Upward Elementary

Summary:

Upward Elementary is a public elementary school located in Flat Rock, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 413. The school is part of the Henderson County Schools district, which is ranked 83 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Upward Elementary faces significant challenges in terms of student academic performance, with consistently low rankings and test scores compared to the state and nearby schools like Atkinson Elementary, Hendersonville Elementary, and Clear Creek Elementary. The school's performance on state assessments is significantly below the Henderson County Schools district and the state average across all grade levels and subject areas. Upward Elementary's performance is particularly low for Hispanic, White, and English Language Learner student subgroups, ranking in the bottom half of North Carolina elementary schools for these groups.

The high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Upward Elementary, which is a proxy for low socioeconomic status, appears to be correlated with the school's lower academic performance compared to nearby schools with lower percentages of economically disadvantaged students. Additionally, Upward Elementary's higher percentage of Hispanic students and lower percentage of White students compared to nearby schools may be a contributing factor to its lower academic performance, as racial and ethnic achievement gaps are well-documented in educational research. Addressing these issues through targeted interventions and support could be crucial for improving the educational outcomes at Upward Elementary.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 45 Education Drive
       Flat Rock, NC  28731-8749


(828) 697-4764

District: Henderson County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
1248th of 1,505 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,637 Help


Students who attend Upward Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Flat Rock Middle
High:    East Henderson High
    Henderson County Early College

Student/teacher ratio:  12.7 Help
Number of students:  413

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
47.2%
White:
38.7%
African American:
4.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  83.3% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Upward Elementary ranks worse than 82.9% of elementary schools in North Carolina. It also ranks last among 13 ranked elementary schools in the Henderson County Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.99. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (47.2%), White (38.7%), African American (4.8%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 83.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Henderson County Schools District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Upward Elementary is 12.7, which is the lowest among 13 elementary schools in the Henderson County Schools District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Upward Elementary employs 32.4 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Upward Elementary is $10,637, which is the 2nd highest among 13 elementary schools in the Henderson County Schools District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Upward Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Upward Elementary 1248th of 1505 North Carolina public elementary schools. (See Upward 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:


Henderson County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Henderson County Schools 83rd of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Upward Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Upward Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 63.02 478th 1276 62.5%
2007 54.63 655th 1293 49.3%
2008 69.43 355th 1324 73.2%
2009 56.43 676th 1354 50.1%
2010 43.75 866th 1363 36.5%
2011 36.73 967th 1381 30.0%
2012 47.85 799th 1388 42.4%
2013 58.70 543rd 1403 61.3%
2014 33.66 958th 1390 31.1%
2015 52.85 703rd 1440 51.2%
2016 56.90 602nd 1425 57.8%
2017 50.52 734th 1429 48.6%
2018 46.90 801st 1434 44.1%
2019 42.39 883rd 1473 40.1%
2021 30.16 1020th 1489 31.5%
2022 25.77 1160th 1514 23.4%
2023 22.75 1213th 1502 19.2%
2024 21.99 1248th 1505 17.1%
See the entire list of North Carolina Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Upward Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.46 165th 421 60.8%
2019 51.85 190th 497 61.8%
2021 29.93 290th 385 24.7%
2022 29.46 380th 485 21.6%
2023 23.47 438th 514 14.8%
2024 25.97 450th 533 15.6%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Upward Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 34.63 527th 801 34.2%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Upward Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.26 665th 1332 50.1%
2019 54.04 599th 1361 56.0%
2021 48.79 618th 1329 53.5%
2022 35.57 924th 1366 32.4%
2023 33.19 1016th 1437 29.3%
2024 29.67 1125th 1450 22.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Upward Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 49.71 752nd 1405 46.5%
2019 36.89 956th 1424 32.9%
2021 25.65 1083rd 1440 24.8%
2022 29.36 1075th 1458 26.3%
2023 20.70 1243rd 1459 14.8%
2024 25.75 1150th 1455 21.0%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Upward Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 44.48 855th 1413 39.5%
2019 48.01 782nd 1430 45.3%
2021 35.45 913th 1444 36.8%
2022 23.82 1164th 1464 20.5%
2023 27.42 1115th 1461 23.7%
2024 20.70 1247th 1464 14.8%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Upward Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.03 359th 851 57.8%
2019 44.74 492nd 865 43.1%
2021 35.89 549th 843 34.9%
2022 32.22 671st 893 24.9%
2023 23.69 771st 915 15.7%
2024 26.59 772nd 951 18.8%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Upward Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.32 855th 1178 27.4%
2019 43.97 711th 1183 39.9%
2021 22.14 994th 1172 15.2%
2022 17.53 1077th 1194 9.8%
2023 27.24 951st 1183 19.6%
2024 17.96 1048th 1166 10.1%
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.

