Gaston Virtual Academy

Summary:

Gaston Virtual Academy is an alternative public magnet virtual school serving grades K-12 in Gastonia, North Carolina, which is part of the Gaston County Schools district. The school has seen a shift in its student racial makeup, with the percentage of White students decreasing and the percentage of African American students increasing in recent years.

Gaston Virtual Academy has shown mixed performance on standardized tests compared to the district and state. While the school outperforms in some areas, such as 4th-grade reading proficiency, it underperforms in others, like 5th-grade math proficiency. The school has also experienced fluctuations in its student-teacher ratio, which may impact its ability to provide personalized attention. Additionally, Gaston Virtual Academy has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting it is serving a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students.

When compared to nearby schools, Gaston Virtual Academy's performance is also mixed. For example, Mountain Island Charter School consistently outperforms Gaston Virtual Academy and the state, while Charlotte-Mecklenburg Academy, an alternative public school, has significantly lower test scores. The relationship between Gaston Virtual Academy's per-student spending and its academic outcomes is an area worth further exploration.


Detail:

Public, Magnet, Virtual, Alternative K-12

 1 Learning Place
       Gastonia, NC  28052


(704) 836-9125

District: Gaston County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
753rd of 1,505 North Carolina Alternative Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $5,154 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  14.4 Help
Number of students:  462

Racial breakdown:

White:
53.2%
African American:
29.4%
Hispanic:
10.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  52.2% Help


 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Gaston Virtual Academy ranks worse than 50% of elementary schools in North Carolina. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 49.55. (See more...)
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Compare Details Gaston Virtual Academy ranks better than 55.5% of middle schools in North Carolina. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 53.45. (See more...)
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Compare Details Gaston Virtual Academy ranks better than 63.6% of high schools in North Carolina. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 59.96. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (53.2%), African American (29.4%), Hispanic (10.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 52.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Gaston Virtual Academy is 14.4. (See more...)
Help
Compare Gaston Virtual Academy employs 32 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gaston Virtual Academy is $5,154.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Gaston Virtual Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Gaston Virtual Academy 753rd of 1505 North Carolina public elementary schools. (See Gaston Virtual Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:

SchoolDigger ranks Gaston Virtual Academy 353rd of 793 North Carolina public middle schools. (See Gaston Virtual Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Gaston Virtual Academy 233rd of 640 North Carolina public high schools. (See Gaston Virtual Academy in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Gaston County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Gaston County Schools 158th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Gaston Virtual Academy

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Compare

Rank History for all elementary school students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 25.28 1174th 1514 22.5%
2023 49.63 776th 1502 48.3%
2024 49.55 753rd 1505 50.0%
See the entire list of North Carolina Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 28.51 1064th 1366 22.1%
2023 48.43 747th 1437 48.0%
2024 52.19 654th 1450 54.9%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 28.11 1102nd 1458 24.4%
2023 50.70 726th 1459 50.2%
2024 69.65 372nd 1455 74.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Gifted and Talented students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 46.58 392nd 500 21.6%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 24.86 1150th 1464 21.4%
2023 48.86 772nd 1461 47.2%
2024 51.17 729th 1464 50.2%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 33.67 643rd 927 30.6%
2023 43.30 513th 933 45.0%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for elementary school White students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 12.60 1128th 1194 5.5%
2023 43.31 708th 1183 40.2%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for White Students!

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

Rank History for Gaston Virtual Academy

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Rank History for all middle school students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 61.68 277th 737 62.4%
2021 50.78 346th 741 53.3%
2022 56.47 329th 786 58.1%
2023 60.90 285th 784 63.6%
2024 53.45 353rd 793 55.5%
See the entire list of North Carolina Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 66.42 160th 689 76.8%
2023 61.03 231st 735 68.6%
2024 60.57 250th 743 66.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 61.35 251st 733 65.8%
2023 66.88 212th 731 71.0%
2024 61.50 259th 738 64.9%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 47.24 386th 748 48.4%
2023 49.81 359th 747 51.9%
2024 38.92 460th 751 38.7%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 67.59 110th 550 80.0%
2023 56.56 178th 559 68.2%
2024 71.84 106th 560 81.1%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for middle school White students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 50.69 309th 624 50.5%
2022 46.45 355th 658 46.0%
2023 50.64 305th 656 53.5%
2024 34.38 450th 652 31.0%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for White Students!

