Lucy S. Herring Elementary, 98 Sulphur Springs Road: grades Pre-K-5, 234 students in 2024-25, a C (69) state grade.
Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: the school’s website; Asheville City Schools’ enrollment and calendar pages; Buncombe County’s school district mapping tool; the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2024-25 report card data and 2025-26 school assessment workbook; and the federal NCES school directory.
Lucy S. Herring Elementary is an Asheville City Schools elementary school at 98 Sulphur Springs Road, Asheville. Its full name is Lucy S. Herring Elementary School of Ecology, a magnet theme built on the study of people and the natural environment, according to the school’s website. The school says it has three outdoor classrooms used weekly and a garden coordinator, on its ecology page.
Who to call
- Front office: 828-350-6600, 98 Sulphur Springs Road
- School website: herring.ashevillecityschools.net
- Enrolling a new student: Asheville City Schools Enrollment Office 828-350-6111, 85 Mountain St.; enrollment page
- Am I in the city school district? the county’s school district mapping tool
- Buses: ACS Transportation 828-350-2903, 441 Haywood Road
| Address | 98 Sulphur Springs Road, Asheville, NC 28806 |
| Phone | 828-350-6600 |
| Grades | Pre-K to 5 |
| District | Asheville City Schools |
| Magnet theme | Ecology |
| State school code | 111360 |
Principal
Principal Dr. Julie Frank, according to the school’s website.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: an average daily membership of 234 students in the 2024-25 school year, down from 259 in 2023-24, according to the state’s report card data.
- Federal count: 270 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 11 students per teacher.
State report card
North Carolina grades every public school A to F. The grade is based 80% on student achievement and 20% on academic growth, according to the state’s 2025-26 annual testing report. For this school, achievement is measured by the state’s end-of-grade reading, math and science tests.
| School year | Grade and score | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | C (69) | Met |
| 2023-24 | C (69) | Exceeded |
The 2024-25 grade is the latest in the state’s downloadable report card data. From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment workbook:
- At grade level or above, all state tests: 65.7% (statewide, all tests: 59.2%)
- College and career ready (Level 4 and above): 47%
- Growth in 2025-26: met expected growth
- Reading: 63.4% at grade level or above; math: 65.8%
The full report card, with class sizes, teacher data and school safety figures, is on the state’s NC School Report Cards site.
Attendance zone
Asheville City Schools does not draw attendance zones inside the district. It offers school choice at every grade level to families who live in the district, assigning students to their school of choice within board policy, school capacity and a 1991 federal desegregation order, according to its enrollment office. The elementary schools are magnet schools, and families may pick any of them where space allows and racial balance is kept, according to the district’s magnet program page.
The line that matters is the district boundary, which does not match the city limits: by our measurement of the county’s map, the district covers about 37% of Asheville’s land area, and Buncombe County Schools serves the rest. Check an address with the county’s school district mapping tool, which the district links from its enrollment process page.
Feeder pattern: the county’s map assigns the whole city district to Asheville Middle and Asheville High. Asheville Middle is the district’s only middle school, so students from every city elementary school continue there.
Students from outside the district may apply for discretionary admission. They pay annual tuition, get no bus service and must be released by their zoned school, according to the enrollment process page.
We found no rezoning or boundary change approved by the Asheville City Board of Education that affects the school.
Calendar and bell times
Coming dates on the Asheville City Schools 2026-27 elementary calendar (PDF):
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: end of the first quarter
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: no school for students (teacher workday)
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: holiday
- Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
- Friday, Dec. 18: early release
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
- March 22-26, 2027: spring break
- Friday, June 4, 2027: last day of school, early release
Bell times: 8 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. for elementary schools, according to the 2026-27 calendar. The district’s enrollment FAQ puts the earliest elementary drop-off at 7:15 a.m.
More
- The school’s own website and the district’s schools page
- Every public school in Asheville, with zones and report cards
- Our Asheville schools guide for district calendars, enrollment and the school boards
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Lucy S. Herring Elementary serve?
Lucy S. Herring Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
What is Lucy S. Herring Elementary’s school grade?
Lucy S. Herring Elementary earned a C, with a score of 69, in North Carolina’s 2024-25 School Performance Grades. In 2025-26, 65.7% of its state tests were at grade level or above and it met its growth target.
Which high school does Lucy S. Herring Elementary feed into?
Asheville City Schools students move on to Asheville Middle, the district’s only middle school, and then to Asheville High, the high school the county’s school district map assigns to the city district. SILSA, on the same campus, is a choice school that students apply to.
What time does Lucy S. Herring Elementary start?
The school day runs 8 a.m. to 2:35 p.m., according to the Asheville City Schools 2026-27 calendar.
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