Best High Schools in North Carolina (2025-26)

Ranked high schools

608

Listed, not ranked

121

Every ranked high school in North Carolina, ordered by SchoolGrade. A grade rewards actual test performance against the projection for each school's student context, so a B in a high-poverty school can outrank an A- elsewhere on impact. Click a column heading to sort, or filter by school, city or district.

North Carolina rankings: High Schools · Middle Schools · Elementary Schools

North Carolina high schools ranked, 501 to 608 of 608

Rank	Grade	School	City	District	Actual	Projected	Impact	Students
#501	D+	Western Harnett High	Lillington	Harnett County Schools	39%	48%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	1,386
#502	D+	Westover High	Fayetteville	Cumberland County Schools	39%	28%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,202
#503	D+	Ayden Grifton High	Ayden	Pitt County Schools	38%	53%	Underperforms Expectations	659
#504	D+	Charlotte Lab School (Charter, K-12)	Charlotte	Charlotte Lab School	38%	38%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	991
#505	D+	Douglas Byrd High	Fayetteville	Cumberland County Schools	38%	38%	Meets Expectations	940
#506	D+	Forest Hills High	Marshville	Union County Public Schools	38%	39%	Meets Expectations	873
#507	D+	Hickory High	Hickory	Hickory City Schools	38%	56%	Underperforms Expectations	1,014
#508	D+	Union High	Rose Hill	Sampson County Schools	38%	36%	Meets Expectations	461
#509	D+	Washington High	Washington	Beaufort County Schools	38%	40%	Meets Expectations	839
#510	D+	West Iredell High	Statesville	Iredell-Statesville Schools	38%	44%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	844
#511	D+	East Bladen High	Elizabethtown	Bladen County Schools	37%	45%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	545
#512	D+	East Columbus Junior Senior High	Lake Waccamaw	Columbus County Schools	37%	36%	Meets Expectations	594
#513	D+	Mitchell High	Bakersville	Mitchell County Schools	37%	52%	Underperforms Expectations	497
#514	D+	Southern Wayne High	Dudley	Wayne County Public Schools	37%	44%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	1,066
#515	D+	West Charlotte High School (Magnet)	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	37%	20%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,538
#516	D+	Lee County High	Sanford	Lee County Schools	36%	56%	Underperforms Expectations	1,508
#517	D+	North Gaston High	Dallas	Gaston County Schools	36%	38%	Meets Expectations	1,134
#518	D+	Cabarrus Charter Academy (Charter, K-12)	Concord	Valor Preparatory Academy	35%	28%	Meets Expectations	669
#519	D	Palisades High School	Charlotte		50%	34%	Exceeds Expectations	1,615
#520	D	Blue Ridge Early College	Cashiers	Jackson County Public Schools	36%	55%	Underperforms Expectations	132
#521	D	Jordan Matthews High	Siler City	Chatham County Schools	36%	43%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	913
#522	D	Northern High	Durham	Durham Public Schools	36%	43%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	1,308
#523	D	Pasquotank County High	Elizabeth City	Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools	36%	33%	Meets Expectations	628
#524	D	Southwestern Randolph High School	Asheboro	Randolph County School System	36%	52%	Underperforms Expectations	869
#525	D	Bertie High	Windsor	Bertie County Schools	35%	16%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	442
#526	D	Heide Trask High	Rocky Point	Pender County Schools	35%	45%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	720
#527	D	John M Morehead High	Eden	Rockingham County Schools	35%	44%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	814
#528	D	Triton High	Erwin	Harnett County Schools	35%	61%	Underperforms Expectations	1,287
#529	D	West Craven High	Vanceboro	Craven County Board of Education	35%	43%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	860
#530	D	Erwin High	Asheville	Buncombe County Schools	34%	55%	Underperforms Expectations	1,096
#531	D	Granville Central High	Stem	Granville County Schools	34%	48%	Underperforms Expectations	638
#532	D	Knightdale High	Knightdale	Wake County Schools	34%	35%	Meets Expectations	1,702
#533	D	Montgomery Central High	Troy	Montgomery County Schools	34%	44%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	893
#534	D	Red Springs High	Red Springs	Public Schools of Robeson County	34%	29%	Exceeds Expectations	851
#535	D	Scotland High School	Laurinburg	Scotland County Schools	34%	33%	Meets Expectations	1,445
#536	D	Southern Guilford High (Magnet)	Greensboro	Guilford County Schools	34%	28%	Exceeds Expectations	938
#537	D	Southwest High	Jacksonville	Onslow County Schools	34%	47%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	702
#538	D	Walkertown High	Walkertown	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	34%	38%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	723
#539	D	Ashbrook High	Gastonia	Gaston County Schools	33%	33%	Meets Expectations	1,303
#540	D	Ben L Smith High School	Greensboro	Guilford County Schools	33%	20%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,371
#541	D	Eastern Guilford High	Gibsonville	Guilford County Schools	33%	37%	Meets Expectations	1,198
#542	D	James Kenan High	Warsaw	Duplin County Schools	33%	41%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	784
#543	D	Person High	Roxboro	Person County Schools	33%	44%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	1,079
#544	D	Richmond Senior High	Rockingham	Richmond County Schools	33%	47%	Underperforms Expectations	1,286
#545	D	T Wingate Andrews High High (Magnet)	Point	Guilford County Schools	33%	19%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	717
#546	D	Fairmont High	Fairmont	Public Schools of Robeson County	32%	35%	Meets Expectations	840
#547	D	J F Webb High	Oxford	Granville County Schools	32%	39%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	594
#548	D	Rocky Mount High	Rocky Mount	Nash County Public Schools	32%	26%	Exceeds Expectations	1,072
#549	D	Rocky Mount Preparatory (Charter, K-12)	Rocky Mount	Rocky Mount Preparatory	32%	22%	Meets Expectations	1,022
