Is West Elementary a good school?

West Elementary ranks 638 th of 1505 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend West Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 290 students attended West Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of West Elementary?

Students at West Elementary are 67% White, 24% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of West Elementary attend?

Students who attend West Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Kings Mountain Intermediate Middle : Kings Mountain Middle High : Cleveland ECHS High : Kings Mountain High

West Elementary

Summary:

West Elementary is a public elementary school located in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, serving grades PK-4 with a student population of 290. The school is part of the Cleveland County Schools district, which is ranked 121 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

West Elementary stands out for its diverse student population, with a racial makeup of 66.55% White, 23.79% African American, and smaller percentages of other races. This diversity is higher than the nearby schools, which tend to have a larger percentage of White students. Academically, West Elementary has shown strong performance, with proficiency rates in Mathematics and Reading that are generally higher than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 59.6% of 3rd graders and 69.4% of 4th graders were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 66.1% and 55.7% for the district, respectively. The school has consistently ranked in the top half of North Carolina elementary schools, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, and has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.8 to 13.2 students per teacher in recent years.

Despite its strong academic performance, West Elementary faces some challenges, including a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 60% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year. The school's ranking has also fluctuated over the years, dropping from a high of 113th out of 1,440 schools in 2014-2015 to 647th out of 1,489 schools in 2020-2021. Additionally, the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with the ranking for female students generally higher than for male students, and the ranking for African American students lower than for White students. While West Elementary outperforms many of the nearby schools, such as Bethware Elementary and Grover Elementary, which have also shown strong academic performance, the school's ability to overcome socioeconomic challenges and provide a quality education to its diverse student population is a testament to its strength.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

500 W Mountain Street
Kings Mountain, NC 28086-3320

(704) 476-8345

District: Cleveland County Schools

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,202

Students who attend West Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Kings Mountain Intermediate
	Kings Mountain Middle
High:	Cleveland ECHS
	Kings Mountain High

Student/teacher ratio: 12.8

Number of students: 290

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.6%

African American:

23.8%

Two or more races:

4.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 60%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare West Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details West Elementary ranks better than 57.6% of elementary schools in North Carolina. It also ranks 6^th among 15 ranked elementary schools in the Cleveland County Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 56.69. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (66.6%), African American (23.8%), two or more races (4.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 60% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Cleveland County Schools District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Elementary is 12.8, which is the 5^th best among 15 elementary schools in the Cleveland County Schools District. (See more...)

Compare West Elementary employs 22.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Elementary is $9,202, which is the lowest among 15 elementary schools in the Cleveland County Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

West Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks West Elementary 638^th of 1505 North Carolina public elementary schools. (See West Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Cleveland County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Cleveland County Schools 121^st of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for West Elementary.

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Your rating for West Elementary?

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Rank History for West Elementary

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Rank History for all students at West Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NC State Percentile
2006	91.07	36^th	1276	97.2%
2007	87.60	59^th	1293	95.4%
2008	88.72	79^th	1324	94.0%
2009	86.16	108^th	1354	92.0%
2010	87.36	82^nd	1363	94.0%
2011	85.73	116^th	1381	91.6%
2012	68.72	432^nd	1388	68.9%
2013	85.56	150^th	1403	89.3%
2014	87.93	128^th	1390	90.8%
2015	88.44	113^th	1440	92.2%
2016	82.57	180^th	1425	87.4%
2017	86.74	127^th	1429	91.1%
2018	80.93	210^th	1434	85.4%
2019	84.75	168^th	1473	88.6%
2021	54.70	647^th	1489	56.5%
2022	66.80	458^th	1514	69.7%
2023	63.72	521^st	1502	65.3%
2024	56.69	638^th	1505	57.6%

See the entire list of North Carolina Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at West Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	77.06	185^th	1332	86.1%
2019	81.43	142^nd	1361	89.6%
2021	47.66	640^th	1329	51.8%
2022	45.19	747^th	1366	45.3%
2023	56.42	565^th	1437	60.7%
2024	67.07	366^th	1450	74.8%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at West Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	75.27	298^th	1405	78.8%
2019	71.18	364^th	1424	74.4%
2021	49.87	684^th	1440	52.5%
2022	52.97	670^th	1458	54.0%
2023	62.54	512^th	1459	64.9%
2024	70.63	355^th	1455	75.6%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at West Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	82.37	185^th	1413	86.9%
2019	91.19	76^th	1430	94.7%
2021	57.47	583^rd	1444	59.6%
2022	77.89	264^th	1464	82.0%
2023	62.38	524^th	1461	64.1%
2024	42.81	853^rd	1464	41.7%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at West Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NC State Percentile
2019	58.53	327^th	949	65.5%
2021	30.31	639^th	896	28.7%
2022	55.59	334^th	927	64.0%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at West Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	80.54	184^th	1178	84.4%
2019	83.59	131^st	1183	88.9%
2021	48.71	594^th	1172	49.3%
2022	59.23	462^nd	1194	61.3%
2023	60.09	462^nd	1183	60.9%
2024	44.92	687^th	1166	41.1%

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.

Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, October 4, 2012

My son attends West. My son did have a reading problem. The school calls me in to set up a plan to improve his scores. When i saw the genuine sincerity that the teacher and the staff had for my child I would dream of taking him out of that school. They helped him improve his reading. Close Quote

Enrollment information for West Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2005	229	69	6	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	311
2006	239	70	10	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	326
2007	247	56	15	8	0	n/a	n/a	11	337
2008	235	56	11	11	2	n/a	n/a	12	327
2009	230	57	10	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	311
2010	246	47	8	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	314
2011	244	39	5	14	0	0	11	0	313
2012	235	49	3	16	0	0	15	0	318
2013	232	47	4	21	0	0	17	0	321
2014	223	47	5	18	0	0	23	0	316
2015	227	57	4	21	0	0	26	0	335
2016	222	60	4	25	0	0	19	0	330
2017	203	55	2	26	1	0	23	0	310
2018	202	60	3	16	0	0	23	0	304
2019	211	74	3	22	0	0	19	0	329
2020	209	77	2	26	0	0	22	0	336
2021	168	74	4	19	1	0	22	0	288
2022	178	76	6	16	2	0	15	0	293
2023	193	69	4	9	2	1	12	0	290

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 Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	311	18.0	17.3	62.4
2006	326	18.0	18.1	34.7
2007	337	n/a	n/a	39.6
2008	327	19.5	16.8	37.8
2009	311	19.9	15.6	40.2
2010	314	19.9	15.8	18.5
2011	313	20.5	15.2	44.1
2012	318	20.4	15.5	48.1
2013	321	21.1	15.1	48.9
2014	316	20.5	15.3	56
2015	335	22.0	15.2	51.9
2016	330	21.0	15.7	49.4
2017	310	20.5	15.0	50
2018	304	20.6	14.7	52.6
2019	329	20.9	15.7	50.8
2020	336	21.7	15.4	53.6
2021	288	21.7	13.2	52.8
2022	293	22.1	13.2	44
2023	290	22.6	12.8	60

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 Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	311	18.0	17.3	62.4
2006	326	18.0	18.1	34.7
2007	337	n/a	n/a	39.6
2008	327	19.5	16.8	37.8
2009	311	19.9	15.6	40.2
2010	314	19.9	15.8	18.5
2011	313	20.5	15.2	44.1
2012	318	20.4	15.5	48.1
2013	321	21.1	15.1	48.9
2014	316	20.5	15.3	56
2015	335	22.0	15.2	51.9
2016	330	21.0	15.7	49.4
2017	310	20.5	15.0	50
2018	304	20.6	14.7	52.6
2019	329	20.9	15.7	50.8
2020	336	21.7	15.4	53.6
2021	288	21.7	13.2	52.8
2022	293	22.1	13.2	44
2023	290	22.6	12.8	60

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 Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,108 (12.0%)	$8,094 (88.0%)	$9,202

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on West 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 168^th of 1473 Elementary schools	Ranks 521^st of 1502 Elementary schools	23.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (West Elementary)	77.6	50.8	26.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Cleveland County Schools)	71.1	61.1	10%
3rd Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)	64.3	61.1	3.2%
3rd Grade Reading (West Elementary)	74.6	61	13.6%
3rd Grade Reading (Cleveland County Schools)	57.7	50.4	7.3%
3rd Grade Reading (North Carolina)	56.8	48	8.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (West Elementary)	78.5	63.5	15%
4th Grade Mathematics (Cleveland County Schools)	61.8	53.9	7.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)	57.3	55.3	2%
4th Grade Reading (West Elementary)	72.3	63.5	8.8%
4th Grade Reading (Cleveland County Schools)	55.7	50.8	4.9%
4th Grade Reading (North Carolina)	57.3	55.3	2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	329	290	11.9%
African American	74	69	6.8%
American Indian	0	2
Asian	3	4	33.3%
Hispanic	22	9	59.1%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	211	193	8.5%
Two or More Races	19	12	36.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	50.8%	60%	9.2%

