West Buncombe Elementary

Summary:

West Buncombe Elementary is a public elementary school serving 588 students in grades K-4 in Asheville, North Carolina, which is part of the Buncombe County Schools district.

West Buncombe Elementary consistently outperforms the Buncombe County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in standardized test scores for both math and reading, with 81.9% of 3rd graders and 81.7% of 4th graders proficient or better in math, compared to 60.9% and 56.6% for the district, and 62.7% and 56.6% for the state. The school also ranks in the top 5% of North Carolina elementary schools for English Language Learners and Special Education students, and in the top 3% for students of low socioeconomic status. Over the past 10 years, West Buncombe Elementary has consistently ranked in the top 25% of North Carolina elementary schools, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

When compared to other nearby elementary schools like Emma Elementary, Johnston Elementary, and Woodfin Elementary, West Buncombe stands out as a high-performing school. Its performance is also impressive when compared to the nearby Asheville City Schools magnet elementary schools, such as Isaac Dickson, Claxton, and Ira B. Jones, as West Buncombe is able to match or exceed their academic outcomes in many areas.


Detail:

Public K-4

 175 Erwin Hills Road
       Asheville, NC  28806-2186


(828) 232-4282

District: Buncombe County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
166th of 1,505 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,223 Help


Students who attend West Buncombe Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Eblen Intermediate
    Erwin Middle
High:    Erwin High
    Middle College
    Nesbitt Discovery Academy

Student/teacher ratio:  14.2 Help
Number of students:  588

Racial breakdown:

White:
71.1%
Hispanic:
20.1%
African American:
3.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  66.3% Help


 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare West Buncombe Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details West Buncombe Elementary ranks better than 89% of elementary schools in North Carolina. It also ranks 3rd among 21 ranked elementary schools in the Buncombe County Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 86.09. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (71.1%), Hispanic (20.1%), African American (3.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 66.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Buncombe Elementary is 14.2. 20 elementary schools in the Buncombe County Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare West Buncombe Elementary employs 41.3 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Buncombe Elementary is $11,223, which is the 11th highest among 21 elementary schools in the Buncombe County Schools District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

West Buncombe Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks West Buncombe Elementary 166th of 1505 North Carolina public elementary schools. (See West Buncombe Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Buncombe County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Buncombe County Schools 107th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for West Buncombe Elementary?

Rank History for West Buncombe Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 59.97 539th 1276 57.8%
2007 54.03 668th 1293 48.3%
2008 45.77 791st 1324 40.3%
2009 45.02 853rd 1354 37.0%
2010 52.85 738th 1363 45.9%
2011 49.07 807th 1381 41.6%
2012 55.58 682nd 1388 50.9%
2013 76.71 273rd 1403 80.5%
2014 76.60 290th 1390 79.1%
2015 67.68 457th 1440 68.3%
2016 78.26 262nd 1425 81.6%
2017 75.80 310th 1429 78.3%
2018 79.12 237th 1434 83.5%
2019 72.10 364th 1473 75.3%
2021 72.41 360th 1489 75.8%
2022 71.38 385th 1514 74.6%
2023 75.70 307th 1502 79.6%
2024 86.09 166th 1505 89.0%
See the entire list of North Carolina Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 71.05 66th 421 84.3%
2019 48.90 214th 497 56.9%
2021 87.49 20th 385 94.8%
2022 58.99 124th 485 74.4%
2023 64.60 106th 514 79.4%
2024 83.03 53rd 533 90.1%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 92.41 25th 801 96.9%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 89.22 51st 1332 96.2%
2019 80.53 152nd 1361 88.8%
2021 86.02 89th 1329 93.3%
2022 85.47 85th 1366 93.8%
2023 83.38 115th 1437 92.0%
2024 90.31 47th 1450 96.8%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 83.29 165th 1405 88.3%
2019 77.84 245th 1424 82.8%
2021 74.13 303rd 1440 79.0%
2022 63.02 499th 1458 65.8%
2023 66.82 438th 1459 70.0%
2024 84.37 161st 1455 88.9%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 25.42 533rd 646 17.5%
2022 21.92 566th 634 10.7%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 72.09 355th 1413 74.9%
2019 64.09 466th 1430 67.4%
2021 67.20 429th 1444 70.3%
2022 78.23 259th 1464 82.3%
2023 82.37 194th 1461 86.7%
2024 84.50 166th 1464 88.7%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.00 335th 851 60.6%
2019 46.40 469th 865 45.8%
2021 50.43 368th 843 56.3%
2022 38.16 574th 893 35.7%
2023 57.36 329th 915 64.0%
2024 65.77 262nd 951 72.5%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at West Buncombe Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 68.14 366th 1178 68.9%
2019 63.57 418th 1183 64.7%
2021 57.48 474th 1172 59.6%
2022 60.85 434th 1194 63.7%
2023 66.49 366th 1183 69.1%
2024 79.99 197th 1166 83.1%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

