Ranking Charlotte's Elementary Schools

With the new school year upon us, Pittsburgh-based ranking company Niche has taken a look at Charlotte-metro elementary schools. Which ones make the grade?

A whopping nine schools are part of the Fort Mill School District, 7 of which dominate the top ten. Other school districts featured are Union County Public Schools and Clover School District in South Carolina. While Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools wasn’t featured, there are charter and magnet schools in that district that make the list.

To make their determinations, Niche looked at a variety of factors. They analyzed state test scores, student-to-teacher ratio, student diversity, and teacher quality, among others. They also looked at U.S. Department of Education statistics as well as reviews from students and parents alike.

Each factor carries a different weight in the determination. Niche assigned the most weight to the academics grade, which accounts for 50% of a school’s overall grade. It also considered a school’s teachers grade, 20%; district grade, 15%; cultural and diversity grade, 10%; and parent/student surveys on overall experience, 5%.

The top Charlotte-area public elementary school — Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, a charter school in south Charlotte — also ranked as the best in North Carolina.

To read the full list and see a complete slideshow of all rankings (with more data), check out the Charlotte Business Journal.