Kings Creek School Exploration

Status: No decision has been made. 
Last updated: October 7, 2026
Information Updated Periodically

On October 6, 2026, the Caldwell County Board of Education reviewed a study of the Kings Creek School building. The Board then directed district leadership to begin the state-mandated process for exploring school closure.

The Board has not voted. State law requires a public hearing first, and the Board will hear from the community before it decides.

This page has the facts as we know them, an overview of the study, and answers to the questions we're hearing. We'll add more information as it becomes available. 

Use the button below to submit a comment or question to district leadership. 

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What’s Being Considered

The Board of Education is considering closing Kings Creek School at the end of the 2026–2027 school year.

Starting in 2027–2028, students would be assigned to other schools. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade would likely be assigned to Lower Creek Elementary or Happy Valley School. Students in sixth through eighth grade would be assigned to William Lenoir Middle School or Happy Valley School. Families could also request a different school under the district's transfer policy. 

Where Things Stand

The Board of Education has reviewed the initial study. Next, the Board will hold a public hearing to discuss details and hear public feedback. The Board may hold multiple hearings or additional information sessions for families of enrolled students. After these meetings, the Board will vote on next steps. If the Board votes to close, the change will not take effect until the 2027-2028 school year. 

Numbers to Keep in Mind

120: As of September 21, 2026, 120 students attend Kings Creek from kindergarten through eighth grade – 77 students in grades K-5 and 43 in grades 6-8.

30%: In the 2021-2022 school year, 172 students were enrolled. Enrollment was 194 in the 2015-2016 school year. Kings Creek enrollment has fallen over time, with a 30% decrease in the last five years. The district as a whole has dropped 8%. 

7: Only seven kindergarten students are enrolled in Kings Creek School for the 2026-2027 school year, a 40% decrease from the 2025-2026 school year. 

358: Kings Creek School’s building is designed to educate 358 students, according to an independent analysis from McKissick Associates completed in September 2026. 

$786: Based on current enrollment, it will cost $786 per student per year just to heat, cool, and power the building. The district average is $291. 

$2.4 million: An independent study by Baisca estimated $2.4 million in repairs and replacement costs would be needed at Kings Creek over the next 10 years. 
 

Why There Are Fewer Students

Caldwell County has about as many people as it did ten years ago. What has changed is how many of them are children.

About 3,890 children under age 5 live in the county today. Ten years ago, there were about 4,500. Fewer babies are being born here, and more people die in the county each year than are born. (U.S. Census Data, 2025)

Over the same years, the number of residents 65 and older has grown from about 16.5% of the county’s population to 21.7%. People are still moving here, but most of them are retirees and adults without school-age children. Seniors now outnumber children in Caldwell County. (U.S. Census Data, 2025)

You can see it in our own classrooms. This year's eighth grade has 797 students across the district. This year's kindergarten has 620. Every grade-level cohort has gotten a little smaller over time.

Kings Creek shows the same pattern. Its eighth grade has 16 students and its kindergarten has 7.

This is happening in rural counties across North Carolina, and it is not a judgment on any school. Fewer children live in the community. Kings Creek has been impacted by that change more than others.

How School Funding Works

Most school funding comes from the state, which pays per student. Each year, it counts a district's students and funds teachers and other positions based on that count. When enrollment drops, the funding drops with it.

That money also comes with rules. State and federal dollars arrive in categories, and each category can only be spent on certain things. The district can't take money meant for one purpose and use it to keep a school open.

A school building doesn't shrink when enrollment does. Kings Creek still needs a principal, an office, a cafeteria, a custodian, heat, lights, and a teacher in every grade, whether a class has 7 students or 20. The state pays based on the number of students.

Local funding has to cover the difference. Local dollars from the county are the district's only flexible money, so it must be used strategically. Caldwell County Schools will receive roughly between $1,500 and $1,800 per student in local funding this school year. Caldwell County’s local funding ranks the lowest among our neighboring counties and districts. Every local dollar that fills the gap at one school is a dollar that can't be spent on students anywhere else in the district.
 

Has the Board decided to close Kings Creek?
No. The Board has not voted. State law requires a public hearing before a board can close a school.

Who is proposing this?
The Board of Education asked district leadership to explore closing Kings Creek. On October 6, the Board reviewed a study of the building and directed leadership to begin the process state law requires.

What does the law require?
North Carolina law (N.C.G.S. § 115C-72) requires a board of education to study a school before closing it and to hold a public hearing where people can share their views. The Board decides only after both.

Who did the study?
McKissick Associates, an architecture firm. They visited Kings Creek on August 31, 2026, and also reviewed the building in 2018 and 2019.