West Buncombe Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Saturday, May 25, 2024

Open Quote West Buncombe Elementary is an excellent school for children. The staff is well educated, friendly and supportive of all students. My children attended this school and were very successful academically because of the foundation they got at West Buncombe. Close Quote


by a parent
Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Open Quote Great school! Close Quote



Enrollment information for West Buncombe Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 593 10 5 0 1 n/a n/a -1 608
1989 628 10 4 0 1 n/a n/a 0 643
1990 606 15 5 1 0 n/a n/a 0 627
1991 655 14 3 0 1 n/a n/a 0 673
1992 664 15 2 0 1 n/a n/a 0 682
1993 708 9 3 0 1 n/a n/a 0 721
1994 649 8 1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 658
1995 636 17 2 3 2 n/a n/a 0 660
1996 636 17 2 3 2 n/a n/a 0 660
1997 676 13 1 5 1 n/a n/a 0 696
1998 702 18 2 5 2 n/a n/a 0 729
1999 710 21 2 5 2 n/a n/a 0 740
2000 704 40 0 16 3 n/a n/a 0 763
2001 659 37 0 22 5 n/a n/a 0 723
2002 610 44 1 32 9 n/a n/a 0 696
2003 610 44 1 32 9 n/a n/a 0 696
2004 579 48 1 43 11 n/a n/a 0 682
2005 584 53 4 48 11 n/a n/a 0 700
2006 575 64 2 70 10 n/a n/a 0 721
2007 593 32 1 73 8 n/a n/a 41 748
2008 616 25 1 95 7 n/a n/a 45 789
2009 613 79 2 105 6 n/a n/a 0 805
2010 577 86 4 100 6 n/a n/a 0 773
2011 571 20 2 111 1 0 36 0 741
2012 476 15 4 91 3 0 22 0 611
2013 492 13 6 88 3 1 21 0 624
2014 477 21 8 108 3 2 16 0 635
2015 464 20 6 108 3 2 10 0 613
2016 466 18 6 113 6 4 16 0 629
2017 411 19 3 100 4 3 21 0 561
2018 397 23 4 97 3 2 21 0 547
2019 430 21 5 96 5 1 11 0 569
2020 328 18 4 116 5 2 107 0 580
2021 388 14 6 120 4 1 14 0 547
2022 395 13 6 115 5 0 16 0 550
2023 418 20 7 118 6 0 19 0 588

