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B

Rutherford County Schools

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 8 towns

Serves Forest City, Spindale, Rutherfordton, Lake Lure, Ellenboro, Bostic, Ruth and Chimney Rock Village.

Forest City’s School Grade B better than 58% of North Carolina school districts

Students
7,394
Schools
18
Spent per student
$13,859
NC $13,045
Students per teacher
18:1
Free or reduced lunch
98%
Debt
$30.7M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Rutherford County Schools

  • Its letter, B: results better than 58% of North Carolina districts
  • Spends 6% more per student than the NC average
  • 18 students per teacher
  • Debt of $30.7M, about $4,148 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B: better than 58% of the 325 North Carolina school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math above the state, 2021–22
B
GraduationFour-year graduation above the state, class of 2023
B
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
BForest City 7,410BSpindale 4,180BRutherfordton 3,723BLake Lure 1,391Ellenboro 738Bostic 359Ruth 345Chimney Rock Village 126

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Forest City. Grade by grade →

PK–52 elementary schoolsThis district
6–83 middle schoolsThis district
9–124 high schoolsThis district

Test scores vs. NC

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency53%
State average 50.8% · 3,603 students tested
Reading / language arts51%
State average 49.9% · 3,860 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)89%
State average 86.5% · 602 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$13,859 per student · 6% above NC
Spending
Classroom instruction 58%Support & administration 35%Other 7%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 21%State 54%Federal 25%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
7,557’20
7,572’21
7,527’22
7,409’23
7,394’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 68%Hispanic 12%Black 11%Two or more races 9%Asian <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

18 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with North Carolina’s other public schools.

Ellenboro Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Ellenboro
B
567 students19:1
Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Forest City
B
460 students19:1
Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Forest City
B−
459 students18:1
Harris Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Forest City
B+
434 students16:1
Rutherfordton Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Rutherfordton
B−
397 students16:1
Spindale Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Spindale
C
337 students17:1
Pinnacle Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Rutherfordton
C
254 students16:1
Mt. Vernon-Ruth Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Forest City
B+
231 students18:1
Sunshine Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Bostic
A−
217 students16:1
Cliffside Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cliffside
B
188 students15:1
R-S Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Rutherfordton
C+
561 students19:1
East Rutherford Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Bostic
C+
533 students20:1
Chase Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Forest City
B−
484 students18:1
Rutherford Opportunity Center
High · Grades 6–12 · Forest City
D
82 students8:1
R-S Central High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Rutherfordton
B+
763 students21:1
East Rutherford High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Bostic
B+
623 students19:1
Chase High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Forest City
B+
596 students21:1
Rutherford Early College High School
High · Grades 9–13 · Spindale
A+
208 students

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within North Carolina.