Asheville City Schools, North Carolina, elections
| Asheville City Schools |
|---|
 |
| District details |
| School board members: 7 |
| Students: 3,977 (2023-2024) |
| Schools: 9 (2023-2024) |
| Website: Link |
Asheville City Schools is a school district in North Carolina (Buncombe County). During the 2024 school year, 3,977 students attended one of the district's nine schools.
This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.
Elections
Do you know of an individual or group that endorsed a candidate for a position on this board? Click here to let us know.
Asheville City Schools Board of Education
General election
General election for Asheville City Schools Board of Education (3 seats)
Pepi Acebo, George Sieburg, Jesse Warren, and William Young ran in the general election for Asheville City Schools Board of Education on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| Pepi Acebo (Nonpartisan) | ||
| George Sieburg (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Jesse Warren (Nonpartisan) | ||
| William Young (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Asheville City Schools Board of Education
General election
General election for Asheville City Schools Board of Education (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Asheville City Schools Board of Education on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| Pepi Acebo (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Liza English-Kelly (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Miri Massachi (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Amy Ray (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Rebecca Strimer (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Sarah Thornburg (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Jesse J. Warren (Nonpartisan) | ||
| William (Bill) Young, Jr. (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
About the district
School board
Asheville City Schools consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.
| Name | Year assumed office | Year term ends |
|---|---|---|
| Pepi Acebo | ||
| Liza Kelly | ||
| Amy Ray | ||
| George Sieburg | ||
| Rebecca Strimer | ||
| Sarah Thornburg | ||
| Jesse Warren | 2023 |
Join the conversation about school board politics
Unlock the full dataset for your own use cases — explore subscription options to our comprehensive list of all school board members in the country.
District map
Overlapping state house districts
The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $11,467,000 | $2,719 | 15% |
| Local: | $35,400,000 | $8,393 | 45% |
| State: | $31,747,000 | $7,527 | 40% |
| Total: | $78,614,000 | $18,638 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $70,644,000 | $16,748 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $67,479,000 | $15,997 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $41,880,000 | $9,928 | 59% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $7,425,000 | $1,760 | 11% |
| Administration: | $8,378,000 | $1,986 | 12% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $9,796,000 | $2,322 | 14% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $2,180,000 | $516 | |
| Construction: | $1,580,000 | $374 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $126,000 | $29 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $0 | $0 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 39 | 20-29 | 6 | 20-24 | <50 | 25-29 | 54 |
| 2018-2019 | 46 | 30-39 | 8 | 25-29 | PS | 30-34 | 63 |
| 2017-2018 | 46 | 40-49 | 10 | 35-39 | PS | 35-39 | 60 |
| 2016-2017 | 52 | 50-59 | 14 | 40-44 | PS | 40-44 | 67 |
| 2015-2016 | 55 | 40-59 | 19 | 45-49 | PS | 40-44 | 72 |
| 2014-2015 | 55 | 60-79 | 18 | 40-44 | PS | 35-39 | 73 |
| 2013-2014 | 54 | 60-79 | 19 | 40-44 | PS | 35-39 | 70 |
| 2012-2013 | 53 | 60-79 | 18 | 45-49 | PS | 40-44 | 73 |
| 2011-2012 | 81 | >=80 | 54 | 80-84 | >=50 | 75-79 | 95 |
