Welcome to Poplin Elementary School, home of the Patriots! Built in 2009, Poplin is the newest school in Union County Public Schools. Our school colors are yellow and green.

Poplin is one of five elementary schools in the Porter Ridge Cluster. After our fifth-grade students leave us, most attend Porter Ridge Middle School and Porter Ridge High School.

Poplin is one of two schools in the Porter Ridge Cluster to host the Dual Language Immersion Program in Spanish. Currently, we have one class in kindergarten through grade 5; each of which is full immersion. Students are taught curriculum for each subject area in Spanish and they speak Spanish the entire school day. The goal of the program is for our students to be fluent in Spanish once they leave the fifth grade. To learn more about Dual Language Immersion in UCPS, click here.

In order to broaden the scope of global learning at Poplin, we have a Global STEAM Lab. In this lab, students study current global issues through the lens of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). We also offer a Coding club for our 4^th graders after school. Our school is also equipped with Google Expeditions that allow teachers and students to explore the world through over 900 virtual-reality and 100 augmented-reality tours and a 3-D printer that allows teachers and students hands-on experience from conception to creation.

Poplin is fortunate to have a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) that supports our school in a variety of ways. Our PTA has provided shade structures and additional swings for our playground, provided SMART boards and iPads for our classrooms, a projector in our gymnasium, and refurbished our entire Media Center. There are multiple ways to volunteer and become involved in our PTA. Click here for more information.

Poplin Elementary is a consistently high-performing school that is committed to helping our students dream big dreams, reach their full potential, grow intellectually and become the best contributing global citizen that they can be.

School Information

Poplin Elementary School
5627 Poplin Road
Indian Trail, NC 28079

Phone: 704-296-0320

Fax: 704-882-4853

Fast Facts

Traditional Calendar

Start Bell: 7:30 a.m.

End Bell: 2 p.m

Mascot: Patriots

Colors: Green and yellow

Meet Our School Administrators

Kate Earp (Principal)
About Mrs. Earp

Greetings Poplin Patriot Families, Staff, and Community!

I am thrilled to be a part of the awesome Poplin Elementary School team! I earned my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and my master's in school administration from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I served as a K-6 classroom teacher and an instructional coach prior to becoming an administrator.

Our staff works very hard each day to prepare our students to be college and career-ready. With the competitive nature of our global economy, we want our students prepared to take advantage of all the opportunities that will come their way. The Poplin community works diligently to build a culture that is warm and inviting to all families and looks forward to continuing all the wonderful initiatives that Poplin staff and students embrace daily!

Contact Mrs. Earp
- Phone: 704-296-0320, ext. 6401
- Email: kate.earp@ucps.k12.nc.us
Randal Watts (Assistant Principal)
About Mr. Watts

Mr. Randal Watts came to Poplin from New Town Elementary where he worked in several roles. He started his career in education at Sun Valley High School as a science teacher for ten years. He later worked as an administrator for a Small learning Community grant for years. The grant position was created to help transition and support ninth-graders from middle to high school by developing academic support for students and teachers as well as creating extra-curricular opportunities for the students. Upon conclusion of the grant, Mr. Watts became an assistant principal of instruction for Sun Valley for seven years.

His educational background includes an Associates Arts degree from Brevard College, an undergraduate degree in Biology Secondary Education from Appalachian State and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University.

Mr. Watts is a life-long resident of Union County and product of Union County Public Schools. He is the father of two young children, a set of twin girls Miranda and Marissa.

Contact Mr. Watts
- Email: randal.watts@ucps.k12.nc.us