Gastonia Times

Piedmont Community Charter School had the highest enrollment among Gaston County schools, welcoming 1,856 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Among the 51 schools in Gaston County, Mountain Island Charter School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 1,687 students, while Ashbrook High School welcomed 1,260 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Piedmont Community Charter School is part of Piedmont Community Charter district, which roughly covers institutions within Gaston County and has a main office in Gastonia.

In the previous school year, Piedmont Community Charter School also had the highest number of students among Gaston County schools.

Despite boasting a favorable teacher-student ratio of 1:15, surpassing the national average, North Carolina's public schools face a significant funding gap. The state's per-student expenditure of $10,519 falls considerably short of the national average of $14,295.

North Carolina's public schools faced a staggering 58.4% surge in vacant teaching positions in the 2021-22 school year, leaving over 5,000 classrooms without qualified instructors.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Piedmont Community Charter School	Gastonia	1,856
Mountain Island Charter School	Mt. Holly	1,687
Ashbrook High School	Gastonia	1,260
North Gaston High School	Dallas	1,083
Forestview High School	Gastonia	1,057
Hunter Huss High School	Gastonia	1,056
Stuart W. Cramer High School	Belmont	935
East Gaston High School	Mount Holly	855
Southwest Middle School	Gastonia	812
Holbrook Middle School	Lowell	772
Belmont Central Elementary School	Belmont	682
Stanley Middle School	Stanley	664
Carr Elementary School	Dallas	629
W. P. Grier Middle School	Gastonia	613
W. C. Friday Middle School	Dallas	603
Community Public Charter	Stanley	599
Mount Holly Middle School	Mount Holly	549
Bessemer City High School	Bessemer City	536
H. H. Beam Elementary School	Gastonia	521
Brookside Elementary School	Gastonia	515
Gardner Park Elementary School	Gastonia	513
Highland School of Technology	Gastonia	510
New Hope Elementary School	Gastonia	508
Bessemer City Middle School	Bessemer City	504
Sherwood Elementary School	Gastonia	503
Ida Rankin Elementary School	Mount Holly	487
Cherryville High School	Cherryville	482
Costner Elementary School	Dallas	477
Woodhill Elementary School	Gastonia	466
Pinewood Elementary School	Mount Holly	464
York Chester Middle School	Gastonia	421
Gaston Virtual Academy	Gastonia	417
John Chavis Middle School	Cherryville	411
Bessemer City Central Elementary School	Bessemer City	405
Lowell Elementary School	Lowell	404
Bessemer City Primary School	Bessemer City	393
Lingerfeldt Elementary School	Gastonia	388
Robinson Elementary School	Gastonia	386
Cherryville Elementary School	Cherryville	369
Hawks Nest STEAM Academy	Gastonia	352
Chapel Grove Elementary School	Gastonia	340
J. B. Page Primary School	Belmont	337
Kiser Elementary School	Stanley	331
Tryon Elementary School	Bessemer City	314
North Belmont Elementary School	Belmont	310
Edward D. Sadler Jr. Elementary School	Gastonia	301
Catawba Heights Elementary School	Belmont	258
Gaston Early College High School	Dallas	227
McAdenville Elementary School	McAdenville	177
Webb Street School	Gastonia	150
Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences	DALLAS	112