Gaston County Schools
Public school district · Gaston County · North Carolina · NCES district ID 3701620
Gaston County Schools spent $12,190 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 56% of the other North Carolina districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $12,366). Its 56 schools enrolled 30,995 students in 2024-25; 55.4% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,848 per student, down 2.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85% (North Carolina: 86.5%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among North Carolina's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Gaston County Schools ranks 5.
Where the money came from
$394,823,000 in revenue: 55.4% state, 20.1% local and 24.6% federal. Total spending including $12,019,000 of capital outlay was $391,268,000, or $12,921 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$218,574,000 55%
- Local$79,258,000 20%
- Federal$96,991,000 25%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 150 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
30,281 students in 2022-23, 30,253 students in 2023-24, 30,995 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 30,281 | 1803.4 | 16.8 |
| 2023-24 | 30,253 | 1814.8 | 16.7 |
| 2024-25 | 30,995 | 1931.8 | 16.0 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$95,046,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,139 per student
Gaston County Schools booked $95,046,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,828 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $51,991 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 79 in 100 North Carolina districts with a figure (state median $49,503, 293 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average North Carolina teacher salary at $53,644 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $67,016,000 | 70.5% |
| Special education | $8,751,000 | 9.2% |
| Vocational | $5,908,000 | 6.2% |
| Other programs | $13,371,000 | 14.1% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $2,931 in 2018-19, $2,904 in 2019-20, $3,051 in 2020-21, $3,135 in 2021-22, $3,139 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Gaston County Schools scored proficient or above: 44% in reading and 47% in math, against 48% in reading and 50% in math across North Carolina. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within North Carolina, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | North Carolina | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 44% | 48% | 13,969 |
| Math | 47% | 50% | 13,944 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
85% of the 2,442 students in Gaston County Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.5% across North Carolina. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 85% | 86.5% |
| Students in the class | 2,442 | 120,822 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
30 elementary schools, 13,720 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Ridge Elementary | 887 | 16.0 | 99.7% | Schoolwide program |
| Belmont Central Elementary | 693 | 19.4 | 32.3% | Not Title I |
| W A Bess Elementary School | 674 | 17.0 | 99.6% | Not Title I |
| Carr Elementary | 665 | 16.9 | 99.5% | Schoolwide program |
| H H Beam Elementary | 591 | 15.0 | 99.5% | Schoolwide program |
| Woodhill Elementary | 577 | 16.6 | 99.5% | Schoolwide program |
| New Hope Elementary | 571 | 16.7 | 30.3% | Not Title I |
| Gardner Park Elementary | 560 | 14.5 | 99.5% | Schoolwide program |
| Sherwood Elementary | 553 | 16.4 | 99.5% | Schoolwide program |
| Ida Rankin Elementary School | 533 | 14.3 | 97.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Brookside Elementary | 512 | 15.2 | 98.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Pinewood Elementary | 508 | 15.5 | 99.4% | Schoolwide program |
The other 18 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lingerfeldt Elementary | 450 | 16.5 | 99.3% | Schoolwide program |
| Bessemer City Primary | 445 | 14.5 | 99.3% | Schoolwide program |
| Costner Elementary | 430 | 14.1 | 99.3% | Schoolwide program |
| Robinson Elementary | 420 | 13.8 | 99.3% | Schoolwide program |
| J B Page Primary School | 396 | 14.8 | 32.3% | Not Title I |
| Bessemer City Central Elementary | 392 | 16.1 | 98.2% | Schoolwide program |
| Chapel Grove Elementary | 382 | 15.1 | 99.2% | Schoolwide program |
| Cherryville Elementary | 378 | 13.6 | 99.2% | Schoolwide program |
| Edward D Sadler Jr Elementary School | 374 | 10.8 | 99.2% | Schoolwide program |
| North Belmont Elementary | 371 | 14.3 | 99.2% | Schoolwide program |
| Lowell Elementary | 367 | 13.0 | 99.2% | Schoolwide program |
| Hawks Nest STEAM Academy | 356 | 14.8 | 33.4% | Not Title I |
| Springfield Primary | 352 | 15.0 | 99.1% | Schoolwide program |
| Tryon Elementary | 336 | 12.7 | 97.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Kiser Elementary | 328 | 17.1 | 99.1% | Schoolwide program |
| Catawba Heights Elementary | 238 | 12.0 | 98.7% | Schoolwide program |
| W B Beam Intermediate School | 191 | 18.5 | 98.4% | Schoolwide program |
| McAdenville Elementary | 190 | 17.3 | 98.4% | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
11 middle schools, 7,029 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cramerton Middle | 959 | 18.8 | 40.4% | Not Title I |