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

Rank History for Gaston Virtual Academy

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Rank History for all high school students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 79.36 110th 594 81.5%
2022 35.82 391st 621 37.0%
2023 39.61 358th 626 42.8%
2024 59.96 233rd 640 63.6%
See the entire list of North Carolina Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 28.65 388th 544 28.7%
2023 52.32 232nd 597 61.1%
2024 76.90 126th 613 79.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Female students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 87.66 29th 475 93.9%
2022 28.02 432nd 594 27.3%
2023 31.34 406th 588 31.0%
2024 64.59 199th 602 66.9%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 42.84 310th 585 47.0%
2023 38.81 352nd 602 41.5%
2024 42.23 342nd 607 43.7%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school African American students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 21.74 363rd 430 15.6%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 55.51 146th 436 66.5%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for high school White students at Gaston Virtual Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 70.55 84th 439 80.9%
2022 27.98 403rd 534 24.5%
2023 26.36 419th 537 22.0%
2024 37.40 362nd 553 34.5%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Alternative 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.

Gaston Virtual Academy Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 









Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Gaston Virtual Academy

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2018 19 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 26
2019 54 6 1 7 0 0 3 0 71
2020 72 8 1 11 0 0 9 0 101
2021 80 16 2 9 0 0 5 0 112
2022 363 232 18 89 0 3 34 0 739
2023 246 136 10 47 1 3 19 0 462

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 Gaston Virtual Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2018 26 0.0 n/a 15.4
2019 71 2.0 35.5 4.2
2020 101 4.4 22.7 3
2021 112 17.0 6.5 25.9
2022 739 41.1 17.9 35
2023 462 32.0 14.4 52.2

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 Gaston Virtual Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2018 26 0.0 n/a 15.4
2019 71 2.0 35.5 4.2
2020 101 4.4 22.7 3
2021 112 17.0 6.5 25.9
2022 739 41.1 17.9 35
2023 462 32.0 14.4 52.2

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 Gaston Virtual Academy

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $290 (5.6%) $4,864 (94.4%) $5,154

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Gaston Virtual Academy

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 277th of 737 Middle schoolsRanks 285th of 784 Middle schools
 1.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Gaston Virtual Academy)57.150
 7.1%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Gaston County Schools)62.450.2
 12.2%
   6th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)58.852.3
 6.5%
6th Grade Reading (Gaston Virtual Academy)5057.9
 7.9%
   6th Grade Reading (Gaston County Schools)57.147.1
 10%
   6th Grade Reading (North Carolina)6049.3
 10.7%
7th Grade Mathematics (Gaston Virtual Academy)5034.4
 15.6%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Gaston County Schools)58.446.1
 12.3%
   7th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)58.450.1
 8.3%
7th Grade Reading (Gaston Virtual Academy)7556.3
 18.7%
   7th Grade Reading (Gaston County Schools)55.348.3
 7%
   7th Grade Reading (North Carolina)58.850.2
 8.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Gaston Virtual Academy)53.834.4
 19.4%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Gaston County Schools)54.343.3
 11%
   8th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)52.644.8
 7.8%
8th Grade Reading (Gaston Virtual Academy)69.271.9
 2.7%
   8th Grade Reading (Gaston County Schools)51.151.2
 0.1%
   8th Grade Reading (North Carolina)55.651
 4.6%
8th Grade Science (Gaston Virtual Academy)10093.8
 6.2%
   8th Grade Science (Gaston County Schools)78.667.7
 10.9%
   8th Grade Science (North Carolina)78.670.3
 8.3%
End of Course Math I (Gaston Virtual Academy)5052.4
 2.4%
   End of Course Math I (Gaston County Schools)49.639
 10.6%
   End of Course Math I (North Carolina)41.235.9
 5.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students71462
 550.7%
African American6136
 2166.7%
American Indian01
Asian110
 900%
Hispanic747
 571.4%
Pacific Islander03
White54246
 355.6%
Two or More Races319
 533.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients4.2%52.2%
 47.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Gaston Virtual Academy

Students at Gaston Virtual Academy are 53% White, 29% African American, 10% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Gaston Virtual Academy ranks 753rd of 1505 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 462 students attended Gaston Virtual Academy.


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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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