students (97%) qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school earned a 4-star state rating and ranked 255th out of 1,492 elementary schools statewide — placing it in the 83rd percentile and well ahead of most schools in the surrounding mountain region.

Academically, South Toe outperformed both its district and the state in every test category during the most recent school year. Third-grade reading proficiency reached 81.8%, compared with 44.1% for the district and 55.6% across North Carolina — and was roughly double the rate at nearby Blue Ridge Elementary and more than double that at Burnsville Elementary. Science, math, and reading scores in 4th and 5th grades also topped the local field. Among elementary schools across Yancey, McDowell, Mitchell, and Avery counties, South Toe is the highest-ranked K–5 school, tied with Old Fort Elementary School in overall percentile.

The school also stands out for attendance. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 45.7% in 2021–2022 to just 8.7% in 2024–2025 — far below the district rate of 15.1% and the statewide rate of 24.2%. With a student-teacher ratio near 13:1, class sizes are small enough to allow for meaningful individual attention. One note for parents: because the school enrolls only about 100 students, year-to-year test scores and subgroup ratings can swing noticeably with a single cohort. But the broader trend — strong academics, improving attendance, and consistent high rankings — paints a picture of a school getting excellent results for its students despite significant economic challenges.

107

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

97.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

139 South Toe School Rd
Burnsville, NC 28714

(828) 675-4321

District: Yancey County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.2%

Hispanic:

14.0%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare South Toe Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2016 → 83rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (73% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

255^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 17%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From top 5% (2016) to top 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

93^rd of 246Yancey 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	78.7	255 of 1492	82.9%	★★★★☆
2025	52.8	694 of 1490	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	83.7	189 of 1505	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	249 of 1502	83.4%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	421 of 1514	72.2%	★★★★☆
2021	78.1	271 of 1489	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	76.2	286 of 1473	80.6%	★★★★☆
2018	73.2	343 of 1434	76.1%	★★★★☆
2017	77.3	274 of 1429	80.8%	★★★★☆
2016	91.0	76 of 1425	94.7%	★★★★★
2015	85.7	149 of 1440	89.7%	★★★★☆
2014	80.8	223 of 1390	84.0%	★★★★☆
2013	73.9	307 of 1403	78.1%	★★★★☆
2012	80.2	203 of 1388	85.4%	★★★★☆
2011	88.8	55 of 1381	96.0%	★★★★★
2010	80.2	195 of 1363	85.7%	★★★★☆
2009	71.2	373 of 1354	72.5%	★★★★☆
2008	73.5	291 of 1324	78.0%	★★★★☆
2007	71.2	321 of 1293	75.2%	★★★★☆
2006	68.5	365 of 1276	71.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	889 of 1451	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	84.7	140 of 1405	90.0%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	43.9	549 of 669	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.6	204 of 1434	85.8%	★★★★☆
2025	46.8	766 of 1437	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	82.0	132 of 1450	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	83.9	109 of 1437	92.4%	★★★★★
2019	83.7	112 of 1361	91.8%	★★★★★
2018	75.4	218 of 1332	83.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.2	162 of 1451	88.8%	★★★★☆
2025	67.6	411 of 1450	71.7%	★★★★☆
2024	86.3	149 of 1464	89.8%	★★★★☆
2023	85.3	149 of 1461	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	69.7	388 of 1464	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	57.6	607 of 1430	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.1	492 of 1413	65.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	485 of 1146	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.4	891 of 1172	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	63.5	403 of 1166	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.5	347 of 1183	70.7%	★★★★☆
2022	58.9	470 of 1194	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.5	429 of 1172	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.0	289 of 1183	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	69.2	349 of 1178	70.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2026)89th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)86th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)58th percentile-25 vs school

Female (2025)39th percentile-15 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)18th percentile-70 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics75%+11 vs state

Science74%+6 vs state

Reading72%+16 vs state

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Schools Near South Toe 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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Toe Elementary	Public	K-5	139 South Toe School Rd	Burnsville	28714	Yancey County	Yancey County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 675-4321	107	8	12.9	97.2%	89 (83.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.8%)	78.7	255^th of 1492 public elementary schools	82.9%		52.8	694^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.4%	439	72.7	78.3	73.7	81.8	69.6	63.2	73.7	$12,329	$1,937	$10,392
Burnsville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	395 Burnsville School Road	Burnsville	28714	Yancey County	Yancey County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 682-4515	350	23	15.2	99.1%	237 (67.7%)	1 (0.3%)	100 (28.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.1%)	25.4	1177^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.1%		36.8	968^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.0%	209	42.2	45.5	52.3	36.1	57.1	43.1	55.4	$11,092	$1,740	$9,353
Greenlee Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	2206 Carters Ridge Road	Spruce Pine	28777	Mitchell County	Mitchell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 766-9562	246	19	12.7	95.5%	194 (78.9%)	3 (1.2%)	38 (15.4%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)								(n/a)								$12,363	$1,195	$11,168
North Cove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 American Thread Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 756-4342	230	16	14.4	98.7%	174 (75.7%)	2 (0.9%)	37 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.4%)	35.3	998^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.1%		25.3	1176^th of 1490 public elementary schools	21.1%	178	60.0	36.2	73.9	40.0	44.7	47.8	82.6	$11,425	$1,369	$10,056
Mitchell Elementary School	Public	3-5	5035 S 226 Hwy Ste A	Bakersville	28705	Mitchell County	Mitchell County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 766-2070	373	25	15.1	98.4%	307 (82.3%)	1 (0.3%)	55 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.7%)	30.8	1075^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.9%					(n/a)	64.3	51.1	56.6	34.8	47.4	45.5	52.5
Blue Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	910 Cane River School Rd	Burnsville	28714	Yancey County	Yancey County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 682-8150	382	25	15.3	98.4%	351 (91.9%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	49.2	743^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	50.2%		48.4	770^th of 1490 public elementary schools	48.3%	27	59.6	63.3	52.4	40.4	56.7	61.9	71.4
Gouge Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	134 Laurel Street	Bakersville	28705	Mitchell County	Mitchell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 766-2260	144	13	11.0	97.9%	135 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)								(n/a)								$11,440	$2,103	$9,338
Pleasant Gardens Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 John Roach Drive	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 724-4422	289	21	13.4	99.0%	214 (74.0%)	3 (1.0%)	48 (16.6%)	5 (1.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.9%)	28.6	1123^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	24.7%		48.2	777^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.9%	346	66.7	40.0	46.3	40.5	48.6	41.5	58.5	$10,413	$1,532	$8,881
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8020 US 19E Hwy South	Newland	28657	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 737-5600	98	7	14.3	96.9%	89 (90.8%)	3 (3.1%)	5 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	51.9	692^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	53.6%		25.1	1180^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.8%	488	85.7	75.0	50.0	64.3	50.0	40.0	40.0	$12,645	$1,329	$11,316
Marion Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	209 Robert Street	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 652-2141	333	23	14.6	99.1%	222 (66.7%)	14 (4.2%)	68 (20.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (8.1%)	71.6	385^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.2%		62.2	528^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.6%	143	86.4	71.4	74.6	65.9	71.4	58.2	65.7	$9,997	$1,489	$8,507

Frequently Asked Questions about South Toe Elementary

What is the racial makeup of South Toe Elementary?

Students at South Toe Elementary are 83% White, 14% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend South Toe Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 107 students attended South Toe Elementary.

What district is South Toe Elementary in?

Yancey County Schools

Is South Toe Elementary a good school?

South Toe Elementary ranks 255^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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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.