| 2010-2011 | 82 | >=80 | 61 | 80-84 | PS | 80-84 | 94 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 55 | 30-39 | 13 | 45-49 | >=50 | 35-39 | 72 |
| 2018-2019 | 59 | 30-39 | 15 | 45-49 | <50 | 40-44 | 76 |
| 2017-2018 | 58 | 50-59 | 15 | 50-54 | PS | 45-49 | 75 |
| 2016-2017 | 59 | 40-49 | 17 | 40-44 | PS | 45-49 | 78 |
| 2015-2016 | 61 | 40-59 | 21 | 45-49 | PS | 40-44 | 80 |
| 2014-2015 | 58 | 60-79 | 20 | 40-44 | PS | 45-49 | 77 |
| 2013-2014 | 59 | 60-79 | 20 | 40-44 | PS | 40-44 | 78 |
| 2012-2013 | 58 | 60-79 | 20 | 40-44 | PS | 45-49 | 79 |
| 2011-2012 | 77 | >=80 | 46 | 75-79 | >=50 | 70-74 | 93 |
| 2010-2011 | 71 | 60-79 | 43 | 55-59 | PS | 65-69 | 91 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 92 | >=50 | 80-84 | >=80 | 60-79 | >=95 | |
| 2018-2019 | 91 | PS | 85-89 | >=80 | PS | 60-79 | 90-94 |
| 2017-2018 | 89 | >=50 | 80-84 | >=80 | >=80 | 90-94 | |
| 2016-2017 | 88 | PS | 80-84 | >=80 | >=80 | 90-94 | |
| 2015-2016 | 85 | >=50 | 80-84 | >=80 | PS | 60-79 | 85-89 |
| 2014-2015 | 85 | PS | 75-79 | >=50 | 70-79 | 90-94 | |
| 2013-2014 | 87 | >=50 | 75-79 | 60-79 | >=80 | 90-94 | |
| 2012-2013 | 82 | PS | 70-74 | >=50 | >=80 | 90-94 | |
| 2011-2012 | 86 | PS | 80-84 | >=80 | PS | >=50 | 85-89 |
| 2010-2011 | 81 | PS | 65-69 | >=80 | >=80 | 90-94 |
Students
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 3,977 | -4.0 |
| 2022-2023 | 4,137 | -2.0 |
| 2021-2022 | 4,218 | -1.9 |
| 2020-2021 | 4,300 | -3.3 |
| 2019-2020 | 4,443 | 0.2 |
| 2018-2019 | 4,435 | -2.1 |
| 2017-2018 | 4,529 | -0.6 |
| 2016-2017 | 4,558 | 3.0 |
| 2015-2016 | 4,423 | 1.4 |
| 2014-2015 | 4,361 | 3.0 |
| 2013-2014 | 4,230 | 0.8 |
| 2012-2013 | 4,195 | 2.4 |
| 2011-2012 | 4,096 | 5.5 |
| 2010-2011 | 3,872 | 2.9 |
| 2009-2010 | 3,758 | 0.5 |
| 2008-2009 | 3,738 | 0.6 |
| 2007-2008 | 3,715 | -1.6 |
| 2006-2007 | 3,773 | -2.0 |
| 2005-2006 | 3,847 | -0.9 |
| 2004-2005 | 3,883 | 0.6 |
| 2003-2004 | 3,859 | -1.6 |
| 2002-2003 | 3,920 | -1.5 |
| 2001-2002 | 3,980 | -1.2 |
| 2000-2001 | 4,028 | -1.4 |
| 1999-2000 | 4,084 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Asheville City Schools (%) | North Carolina K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.1 | 1.0 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.9 | 4.2 |
| Black | 18.1 | 24.5 |
| Hispanic | 9.1 | 21.2 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1.3 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 8.0 | 6.0 |
| White | 62.6 | 43.0 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Staff
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]
As of the 2023-2024 school year, Asheville City Schools had 323.35 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 12.3.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 10.00 |
| Kindergarten: | 22.73 |
| Elementary: | 190.75 |
| Secondary: | 99.87 |
| Total: | 323.35 |
Asheville City Schools employed 19.00 district administrators and 23.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 19.00 |
| District Administrative Support: | 26.82 |
| School Administrators: | 23.00 |
| School Administrative Support: | 26.00 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 87.77 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 11.00 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 14.00 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 7.50 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 6.00 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 10.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 1.00 |
| Student Support Services: | 58.64 |
| Other Support Services: | 90.86 |
Schools
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]
About school boards
Education legislation in North Carolina
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| School Boards | Education Policy | Local Politics | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
| |||||
