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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28021

At a glance

Schools

569

Students

Top rankedW B Beam Intermediate School860^th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Summary:

The two public elementary schools serving zip code 28021 in Cherryville, NC — Cherryville Elementary (grades PK–3) and W B Beam Intermediate (grades 4–5) — enroll 569 students combined and form a natural pipeline within Gaston County Schools, a district rated 2 stars and ranked 145th of 246 in North Carolina. Both buildings serve intensely high-poverty populations, with 99.21% of Cherryville Elementary students and 98.43% of W B Beam students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, yet their chronic absenteeism rates (17.5% and 16.1%, respectively) run well below both the district's 23.2% and the state's 24.2% — an important positive signal for families.

Academically, Cherryville Elementary is the standout of the pair. Its 3rd-grade math proficiency topped the district in both reported years and exceeded the state in 2024–2025 (66.3% vs. 64.1%), landing just below the state mark in 2025–2026. Its 3rd-grade reading improved strongly from 41.6% to 49.0%, beating district averages both years. W B Beam shows a more erratic profile: 4th-grade math jumped from 49.0% to 60.2%, while 5th-grade math fell from 64.1% to 53.1% and 5th-grade reading dropped from 52.2% to 45.9%, trailing the state by more than 9 points. However, W B Beam posts the lower chronic absenteeism rate and remains competitive with the state in 5th-grade science (65.3% vs. 67.7% in 2025–2026), a relative strength despite its high-poverty context.

Resource allocation divides meaningfully between campuses: Cherryville Elementary carries a 13.5-to-1 student-teacher ratio and spends $10,948 per pupil (2018–2019), versus 18.4-to-1 and $9,330 at W B Beam. This higher investment in early grades pairs with math and attendance outcomes that defy the schools' nearly universal poverty. The sharpest concern is the upper-elementary reading and math drop-off at W B Beam in the most recent year, suggesting the pipeline weakens as students age — though cohort-by-cohort swings make it difficult to distinguish genuine decline from simple variation in student groups.

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cherryville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	700 East Academy Street	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9115	378	28	13.5		290 (76.7%)	26 (6.9%)	37 (9.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.1%)								(n/a)	65.3			49.0				93%	1.4%	$10,948	$1,062	$9,886
W B Beam Intermediate School	Public	4-5	401 East First Street	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9114	191	10	18.4		128 (67.0%)	23 (12.0%)	29 (15.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.2%)	43	860^th of 1492 public elementary schools	42.4%		48.9	761^st of 1490 public elementary schools	48.9%	99		60.2	53.1		56.6	45.9	65.3			$9,330	$1,251	$8,080

Cities Near Zip Code 28021

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Cherryville	0.09 mi	4	293^rd
Bessemer City	4.1 mi	5	455^th
Shelby	4.13 mi	17	219^th
Lincolnton	7.02 mi	14	292^nd
Fallston	7.66 mi	1	113^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

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.