Schools Near West Elementary

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 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
West Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	500 W Mountain Street	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8345	290	23	12.8	60.0%	193 (66.6%)	69 (23.8%)	9 (3.1%)	4 (1.4%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (4.1%)	56.7	638^th of 1505 public elementary schools	57.6%		63.7	521^st of 1502 public elementary schools	65.3%	117	59.6	69.4		42.3	57.1			$9,202	$1,108	$8,094
North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	900 N Ramseur Street	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8225	263	20	13.4	98.9%	145 (55.1%)	88 (33.5%)	19 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.2%)	51.7	719^th of 1505 public elementary schools	52.2%		46.6	819^th of 1502 public elementary schools	45.5%	100	57.1	60.3		42.9	55.2			$10,709	$1,428	$9,282
East Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	600 Cleveland Avenue	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8356	214	19	11.4	97.7%	102 (47.7%)	76 (35.5%)	16 (7.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (8.9%)	54.8	665^th of 1505 public elementary schools	55.8%		56.6	646^th of 1502 public elementary schools	57.0%	19	60.7	51.4		46.4	62.2			$11,443	$1,678	$9,765
Bethware Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	115 Bethware Drive	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8346	515	34	15.2	99.4%	328 (63.7%)	105 (20.4%)	45 (8.7%)	9 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	25 (4.9%)	73	356^th of 1505 public elementary schools	76.3%		56.5	649^th of 1502 public elementary schools	56.8%	293	91.8	59.8		66.0	48.3			$9,644	$1,089	$8,555
Edward D Sadler Junior Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3950 West Franklin Boulevard	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 862-5895	321	26	12.2	99.1%	46 (14.3%)	135 (42.1%)	118 (36.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.5%)	6.7	1463^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	2.8%		6.7	1453^rd of 1502 public elementary schools	3.3%	10	25.0	22.4	23.7	22.7	26.5	22.0	45.8	$9,464	$1,602	$7,862
Bessemer City Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	1320 North 12th Street	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9109	445	27	16.4	99.3%	200 (44.9%)	89 (20.0%)	103 (23.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (11.2%)								(n/a)								$9,139	$1,352	$7,787
Bessemer City Central Elementary	Public	3-5	1400 Puett's Chapel Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9108	407	25	16.2	99.3%	194 (47.7%)	102 (25.1%)	80 (19.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.4%)	8.1	1443^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	4.1%		10.1	1418^th of 1502 public elementary schools	5.6%	25	34.8	29.4	27.0	26.1	23.5	27.0	40.4	$8,603	$1,476	$7,127
Chapel Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5201 Lewis Road	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9113	357	26	13.5	99.2%	215 (60.2%)	31 (8.7%)	85 (23.8%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.2%)	17.8	1312^th of 1505 public elementary schools	12.8%		27.4	1132^nd of 1502 public elementary schools	24.6%	180	54.2	23.5	25.8	35.4	44.1	29.0	45.2	$10,242	$1,403	$8,840
Grover Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	206 Carolina Avenue	Grover	28073	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8351	320	25	12.8	99.1%	230 (71.9%)	45 (14.1%)	17 (5.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.8%)	76.9	297^th of 1505 public elementary schools	80.3%		67.9	445^th of 1502 public elementary schools	70.4%	148	75.4	64.3		57.9	67.9			$10,632	$1,366	$9,266
Tryon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2620 Tryon Courthouse Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9107	338	25	13.3	98.5%	245 (72.5%)	22 (6.5%)	50 (14.8%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.7%)	21.1	1265^th of 1505 public elementary schools	15.9%		15.8	1323^rd of 1502 public elementary schools	11.9%	58	47.7	31.3	45.8	40.9	31.3	29.2	56.3	$11,346	$1,912	$9,434

West Elementary

West Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Cleveland County Schools:

Average Parent Rating:

What do you think?

Rank History for West Elementary

Rank History for all students at West Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at West Elementary

Rank History for Female students at West Elementary

Rank History for Male students at West Elementary

Rank History for African American students at West Elementary

Rank History for White students at West Elementary

Review counts

Enrollment information for West Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at West Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio West Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for West Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on West Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near West Elementary

Frequently Asked Questions about West Elementary

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