What did the study find?
The building is in fair condition. It is structurally sound and has been well maintained. It was designed for 358 students and has 120, which is about three times the space per student that state guidelines call for. The 1948 wing used for grades 6–8 has classrooms smaller than those at other district schools, and parts of the campus are hard to reach for people with disabilities.

Why this school?
Kings Creek has lost 30% of its students in five years. It uses about a third of its building, and it costs more per student to operate than any other traditional school in the district.

Why is enrollment falling?
Caldwell County has fewer children than it used to. District enrollment peaked at 13,116 in 2007–08 and is 9,755 today. That is about 3,400 fewer students, more than attend all five of our high schools combined. Kings Creek has felt it more than most. The school held steady at about 220 students for years, then lost half of them after 2013–14.

Aren't small classes better for kids?
Small classes mean more attention, and Kings Creek teachers give it. But a very small school also has limits. Combination classes are more common, creating harder work for teachers and sometimes less attention for students. Many specials teachers and support staff are only at the school part-time. 

Are other schools next?
The Board has not requested review of any other schools at this time. The other K-8 schools have not seen significant enrollment decreases. Kings Creek is being looked at because of its size. It has 120 students, and no other traditional school in the district is close to that small. The district has been here twice before. Oak Hill had 115 students in its last year, 2019–20, and West Lenoir had 133 in its last year, 2021–22. Enrollment is falling across the county, and the Board will continue to monitor it at every school. Any future closure would have to go through the same process, with a study and a public hearing before a vote.

Where would my child go?
Students in grades K–5 will likely be assigned to Lower Creek Elementary. Students in grades 6–8 would be assigned to William Lenoir Middle School.

Do we have a choice?
Yes. Families can request another school under the district's transfer policy.

How long would the bus ride be?
It depends on where they live. Some students will get home sooner in the afternoon because they are less likely to wait for a second or late bus load. Students who play sports would ride less. Today they bus from Kings Creek to William Lenoir for each practice, and on game days they make that trip before boarding the team bus. At William Lenoir, practices and home games are right at school.

What about sports?
Kings Creek doesn't have enough students to field teams. Students who play already join the teams at William Lenoir, which means a bus ride there every afternoon. At William Lenoir, practice and the team bus are right at school.

What about students who receive Exceptional Children's services?
A student's IEP goes with them. Every service in an IEP is required at any school in the district, and Lower Creek and William Lenoir provide the same EC services as Kings Creek. In some cases, these schools may offer more support for students’ specific needs because they have more resources. 

Will my child be known at a bigger school?
If the Board of Education chooses to close the school, District leadership would work directly with Kings Creek families to help them choose a new school for their student and help the student become familiar with the new school, staff, and other families. 

Are those schools full?
No. Lower Creek has 339 students and room for 428. William Lenoir has 540 and room for 600. If every Kings Creek student moved, Lower Creek would have 416 and William Lenoir 583. Both schools have held that many before: Lower Creek had 429 students in 2016–17, and William Lenoir had 599 in 2020–21.

Didn't they already take Oak Hill students?
Oak Hill's last year was 2019–20. That year, Lower Creek had 383 students, and William Lenoir had 571. 

How big are the classes at Lower Creek?
Classes range from about 14 to 22 students, depending on the grade.  Counting teachers and teaching assistants together, both schools have about one adult for every 9 students. As a reminder, the state sets class-size limits. We cannot pack a class full of students.

How big are the classes at William Lenoir?
They are slightly larger on average than the classes at Kings Creek. But due to the larger size, William Lenoir also has things a small school can't offer, including a student success specialist who tracks how each student is doing and arranges extra help, dedicated, full-time teachers for career & technical education, Spanish, art, and a chorus teacher, and a band director. Its classrooms are also larger and more spread out than those in Kings Creek's 1948 wing.

Why has Lower Creek been closed to transfers if it is not full?
The district held space there for growth it expected nearby, and that growth did not happen. 

What happens to Kings Creek employees?
The goal is to place every Kings Creek employee at another school. Lower Creek and William Lenoir will likely need more teachers. 

Were staff told before families?
Yes. The Superintendent and district leaders met with Kings Creek staff for about two hours before notifying families. 

Is this about the budget?
Partly, and here is how. The state funds schools by the student. Kings Creek's enrollment no longer brings in enough to cover what it takes to run the school, so local dollars make up the rest. The district has very few local dollars. The question before the Board is whether that money does more for students by keeping a mostly empty school open or by going toward teachers and programs.

Has anyone outside the district reviewed how money is spent?
Multiple state agencies and an independent accounting firm audit the district’s finances multiple times per year. Strategic funding choices happened at the district level first last year. Human capital was readjusted, and many district-level positions were consolidated. 

What would happen to the building?
Nothing has been decided.