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at West Buncombe Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 608 28.0 21.7 15
1989 643 34.0 18.9 26.4
1990 627 31.0 20.2 24.7
1991 673 43.0 15.6 23
1992 682 43.0 15.8 17.3
1993 721 41.0 17.6 24.7
1994 658 41.0 16.0 27.7
1995 660 40.0 16.5 34.8
1996 660 40.0 16.5 34.8
1997 696 41.0 17.0 24.9
1998 729 46.0 15.8 26.2
1999 740 46.0 16.1 31.9
2000 763 51.0 15.0 37.6
2001 723 51.0 14.2 41.1
2002 696 51.0 13.6 43.2
2003 696 51.0 13.6 43.2
2004 682 51.0 13.4 46.5
2005 700 51.0 13.7 48.9
2006 721 51.0 14.1 51.2
2007 748 n/a n/a 56
2008 789 51.7 15.3 60.2
2009 805 51.9 15.5 55.3
2010 773 52.7 14.6 59.9
2011 741 52.3 14.1 63.4
2012 611 44.1 13.8 64.6
2013 624 44.7 13.9 67.1
2014 635 41.7 15.2 67.2
2015 613 43.0 14.2 65.7
2016 629 43.0 14.6 64.4
2017 561 40.5 13.8 66.7
2018 547 38.4 14.2 62
2019 569 38.9 14.5 58.3
2020 580 40.1 14.4 60.5
2021 547 41.4 13.2 48.3
2022 550 40.8 13.4 53.6
2023 588 41.3 14.2 66.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio West Buncombe Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 608 28.0 21.7 15
1989 643 34.0 18.9 26.4
1990 627 31.0 20.2 24.7
1991 673 43.0 15.6 23
1992 682 43.0 15.8 17.3
1993 721 41.0 17.6 24.7
1994 658 41.0 16.0 27.7
1995 660 40.0 16.5 34.8
1996 660 40.0 16.5 34.8
1997 696 41.0 17.0 24.9
1998 729 46.0 15.8 26.2
1999 740 46.0 16.1 31.9
2000 763 51.0 15.0 37.6
2001 723 51.0 14.2 41.1
2002 696 51.0 13.6 43.2
2003 696 51.0 13.6 43.2
2004 682 51.0 13.4 46.5
2005 700 51.0 13.7 48.9
2006 721 51.0 14.1 51.2
2007 748 n/a n/a 56
2008 789 51.7 15.3 60.2
2009 805 51.9 15.5 55.3
2010 773 52.7 14.6 59.9
2011 741 52.3 14.1 63.4
2012 611 44.1 13.8 64.6
2013 624 44.7 13.9 67.1
2014 635 41.7 15.2 67.2
2015 613 43.0 14.2 65.7
2016 629 43.0 14.6 64.4
2017 561 40.5 13.8 66.7
2018 547 38.4 14.2 62
2019 569 38.9 14.5 58.3
2020 580 40.1 14.4 60.5
2021 547 41.4 13.2 48.3
2022 550 40.8 13.4 53.6
2023 588 41.3 14.2 66.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for West Buncombe Elementary

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,315 (11.7%) $9,908 (88.3%) $11,223

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on West Buncombe Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 364th of 1473 Elementary schoolsRanks 307th of 1502 Elementary schools
 4.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (West Buncombe Elementary)72.582.4
 9.9%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Buncombe County Schools)63.458.7
 4.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)64.361.1
 3.2%
3rd Grade Reading (West Buncombe Elementary)57.861.6
 3.8%
   3rd Grade Reading (Buncombe County Schools)55.749.3
 6.4%
   3rd Grade Reading (North Carolina)56.848
 8.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (West Buncombe Elementary)80.865
 15.8%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Buncombe County Schools)59.658
 1.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)57.355.3
 2%
4th Grade Reading (West Buncombe Elementary)65.758.1
 7.6%
   4th Grade Reading (Buncombe County Schools)60.257.2
 3%
   4th Grade Reading (North Carolina)57.355.3
 2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students569588
 3.3%
African American2120
 4.8%
American Indian56
 20%
Asian57
 40%
Hispanic96118
 22.9%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White430418
 2.8%
Two or More Races1119
 72.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients58.3%66.3%
 8%


Schools Near West Buncombe Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about West Buncombe Elementary

West Buncombe Elementary ranks 166th of 1505 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend West Buncombe Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Eblen Intermediate
Middle : Erwin Middle
High : Erwin High
High : Middle College
High : Nesbitt Discovery Academy

Students at West Buncombe Elementary are 71% White, 20% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian.

In the 2022-23 school year, 588 students attended West Buncombe Elementary.


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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.





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