Northside Elementary, Rock Hill SC

Original Research by School Decision on Northside Elementary

Northside Elementary is a regular public school in Rock Hill, part of the York 03 district, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is not a charter or magnet school, and the data available does not indicate a Title I designation, though the full enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. The student body is diverse, with the largest groups being Black and White students, followed by Hispanic students, and smaller shares of students of two or more races, Asian, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. No data was reported on the share of students with disabilities or English learners.

Academically, the school’s performance on state assessments is mixed but generally below the midpoint of schools in the district and county. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through five fell in a range from roughly two-fifths to just under half of students meeting the state’s Level 3–4 benchmark. In English language arts, about half of students in each tested grade scored proficient, with third grade slightly higher than fifth. Science proficiency in fourth grade was lower, around a third of students. A social studies assessment from a prior year, before the pandemic and under a different test format, showed a higher result, but that data is too old to reflect current performance. The overall proficiency index, combining all tested subjects and grades, places the school in the bottom quartile among elementary schools in York County. Because state cut scores for English language arts and science changed recently, year-over-year comparisons are not reliable; only a single year of data is available for current results.

The school has a moderate enrollment for an elementary school. Since it serves only early and intermediate grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available. No information was provided on course offerings, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or attendance patterns, so a parent would want to look into these areas directly with the school.

The community context is shaped by Rock Hill, a mid-sized city that has moved from a textile-based economy toward manufacturing and is home to three colleges, including Winthrop University. The city has a historic downtown, a riverfront development, and a growing population, though recent attempts to attract a major sports training facility fell through. Within the York 03 district, the broader trend is a steady enrollment decline over the past several years, which can affect school budgets and class sizes. The district has also introduced specialized choice programs at some elementary schools, such as language immersion and Montessori, but Northside Elementary does not appear to be one of those designated schools based on available data.

For a family weighing Northside Elementary, the picture is one of a high-poverty neighborhood school in a larger district experiencing enrollment shifts. Its academic results lag behind many other elementary schools in York County, particularly in math and science. The lack of data on special programs, staff qualifications, and student support services leaves gaps that a parent would need to explore by visiting the school or contacting district administrators. The city of Rock Hill offers a range of amenities and a changing economic base, but the school itself does not have the kind of specialized programming or above-average test scores that some nearby schools advertise.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 56% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 47% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 43% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 65% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 64% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 62% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Science

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 47% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 70% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

This schoolYork 03, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.