Best Public Schools in Mill Spring, NC

Summary:

The city of Mill Spring, North Carolina is home to three schools: two elementary schools and one middle school. The schools in this area demonstrate a range of performance, with some standouts that are worth highlighting.

Polk County Middle School is a clear standout, consistently ranking in the top 25% of North Carolina middle schools and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's students perform exceptionally well on state assessments, exceeding the state average in Math, Reading, and Science. In contrast, the two elementary schools in the area have more mixed results, with Polk Central Elementary School achieving impressive test scores and a 5-star rating, while Sunny View Elementary School has more varied performance across grade levels.

Demographic differences between the schools are also noteworthy. Polk County Schools as a district has a more diverse student population, with Polk County Middle School reflecting this diversity. In contrast, the elementary schools have higher percentages of White students. Understanding these differences can help inform strategies to support student success across the district.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				EOG Mathematics (2024)						EOG Reading (2024)						EOG Science (2024)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	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
Polk Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2141 South NC9 Hwy	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 894-8233	341	30	11.3	99.1%	249 (73.0%)	18 (5.3%)	45 (13.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	26 (7.6%)	63.3	521^st of 1505 public elementary schools	65.4%		85.9	151^st of 1502 public elementary schools	89.9%	370	73.7	58.8	65.5				52.6	47.1	55.2				72.4		$12,367	$1,550	$10,818
Sunny View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	86 Sunny View School Road	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 894-1050	134	12	11.2	97.8%	123 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.5%)	70	401^st of 1505 public elementary schools	73.4%		60.4	571^st of 1502 public elementary schools	62.0%	170	78.9	74.2	50.0				47.4	54.8	64.3				85.7		$15,864	$1,636	$14,228
Polk County Middle School	Public	6-8	321 Wolverine Trail	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2215	475	39	12.2	55.8%	358 (75.4%)	34 (7.2%)	61 (12.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.6%)	73.9	180^th of 793 public middle schools	77.3%		77.9	156^th of 784 public middle schools	80.1%	24				58.3	55.9	55.4				64.7	57.3	68.1		82.5	$11,233	$636	$10,597

Cities Near Mill Spring

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Lake Lure	4.87 mi	1
Columbus	5.2 mi	2	81^st
Tryon	9.63 mi	1	13^th
Rutherfordton	11.1 mi	4	156^th
Hendersonville	11.5 mi	14	157^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.