Schools in Lake Lure · Rutherford County Schools
Lake Lure’s public schools beat 51% of North Carolina districts
The public schools Lake Lure’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 51% of North Carolina’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
48%beats similar-income towns
Reading proficiency
44%
▼ 3 pts vs NC 47%
2020–21
Math proficiency
43%
▲ 1 pts vs NC 42%
2020–21
Graduate on time
88%
▲ 0 pts vs NC 88%
class of 2020
Spent per student
$13.9K
▲ 6% vs NC $13.0K
FY2024
Students per teacher
17.6
NC 16.1
Schools
1
481 students
The School Grade
How Lake Lure compares
B− Test scoresB− Graduation
North Carolina school districts we grade (318)Better than 51%
Lower resultsHigher results
North Carolina towns with similar household incomes (277)Better than 48%
High confidence. Built on 3,892 tested students and a graduating class of 639; ordinary year-to-year swings are unlikely to change it.
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on North Carolina’s state tests against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested. Tests count 60%, graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of North Carolina only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Lake Lure.
9 schools teach Pre-K in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: Ellenboro Elementary School, Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School, Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School and Harris Elementary School and more.
10 schools teach K in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: Ellenboro Elementary School, Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School, Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School and Harris Elementary School and more.
10 schools teach 1st grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: Ellenboro Elementary School, Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School, Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School and Harris Elementary School and more.
10 schools teach 2nd grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: Ellenboro Elementary School, Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School, Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School and Harris Elementary School and more.
10 schools teach 3rd grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: Ellenboro Elementary School, Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School, Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School and Harris Elementary School and more.
10 schools teach 4th grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: Ellenboro Elementary School, Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School, Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School and Harris Elementary School and more.
10 schools teach 5th grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: Ellenboro Elementary School, Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School, Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School and Harris Elementary School and more.
4 schools teach 9th grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: R-S Central High School, East Rutherford High School, Chase High School and Rutherford Early College High School.
4 schools teach 10th grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: R-S Central High School, East Rutherford High School, Chase High School and Rutherford Early College High School.
4 schools teach 11th grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: R-S Central High School, East Rutherford High School, Chase High School and Rutherford Early College High School.
4 schools teach 12th grade in Lake Lure’s district. Which one depends on your address: R-S Central High School, East Rutherford High School, Chase High School and Rutherford Early College High School.
The path, start to finish
PK–510 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–83 middle schoolsDepends on your address
9–124 high schoolsDepends on your address
The district
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Test scores · 2020–21
Below the state in reading
Reading44%
State average 47.2%
Math43%
State average 41.9%
Every school in Lake Lure
1 school. Grades are ours, from state tests and graduation. Stars are from neighbors.
Also serving Lake Lure · in other towns
Ellenboro Elementary School
B567 students19:1Rate it →
Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School
B460 students19:1Rate it →
Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School
B−459 students18:1Rate it →
Harris Elementary School
B+434 students16:1Rate it →
Rutherfordton Elementary School
B−397 students16:1Rate it →
Spindale Elementary School
C337 students17:1Rate it →
Pinnacle Elementary School
C254 students16:1Rate it →
Mt. Vernon-Ruth Elementary School
B+231 students18:1Rate it →
Sunshine Elementary School
A−217 students16:1Rate it →
Cliffside Elementary School
B188 students15:1Rate it →
R-S Middle School
C+561 students19:1Rate it →
East Rutherford Middle School
C+533 students20:1Rate it →
Private & other
Parents talk
What Lake Lure families are saying about school.
Parents weigh in
Live in Lake Lure? Is a B− for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Start the conversation
Within reach
Colleges →Colleges near Lake Lure
There’s no college in Lake Lure, but 10 are within 30 miles. The closest is Montreat College in Montreat, 14.7 miles away.
Montreat CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Montreat
14.7 mi687 students
Blue Ridge Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Flat Rock
15.9 mi1,647 students
Warren Wilson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Swannanoa
17.6 mi797 students
Isothermal Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Spindale
18.1 mi938 students
McDowell Technical Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Marion
19.7 mi569 students
Galen Health Institutes-AshevilleUniversity or college · For-profit · Asheville
20.2 mi183 students
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Asheville
21.6 mi4,301 students
Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical ArtsUniversity or college · For-profit · Asheville
23.3 mi91 students
University of North Carolina AshevilleUniversity or college · Public · Asheville
23.5 mi2,891 students
North Greenville UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Tigerville
27.8 mi1,730 students
Straight-line distance from the center of Lake Lure. Degree-granting colleges with students on campus · College Scorecard · IPEDS.
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within North Carolina. Stars are from neighbors.