Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Gaston County Schools

This page covers 30 elementary schools in Gaston County Schools. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

30
Schools Ranked
North Carolina
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 30
1
rank
McAdenville Elementary
Grades KG–05180 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
54
/100
Student:Teacher
13.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
50%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Catawba Heights Elementary
Grades PK–05259 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
67%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
J B Page Primary School
Grades PK–01339 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
50
/100
Student:Teacher
17.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
30%
Low economic need
4
rank
Ida Rankin Elementary School
Grades PK–05507 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
49
/100
Student:Teacher
15.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
57%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
Lowell Elementary
Grades KG–05409 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
49
/100
Student:Teacher
13.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
71%
High economic need
6
rank
North Belmont Elementary
Grades PK–05327 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.3:1)
47
/100
Student:Teacher
12.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
7
rank
Belmont Central Elementary
Grades 02–05689 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
47
/100
Student:Teacher
19.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
31%
Low economic need
8
rank
Pinewood Elementary
Grades PK–05485 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
17.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
56%
Near nat'l 52.2%
9
rank
Tryon Elementary
Grades PK–05338 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.4:1)
46
/100
Student:Teacher
13.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
10
rank
Hawks Nest STEAM Academy
Grades KG–05347 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
15.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
38/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$11,856
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
37%
Low economic need
20 more elementary schools in Gaston County Schools not shown here.
View all schools in Gaston County Schools
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
30
Elementary Schools
56
Total Schools
54
#1 Score
44
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Other School Levels
Compare Gaston County Schools with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.