Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Summary:

Gaston STEM Leadership Academy is an elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Gaston, North Carolina, with a student population of 286 that is predominantly African American. Despite its STEM-focused name, the school has consistently struggled academically, ranking in the bottom 20% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Gaston STEM Leadership Academy's academic performance is significantly below state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 26.7% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 62.7% statewide and 43.3% in the Northampton County district. The school's high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with over 98% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, likely contributes to these challenges.

Compared to nearby schools, Gaston STEM Leadership Academy's performance is generally lower. For instance, Central Elementary, another Northampton County school, had significantly higher proficiency rates in mathematics and reading for 3rd graders in the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, while the school's student population is predominantly African American, its academic performance for this subgroup is still significantly below the state average for African American students.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

 400 Broughton Street
       Gaston, NC  27832


(252) 537-2520

District: Northampton County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
1198th of 1,505 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $18,837 Help


Students who attend Gaston STEM Leadership Academy usually attend:

High:    Northampton County High School

Student/teacher ratio:  12.0 Help
Number of students:  294

Racial breakdown:

African American:
88.1%
White:
4.8%
Two or more races:
3.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  99% Help


 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Gaston STEM Leadership Academy to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Gaston STEM Leadership Academy ranks worse than 79.6% of elementary schools in North Carolina. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.69. (See more...)
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Compare Details Gaston STEM Leadership Academy ranks worse than 79.6% of middle schools in North Carolina. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.36. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (88.1%), White (4.8%), two or more races (3.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 99% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy is 12. (See more...)
Help
Compare Gaston STEM Leadership Academy employs 24.3 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy is $18,837.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Gaston STEM Leadership Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Gaston STEM Leadership Academy 1198th of 1505 North Carolina public elementary schools. (See Gaston STEM Leadership Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Gaston STEM Leadership Academy 631st of 793 North Carolina public middle schools. (See Gaston STEM Leadership Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:


Northampton County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Northampton County Schools 205th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

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Compare

Rank History for all elementary school students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 14.28 1238th 1363 9.2%
2011 9.74 1311th 1381 5.1%
2012 19.27 1219th 1388 12.2%
2013 12.39 1299th 1403 7.4%
2014 8.18 1318th 1390 5.2%
2015 7.33 1374th 1440 4.6%
2016 6.91 1370th 1425 3.9%
2017 5.25 1388th 1429 2.9%
2018 4.70 1401st 1434 2.3%
2019 21.93 1235th 1473 16.2%
2021 4.04 1477th 1489 0.8%
2022 14.57 1369th 1514 9.6%
2023 36.28 985th 1502 34.4%
2024 24.69 1198th 1505 20.4%
See the entire list of North Carolina Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 12.55 1276th 1332 4.2%
2019 35.97 953rd 1361 30.0%
2021 7.57 1325th 1329 0.3%
2022 24.39 1148th 1366 16.0%
2023 50.40 714th 1437 50.3%
2024 36.40 981st 1450 32.3%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 3.63 1386th 1405 1.4%
2019 24.58 1165th 1424 18.2%
2021 7.09 1412th 1440 1.9%
2022 15.25 1333rd 1458 8.6%
2023 32.82 1011th 1459 30.7%
2024 32.79 1042nd 1455 28.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 8.66 1353rd 1413 4.2%
2019 21.21 1222nd 1430 14.5%
2021 5.93 1417th 1444 1.9%
2022 16.56 1301st 1464 11.1%
2023 35.49 993rd 1461 32.0%
2024 23.05 1201st 1464 18.0%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 17.22 857th 927 7.6%
2019 46.01 505th 949 46.8%
2021 12.84 888th 896 0.9%
2022 29.44 709th 927 23.5%
2023 64.10 263rd 933 71.8%
2024 51.36 407th 924 56.0%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

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Compare

Rank History for all middle school students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 14.96 696th 786 11.5%
2023 26.65 591st 784 24.6%
2024 23.36 631st 793 20.4%
See the entire list of North Carolina Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 33.22 471st 689 31.6%
2023 34.05 506th 735 31.2%
2024 34.37 511th 743 31.2%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 9.22 697th 733 4.9%
2023 19.12 627th 731 14.2%
2024 29.28 535th 738 27.5%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 21.22 619th 748 17.2%
2023 33.58 506th 747 32.3%
2024 20.63 623rd 751 17.0%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 35.58 353rd 550 35.8%
2023 49.06 241st 559 56.9%
2024 39.17 334th 560 40.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Gaston STEM Leadership Academy Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 








Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 26 216 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 242
1989 26 199 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 225
1990 33 203 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 236
1991 33 204 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 237
1992 29 209 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 238
1993 24 204 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 228
1994 19 198 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 218
1995 32 312 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 345
1996 32 312 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 345
1997 33 314 1 1 0 n/a n/a 0 349
1998 23 344 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 368
1999 19 340 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 361
2000 22 336 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 361
2001 29 345 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 376
2002 16 290 0 2 2 n/a n/a 0 310
2003 16 290 0 2 2 n/a n/a 0 310
2004 20 248 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 270
2005 21 230 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 252
2006 25 246 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 271
2007 17 210 0 0 0 n/a n/a 3 230
2008 10 193 0 3 0 n/a n/a 2 208
2009 12 182 0 6 0 n/a n/a 0 200
2010 23 352 2 6 0 n/a n/a 0 383
2011 29 321 2 7 0 0 7 0 366
2012 22 310 2 3 3 0 4 0 344
2013 23 255 1 4 3 0 1 0 287
2014 32 257 1 5 1 0 2 0 298
2015 23 224 3 4 1 0 1 0 256
2016 28 305 0 3 0 1 6 0 343
2017 22 296 0 5 1 1 4 0 329
2018 11 254 1 6 1 1 2 0 276
2019 10 193 0 5 0 1 2 0 211
2020 11 171 0 10 0 0 9 0 201
2021 11 186 0 8 0 0 3 0 208
2022 20 262 0 11 0 0 7 0 300
2023 21 247 0 11 0 0 7 0 286
2024 14 259 0 9 0 1 11 0 294