Upward Elementary 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 Upward Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1994 460 5 1 35 1 n/a n/a 13 515
1995 514 4 1 22 2 n/a n/a 0 543
1996 514 4 1 22 2 n/a n/a 0 543
1997 546 3 0 33 3 n/a n/a 0 585
1998 558 2 2 37 2 n/a n/a 2 603
1999 560 5 3 46 1 n/a n/a 0 615
2000 536 6 3 63 2 n/a n/a 0 610
2001 487 14 3 91 3 n/a n/a 0 598
2002 453 20 3 117 5 n/a n/a 0 598
2003 453 20 3 117 5 n/a n/a 0 598
2004 415 24 5 128 3 n/a n/a 0 575
2005 414 24 4 139 3 n/a n/a 0 584
2006 417 24 3 143 2 n/a n/a 0 589
2007 407 11 4 155 2 n/a n/a 23 602
2008 384 7 5 170 3 n/a n/a 26 595
2009 398 37 4 205 1 n/a n/a 0 645
2010 243 29 2 181 3 n/a n/a 0 458
2011 249 9 1 203 4 0 15 0 481
2012 224 13 1 213 2 2 13 0 468
2013 223 14 1 236 1 2 16 0 493
2014 214 19 1 229 2 0 7 0 472
2015 197 11 3 250 2 0 15 0 478
2016 187 14 3 237 1 0 18 0 460
2017 173 18 4 216 1 1 19 0 432
2018 176 18 4 200 1 5 21 0 425
2019 188 25 4 193 1 4 18 0 433
2020 205 22 3 174 0 11 20 0 435
2021 174 21 4 199 0 4 24 0 426
2022 163 22 3 202 0 13 18 0 421
2023 160 20 8 195 0 12 18 0 413

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 Upward Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1994 515 29.0 17.8 8.4
1995 543 32.0 17.0 34.4
1996 543 32.0 17.0 34.4
1997 585 36.0 16.3 35.2
1998 603 41.0 14.7 34.9
1999 615 42.0 14.6 43.6
2000 610 44.0 13.9 47.5
2001 598 44.0 13.6 48.2
2002 598 40.0 15.0 51.5
2003 598 40.0 15.0 51.5
2004 575 40.0 14.4 54.6
2005 584 40.0 14.6 55
2006 589 40.0 14.7 53.8
2007 602 n/a n/a 60.4
2008 595 43.0 13.8 52.9
2009 645 42.5 15.2 60.5
2010 458 34.0 13.4 69.9
2011 481 33.9 14.1 76.1
2012 468 35.3 13.2 74.6
2013 493 35.2 13.9 76.3
2014 472 32.4 14.5 80.9
2015 478 34.0 14.0 75.5
2016 460 35.0 13.1 77.2
2017 432 32.0 13.4 75.7
2018 425 32.3 13.1 72.9
2019 433 31.0 13.9 73.4
2020 435 31.0 14.0 77
2021 426 30.6 13.8 65.5
2022 421 34.2 12.3 72.4
2023 413 32.4 12.7 83.3

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 Upward Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1994 515 29.0 17.8 8.4
1995 543 32.0 17.0 34.4
1996 543 32.0 17.0 34.4
1997 585 36.0 16.3 35.2
1998 603 41.0 14.7 34.9
1999 615 42.0 14.6 43.6
2000 610 44.0 13.9 47.5
2001 598 44.0 13.6 48.2
2002 598 40.0 15.0 51.5
2003 598 40.0 15.0 51.5
2004 575 40.0 14.4 54.6
2005 584 40.0 14.6 55
2006 589 40.0 14.7 53.8
2007 602 n/a n/a 60.4
2008 595 43.0 13.8 52.9
2009 645 42.5 15.2 60.5
2010 458 34.0 13.4 69.9
2011 481 33.9 14.1 76.1
2012 468 35.3 13.2 74.6
2013 493 35.2 13.9 76.3
2014 472 32.4 14.5 80.9
2015 478 34.0 14.0 75.5
2016 460 35.0 13.1 77.2
2017 432 32.0 13.4 75.7
2018 425 32.3 13.1 72.9
2019 433 31.0 13.9 73.4
2020 435 31.0 14.0 77
2021 426 30.6 13.8 65.5
2022 421 34.2 12.3 72.4
2023 413 32.4 12.7 83.3

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 Upward Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,538 (14.5%) $9,099 (85.5%) $10,637

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Upward 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 883rd of 1473 Elementary schoolsRanks 1213th of 1502 Elementary schools
 20.8%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Upward Elementary)63.945.2
 18.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Henderson County Schools)72.669
 3.6%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)64.361.1
 3.2%
3rd Grade Reading (Upward Elementary)50.843.5
 7.3%
   3rd Grade Reading (Henderson County Schools)62.655.4
 7.2%
   3rd Grade Reading (North Carolina)56.848
 8.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Upward Elementary)68.425
 43.4%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Henderson County Schools)66.957
 9.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)57.355.3
 2%
4th Grade Reading (Upward Elementary)59.530.9
 28.6%
   4th Grade Reading (Henderson County Schools)67.257.5
 9.7%
   4th Grade Reading (North Carolina)57.355.3
 2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Upward Elementary)21.140.5
 19.4%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Henderson County Schools)62.359.6
 2.7%
   5th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)60.255.9
 4.3%
5th Grade Reading (Upward Elementary)42.130.4
 11.7%
   5th Grade Reading (Henderson County Schools)61.150.4
 10.7%
   5th Grade Reading (North Carolina)54.648
 6.6%
5th Grade Science (Upward Elementary)69.757
 12.7%
   5th Grade Science (Henderson County Schools)81.770.3
 11.4%
   5th Grade Science (North Carolina)72.665.3
 7.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students433413
 4.6%
African American2520
 20%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian48
 100%
Hispanic193195
 1%
Pacific Islander412
 200%
White188160
 14.9%
Two or More Races1818
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients73.4%83.3%
 9.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Upward Elementary

Upward Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.1% of North Carolina elementary schools.

In the 2022-23 school year, 413 students attended Upward Elementary.

Students who attend Upward Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Flat Rock Middle
High : East Henderson High
High : Henderson County Early College

Students at Upward Elementary are 47% Hispanic, 39% White, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Pacific Islander, 2% Asian.


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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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