The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Science. The lowest is 44% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Shive Elementary
Shive Elementary serves the early grades (pre-K through fifth) in Rockwell, a small town in southeastern Rowan County that is experiencing rapid growth as Charlotte-area families move south. The school's enrollment is small, and the economic profile of its families is among the most economically disadvantaged in the state. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly white, with substantial Hispanic and smaller Black and multiracial populations.
The school's academic standing is mixed. In math, about half of the students tested in grades three through five met proficiency benchmarks. English language arts proficiency was lower, with roughly two in five students meeting the standard. Science proficiency was stronger, with about three in four students meeting the mark, though science testing involves a smaller subset of students at this grade level. State testing data for the earliest grades was not available because North Carolina does not administer the End-of-Grade assessments below grade three. These results do not point to an exceptionally strong school academically, and a parent may want to look into further whether the school's approach to instruction in reading and math aligns with their own expectations or what additional academic support might be available to their child.
Shive sits within Rowan-Salisbury Schools, which operates as North Carolina's only Renewal School District, a designation that gives individual schools more autonomy over curriculum, scheduling, and staffing than traditional districts allow. While Shive itself operates as a regular elementary school, other schools in the district have adopted alternative models: Morgan Elementary uses competency-based education, and Isenberg Elementary offers dual-language immersion. The district also sets its own calendar, starting the school year in mid-August rather than waiting until late August as state law otherwise requires. These options exist elsewhere in the district but not at Shive specifically.
Rockwell itself is transforming. Once a stable small town of roughly a few thousand residents, it is positioned as the area's "new boomtown," with residential development spreading outward and housing values rising modestly. The town has a walkable downtown anchored on Main Street with a historic square, local cafes, and small shops, and Rockwell Park offers community gathering space. Most families commute to jobs in Salisbury, Kannapolis, or Charlotte. Recent growth has sparked community debate: in July 2025, the town's board of aldermen rejected a major housing proposal after a contentious hearing, signaling tension between those seeking growth and those wanting to preserve the town's small-town character. This context matters for families considering Rockwell: the area is changing, housing is becoming less affordable, and the school will likely see enrollment pressures and demographic shifts as development continues.
Housing in the Rockwell zip code sits modestly below the state benchmark, and mortgage and rent costs are both below the national average, making it relatively accessible, though values are beginning to climb with growth. The broader economic context in Rowan County includes health care, manufacturing, and retail as the leading sectors; many Rockwell residents commute outward for employment.
The district has also undergone a governance change: voters approved a referendum in November 2024 to shift the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education from nonpartisan to partisan elections, effective December 2026. This will reshape how school board candidates run and how parents evaluate them. The district is also implementing a major consolidation in Salisbury, replacing two separate buildings with a combined K-8 campus, though Shive itself is not directly affected.
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