Tuckaseegee Elementary vs Vaughan Academy of Technology

Vaughan Academy of Technology sits 264 spots above Tuckaseegee Elementary in North Carolina's statewide rankings — #27 versus #291 out of 2,648 schools — and holds a 9.3/10 overall rating against Tuckaseegee's 8.4/10. That 0.9-point gap is meaningful context for Charlotte parents weighing two schools that are otherwise demographically near-identical and just 12.0 miles apart. Both serve kindergarten through fifth grade, so grade range is not a differentiating factor.

The academic score delta drives most of that overall gap. Vaughan Academy of Technology scores 9.1/10 on academics versus Tuckaseegee Elementary's 8.0/10 — a full point separating the two on measured proficiency outcomes. Growth tells a strikingly different story: Tuckaseegee Elementary posts a 9.8/10 growth score against Vaughan's 9.7/10, meaning both schools push students forward at nearly identical, exceptional rates. Vaughan's academic edge reflects where students test; Tuckaseegee's near-identical growth score reflects how fast they are improving from wherever they start.

Both schools serve overwhelmingly high-need populations — free and reduced lunch eligibility sits at 99% at Tuckaseegee Elementary and 98% at Vaughan Academy of Technology — so neither school is demographically advantaged by its student body. Tuckaseegee is the larger campus at 561 students versus Vaughan's 316, and it actually edges Vaughan on class size: a 13.7:1 student-teacher ratio compared to Vaughan's 14.4:1. For families who prioritize smaller classes and more direct instructor access, Tuckaseegee holds a modest structural advantage here.

Vaughan Academy of Technology's name signals a programmatic identity — a technology-focused curriculum — distinguishing it from Tuckaseegee Elementary, which operates as a traditional neighborhood elementary. Both schools cover the same KG–05 grade span, so the program emphasis, not grade access, is the structural differentiator. Vaughan's dramatically higher state rank (#27 vs. #291) reflects outcomes that have earned it a place among North Carolina's top-tier elementary schools despite serving a similarly high-poverty enrollment.