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 242 20.0 12.1 59.1
1989 225 15.0 15.0 88.4
1990 236 15.0 15.7 79.2
1991 237 15.0 15.8 78.9
1992 238 15.0 15.8 46.2
1993 228 18.0 12.7 70.2
1994 218 19.0 11.5 67.4
1995 345 21.0 16.4 59.4
1996 345 21.0 16.4 59.4
1997 349 22.0 15.9 61.3
1998 368 26.0 14.2 64.1
1999 361 26.0 13.9 83.4
2000 361 26.0 13.9 83.7
2001 376 26.0 14.5 80.9
2002 310 23.0 13.5 81
2003 310 23.0 13.5 81
2004 270 23.0 11.7 79.3
2005 252 23.0 11.0 95.6
2006 271 23.0 11.8 84.1
2007 230 19.9 11.6 85.9
2008 208 20.6 10.1 90.3
2009 200 17.0 11.8 81.5
2010 383 20.8 18.3 84.6
2011 366 21.5 17.0 84.4
2012 344 20.1 17.0 88.7
2013 287 19.0 15.1 88.9
2014 298 17.0 17.5 89.9
2015 256 18.0 14.2 98.8
2016 343 20.0 17.1 95.9
2017 329 20.3 16.1 99.1
2018 276 20.6 13.3 98.9
2019 211 17.0 12.4 98.6
2020 201 14.5 13.8 98.5
2021 208 15.7 13.2 98.6
2022 300 24.0 12.5 99
2023 286 25.0 11.4 99
2024 294 24.3 12.0 99

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 242 20.0 12.1 59.1
1989 225 15.0 15.0 88.4
1990 236 15.0 15.7 79.2
1991 237 15.0 15.8 78.9
1992 238 15.0 15.8 46.2
1993 228 18.0 12.7 70.2
1994 218 19.0 11.5 67.4
1995 345 21.0 16.4 59.4
1996 345 21.0 16.4 59.4
1997 349 22.0 15.9 61.3
1998 368 26.0 14.2 64.1
1999 361 26.0 13.9 83.4
2000 361 26.0 13.9 83.7
2001 376 26.0 14.5 80.9
2002 310 23.0 13.5 81
2003 310 23.0 13.5 81
2004 270 23.0 11.7 79.3
2005 252 23.0 11.0 95.6
2006 271 23.0 11.8 84.1
2007 230 19.9 11.6 85.9
2008 208 20.6 10.1 90.3
2009 200 17.0 11.8 81.5
2010 383 20.8 18.3 84.6
2011 366 21.5 17.0 84.4
2012 344 20.1 17.0 88.7
2013 287 19.0 15.1 88.9
2014 298 17.0 17.5 89.9
2015 256 18.0 14.2 98.8
2016 343 20.0 17.1 95.9
2017 329 20.3 16.1 99.1
2018 276 20.6 13.3 98.9
2019 211 17.0 12.4 98.6
2020 201 14.5 13.8 98.5
2021 208 15.7 13.2 98.6
2022 300 24.0 12.5 99
2023 286 25.0 11.4 99
2024 294 24.3 12.0 99

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $3,552 (18.9%) $15,285 (81.1%) $18,837

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 1235th of 1473 Elementary schoolsRanks 985th of 1502 Elementary schools
 18.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Gaston STEM Leadership Academy)60.575
 14.5%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Northampton County Schools)54.157.4
 3.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)64.361.1
 3.2%
3rd Grade Reading (Gaston STEM Leadership Academy)41.937.5
 4.4%
   3rd Grade Reading (Northampton County Schools)36.924.6
 12.3%
   3rd Grade Reading (North Carolina)56.848
 8.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Gaston STEM Leadership Academy)32.447.4
 15%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Northampton County Schools)40.736.6
 4.1%
   4th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)57.355.3
 2%
4th Grade Reading (Gaston STEM Leadership Academy)32.439.5
 7.1%
   4th Grade Reading (Northampton County Schools)41.528.4
 13.1%
   4th Grade Reading (North Carolina)57.355.3
 2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students211286
 35.5%
African American193247
 28%
American Indian00
Asian00
Hispanic511
 120%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White1021
 110%
Two or More Races27
 250%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients98.6%99%
 0.4%


Schools Near Gaston STEM Leadership Academy









Frequently Asked Questions about Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

Students who attend Gaston STEM Leadership Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Northampton County High School

Gaston STEM Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 20.4% of North Carolina elementary schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, 294 students attended Gaston STEM Leadership Academy.

Students at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy are 88% African American, 5% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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