W A Bess Elementary School
Public elementary school, pre-kindergarten to grade 5 · Gastonia, North Carolina
W A Bess Elementary School in Gastonia, North Carolina enrolled 674 students in 2024-25 with 39.8 full-time teachers, 17.0 students per teacher against the North Carolina elementary-school median of 14.7. It was not a Title I school in 2021-22; it takes part in the National School Lunch Program (2024-25). On the state tests, 68-72% of its students tested were proficient in math in 2021-22 (North Carolina: 50%).
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method
Enrollment rose 8% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers rose 8%
622 students in 2022-23, 641 students in 2023-24, 674 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 36.9 to 39.8.
The numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 622 | 36.9 | 16.9 |
| 2023-24 | 641 | 40.4 | 15.9 |
| 2024-25 | 674 | 39.8 | 17.0 |
17.0 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 88 of every 100 North Carolina elementary schools
Among the 1,442 North Carolina elementary schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 14.7; the national median for elementary schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).
One counselor per 578 students in 2021-22
In the 2021-22 civil rights collection W A Bess Elementary School enrolled 578 students and had 1.0 counselor (full-time equivalent); it reported 16 out-of-school suspensions that year.
- Advanced Placement coursesNone
- Gifted and talented programYes
- Counselors (FTE)1.0, one per 578 of the 578 students enrolled in 2021-22
- Out-of-school suspensions16
- Chronically absent16.7% (2022-23)
Who attends
51.2% of students were White, 18.0% Black, 16.2% Hispanic in 2024-25.
- White51.2%
- Black18.0%
- Hispanic16.2%
- Asian8.3%
- Two or more races5.6%
- American Indian0.6%
- Pacific Islander0.1%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested at W A Bess Elementary School scored proficient or above: 68-72% in math, against 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. No whole-school reading result is shown: ED's files give none for this school for 2021-22 or 2022-23. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This school | Its district | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 68‑72% | 47% | 50% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive): ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Elementary schools in Gastonia
14 public elementary schools in Gastonia report 2024-25 enrollment; W A Bess Elementary School is number 2 by size.
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Ridge Elementary | 887 | 16.0 | 99.7% |
| W A Bess Elementary School | 674 | 17.0 | 99.6% |
| H H Beam Elementary | 591 | 15.0 | 99.5% |
| Woodhill Elementary | 577 | 16.6 | 99.5% |
| New Hope Elementary | 571 | 16.7 | 30.3% |
| Gardner Park Elementary | 560 | 14.5 | 99.5% |
| Sherwood Elementary | 553 | 16.4 | 99.5% |
| Brookside Elementary | 512 | 15.2 | 98.8% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.
What to look at next about W A Bess Elementary School
- Hawks Nest STEAM AcademyThe nearest public elementary school, 2.4 miles away: 356 students, 14.8 per teacher (2024-25).2.4 mi
- Robinson ElementaryThe next nearest public elementary school, 2.4 miles away: 420 students, 13.8 per teacher (2024-25).2.4 mi
- Compare W A Bess Elementary School with Hawks Nest STEAM AcademyStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
- How much Gaston County Schools spends per student$12,190 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$12,190
- The largest public schools in North CarolinaW A Bess Elementary School is the number 213 by size of 1,451 North Carolina elementary schools open in 2024-25.#213 of 1,451
- North Carolina schools by students per teacher17.0 students per teacher here against the North Carolina median of 14.7 for elementary schools.17.0:1
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.
Questions about W A Bess Elementary School
How many students attend W A Bess Elementary School?
674 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 622 in 2022-23. It is an elementary school in Gastonia, NC.What is the student-teacher ratio at W A Bess Elementary School?
17.0 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the North Carolina median for elementary schools is 14.7. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.Is W A Bess Elementary School a Title I school?
W A Bess Elementary School was not a Title I school in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.How do students at W A Bess Elementary School do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested at W A Bess Elementary School scored proficient or above: 68-72% in math, against 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; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.What district is W A Bess Elementary School in?
Gaston County Schools, NCES district ID 3701620. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 370162002156 are the district's.
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 state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.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: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22
District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.