Charlotte, NC high schools ranked

RankGradeSchoolCityDistrictActualProjectedImpactStudents
#1AProvidence High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools88%80%Exceeds Expectations2,048
#2AChar Eng Early College UnccCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools86%74%Greatly Exceeds Expectations300
#3APerformance Learning CenterCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools86%66%Greatly Exceeds Expectations74
#4A-Ardrey Kell High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools82%78%Exceeds Expectations3,529
#5A-Williams Secondary Montessori (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools82%61%Greatly Exceeds Expectations373
#6A-Northwest School Of The Arts (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools75%58%Greatly Exceeds Expectations1,058
#7A-Corvian Community School (Charter, K-12)CharlotteCorvian Community School72%49%Greatly Exceeds Expectations1,294
#8B+Cato Middle College High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools68%77%Doesn't Meet Expectations201
#9B+Charlotte Teacher Early CollegeCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools68%66%Meets Expectations207
#10B+Bradford Preparatory School (Charter, K-12)CharlotteBradford Preparatory School66%49%Exceeds Expectations1,511
#11BMyers Park High School (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools64%64%Meets Expectations3,593
#12BJackson Day School (Charter, K-12)CharlotteJackson Day School63%37%Greatly Exceeds Expectations817
#13B-Phillip O Berry Academy Of Technology (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools58%45%Greatly Exceeds Expectations1,552
#14B-East Mecklenburg High School (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools56%47%Exceeds Expectations2,409
#15C+Pioneer Springs Community School (Charter, K-12)CharlottePioneer Springs Community School56%42%Exceeds Expectations527
#16C+South Mecklenburg High School (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools53%54%Meets Expectations3,344
#17CSugar Creek Charter (Charter, K-12)CharlotteSugar Creek Charter50%29%Greatly Exceeds Expectations1,588
#18CIndependence High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools47%34%Greatly Exceeds Expectations2,022
#19CMallard Creek High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools47%28%Greatly Exceeds Expectations2,185
#20C-Tmsa Charlotte (Charter, K-12)CharlotteThe Math and Science Academy of Charlott48%32%Exceeds Expectations790
#21C-Hawthorne Academy Of Health Sciences (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools42%51%Doesn't Meet Expectations294
#22D+Olympic High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools40%21%Greatly Exceeds Expectations1,729
#23D+Charlotte Lab School (Charter, K-12)CharlotteCharlotte Lab School38%38%Doesn't Meet Expectations991
#24D+West Charlotte High School (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools37%20%Greatly Exceeds Expectations1,538
#25DPalisades High SchoolCharlotte50%34%Exceeds Expectations1,615
#26DJulius L Chambers High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools31%15%Greatly Exceeds Expectations2,224
#27D-Charlotte Secondary (Charter)CharlotteCharlotte Secondary School29%18%Greatly Exceeds Expectations175
#28D-Military And Global Leadership (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools29%28%Meets Expectations162
#29D-West Mecklenburg High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools27%14%Greatly Exceeds Expectations1,207
#30D-Cochrane Collegiate AcademyCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools26%20%Exceeds Expectations918
#31D-Garinger High SchoolCharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools25%16%Exceeds Expectations1,677
#32D-Harding University High School (Magnet)CharlotteCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools24%21%Meets Expectations1,305

How Charlotte, NC's high schools compare

A: 7B: 7C: 7D: 11

44% of the 32 ranked high schools in Charlotte, NC earn an A or B (7 A grades, 7 B, 7 C, 11 D, 0 F), against 50% of high schools nationwide. 29 schools meet or beat the proficiency projected from their student context (91% here, 74% nationally), and 24 exceed it. On average 54% of tested students meet the state bar against a projected 43% (national averages: 44% actual, 41% projected).

The biggest overperformers, by actual proficiency above projection: Jackson Day School (63% against 37%, B), Corvian Community School (72% against 49%, A-), Williams Secondary Montessori (82% against 61%, A-), Sugar Creek Charter (50% against 29%, C), Performance Learning Center (86% against 66%, A).

Districts with the most schools in the top quarter (the top 10): Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (8).

The largest ranked high schools: Myers Park High School (3,593 students, B, #11), Ardrey Kell High School (3,529 students, A-, #4), South Mecklenburg High School (3,344 students, C+, #16).

Of the top 25, 8 are magnet schools and 7 are charters. Selective and specialised schools tend to post high actual scores; the projection column is the fairer comparison for a neighborhood school.

High schools in Charlotte, NC that are not ranked

6 graded high schools are listed here rather than ranked, each for the reason given. Every one has its own page with its full SchoolGrade report.

Special-purpose schools (5)

Alternative, special-education and vocational schools serve a different mission and a different student body, so they are graded but not ranked against regular schools.

Not yet graded (1)

Our source data has no school-level proficiency results for these schools, so they carry no SchoolGrade yet.

About this ranking

  • Scope: public high schools in Charlotte, NC, as grouped on its schools page; the North Carolina ranking covers the whole state.
  • Order: SchoolGrade, then actual proficiency, then name; schools with the same grade and score share a rank.
  • Ranked: regular public schools that NCES lists as open, not fully online, with at least 30 students. Others are listed with the reason.
  • Tags: Magnet and Charter from the NCES school directory; K-12 marks schools serving every grade that are ranked with the high schools.
  • Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model. How SchoolGrade works

Questions about high schools in Charlotte, NC

What is the best high school in Charlotte, NC?

Providence High School in Charlotte ranks first among the 32 ranked high schools in Charlotte, NC with a SchoolGrade of A, 88% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 80%.

How are high schools in Charlotte, NC ranked?

By SchoolGrade, the 2025-26 model that scores each school's actual test proficiency against the level projected for its student context, then by actual proficiency to break ties. Regular public schools that are open, not fully online and have at least 30 students are ranked; the rest are listed below the table with the reason.

How many high schools does Charlotte, NC have?

SchoolGrade grades 38 public high schools in Charlotte, NC; 32 are ranked here and 6 are listed as not ranked.