| Southwest Middle | 832 | 15.4 | 99.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Belmont Middle | 770 | 18.1 | 39.1% | Not Title I |
| Holbrook Middle | 712 | 13.6 | 97.8% | Eligible, no program |
| W P Grier Middle School | 659 | 15.8 | 99.5% | Schoolwide program |
| W C Friday Middle School | 618 | 18.0 | 99.5% | Eligible, no program |
| Stanley Middle | 602 | 15.7 | 99.5% | Eligible, no program |
| Mount Holly Middle | 570 | 15.3 | 99.5% | Eligible, no program |
| Bessemer City Middle | 497 | 17.1 | 99.4% | Schoolwide program |
| John Chavis Middle School | 412 | 15.0 | 99.3% | Eligible, no program |
| York Chester Middle | 398 | 16.0 | 99.2% | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
13 high schools, 9,800 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbrook High | 1,386 | 18.0 | 99.8% | Eligible, no program |
| Hunter Huss High | 1,165 | 18.9 | 99.7% | Eligible, no program |
| Forestview High | 1,133 | 18.2 | 99.7% | Not Title I |
| North Gaston High | 1,061 | 17.2 | 99.7% | Eligible, no program |
| South Point High | 989 | 18.2 | 33.0% | Not Title I |
| Stuart W Cramer High | 953 | 17.8 | 99.7% | Not Title I |
| East Gaston High | 917 | 18.6 | 99.6% | Not Title I |
| Bessemer City High | 590 | 18.5 | 99.5% | Eligible, no program |
| Highland Sch of Technology | 538 | 13.9 | 31.6% | Not Title I |
| Cherryville High | 484 | 14.7 | 99.4% | Eligible, no program |
| Gaston Early College High School | 235 | 21.9 | 39.1% | Not Title I |
| Warlick Academy | 175 | 10.9 | 98.3% | Schoolwide program |
One more high school
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences | 174 | 21.8 | 51.7% | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 other schools, 446 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaston Virtual Academy | 283 | 13.7 | 57.6% | Not Title I |
| Webb Street School | 163 | 8.3 | 98.2% | Eligible, no program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Gaston County Schools
- Website: gaston.k12.nc.us
- Phone: (704) 866-6100
- Office: 943 Osceola Street, Gastonia, NC 28054
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Gaston County Schools
- North Carolina districts by spending per studentGaston County Schools ranks 84 of 150 North Carolina districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,190).#84 of 150
- Every school district in North CarolinaGaston County Schools is the number 10 by size of 332 North Carolina districts, with 30,281 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#10 of 332
- Durham Public SchoolsThe next larger North Carolina district: 31,531 students in fall 2022, $15,239 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,239
- Onslow County SchoolsThe next smaller North Carolina district: 27,921 students in fall 2022, $11,056 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,056
- Compare Gaston County Schools with Durham Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Ashbrook High, its largest high school1,386 students in 2024-25, 18.0 per teacher.1,386
- Teacher salary spending across North CarolinaGaston County Schools spent $51,991 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $49,503); spending, not a salary.$51,991
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Gaston County Schools
How many schools and students are in Gaston County Schools?
56 schools were open in 2024-25 (30 elementary, 11 middle, 13 high, 2 other), enrolling 30,995 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Gaston County Schools spend per student?
$12,190 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the North Carolina median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,366 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,848 per student, down 2.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Gaston County Schools' money come from?
$394,823,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 55.4% state, 20.1% local and 24.6% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Gaston County Schools live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 5,539 of the 39,412 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 14.1%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Gaston County Schools spend on teacher salaries?
$95,046,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,139 per student. Divided by the 1,828 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $51,991 per teacher, more than 79 in 100 North Carolina districts (state median $49,503). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average North Carolina teacher salary at $53,644 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Gaston County Schools do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Gaston County Schools scored proficient or above: 44% in reading and 47% in math, against 48% in reading and 50% in math across North Carolina. North Carolina's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Gaston County Schools?
85% of the 2,442 students in Gaston County Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.5% across North Carolina. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Gaston County Schools' NCES district ID?
3701620. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25