#550	D	South Rowan High	China Grove	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	32%	45%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	952
#551	D	West Caldwell High	Lenoir	Caldwell County Schools	32%	41%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	753
#552	D	Bessemer City High	Bessemer City	Gaston County Schools	31%	27%	Exceeds Expectations	566
#553	D	Hertford County High	Ahoskie	Hertford County Schools	31%	22%	Exceeds Expectations	573
#554	D	Hillside High (Magnet)	Durham	Durham Public Schools	31%	27%	Exceeds Expectations	1,526
#555	D	Julius L Chambers High School	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	31%	15%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	2,224
#556	D	Mattamuskeet School (K-12)	Swan Quarter	Hyde County Schools	31%	37%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	317
#557	D	Northeast Guilford High	Mcleansville	Guilford County Schools	31%	20%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	959
#558	D	Rocky River High School	Mint Hill	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	31%	17%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,643
#559	D	Shelby High	Shelby	Cleveland County Schools	31%	44%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	825
#560	D	Statesville High	Statesville	Iredell-Statesville Schools	31%	26%	Exceeds Expectations	879
#561	D	Carter G Woodson School (Charter, K-12)	Winston Salem	Carter G Woodson School	30%	17%	Exceeds Expectations	451
#562	D	James B Dudley High (Magnet)	Greensboro	Guilford County Schools	30%	21%	Exceeds Expectations	1,491
#563	D	Middle College	Asheville	Buncombe County Schools	30%	61%	Underperforms Expectations	49
#564	D	Vance Virtual Village Academy	Henderson	Vance County Schools	30%	40%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	197
#565	D	Roanoke Rapids High School	Roanoke Rapids	Roanoke Rapids City Schools	29%	50%	Underperforms Expectations	783
#566	D-	Charlotte Secondary (Charter)	Charlotte	Charlotte Secondary School	29%	18%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	175
#567	D-	Military And Global Leadership (Magnet)	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	29%	28%	Meets Expectations	162
#568	D-	North Forsyth High (Magnet)	Winston Salem	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	29%	26%	Exceeds Expectations	1,062
#569	D-	Pender High	Burgaw	Pender County Schools	29%	42%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	677
#570	D-	A L Brown High	Kannapolis	Kannapolis City Schools	28%	50%	Underperforms Expectations	1,741
#571	D-	Goldsboro High	Goldsboro	Wayne County Public Schools	28%	14%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	470
#572	D-	Graham High	Graham	Alamance-Burlington Schools	28%	34%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	913
#573	D-	Greene Central High	Snow Hill	Greene County Schools	28%	41%	Underperforms Expectations	752
#574	D-	Monroe High	Monroe	Union County Public Schools	28%	34%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	1,041
#575	D-	Parkland High (Magnet)	Winston Salem	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	28%	24%	Exceeds Expectations	1,519
#576	D-	Reidsville High	Reidsville	Rockingham County Schools	28%	37%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	753
#577	D-	Southeast Raleigh High (Magnet)	Raleigh	Wake County Schools	28%	22%	Exceeds Expectations	1,401
#578	D-	West Columbus High	Cerro Gordo	Columbus County Schools	28%	43%	Underperforms Expectations	400
#579	D-	Albemarle High	Albemarle	Stanly County Schools	27%	29%	Meets Expectations	390
#580	D-	Salisbury High	Salisbury	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	27%	30%	Meets Expectations	959
#581	D-	West Mecklenburg High School	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	27%	14%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,207
#582	D-	West Rowan High	Mount Ulla	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	27%	52%	Underperforms Expectations	1,113
#583	D-	Cochrane Collegiate Academy	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	26%	20%	Exceeds Expectations	918
#584	D-	Hugh M Cummings High	Burlington	Alamance-Burlington Schools	26%	35%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	981
#585	D-	Hunter Huss High	Gastonia	Gaston County Schools	26%	27%	Meets Expectations	1,120
#586	D-	Thomasville High	Thomasville	Thomasville City Schools	26%	30%	Meets Expectations	634
#587	D-	Warren County High	Warrenton	Warren County Schools	26%	38%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	384
#588	D-	Washington County High	Plymouth	Washington County Schools	26%	24%	Meets Expectations	260
#589	D-	Garinger High School	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	25%	16%	Exceeds Expectations	1,677
#590	D-	Haliwa Saponi Tribal School (Charter, K-12)	Hollister	Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School	25%	24%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	135
#591	D-	Robert B Glenn High School	Kernersville	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	25%	39%	Underperforms Expectations	1,504
#592	D-	Southeast Halifax Collegiate Prep Academ	Halifax	Halifax County Schools	25%	18%	Exceeds Expectations	196
#593	D-	Southern School Of Energy And Sustainabi (Magnet)	Durham	Durham Public Schools	25%	26%	Meets Expectations	1,283
#594	D-	Southwest Edgecombe High	Pinetops	Edgecombe County Public Schools	25%	26%	Meets Expectations	802
#595	D-	Wallace Rose Hill High	Teachey	Duplin County Schools	25%	43%	Underperforms Expectations	807
#596	D-	Harding University High School (Magnet)	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	24%	21%	Meets Expectations	1,305
#597	D-	Kinston High	Kinston	Lenoir County Public Schools	23%	29%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	713
#598	D-	North Rowan High	Spencer	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	22%	26%	Meets Expectations	589
#599	D-	Carver High	Winston Salem	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	21%	16%	Exceeds Expectations	664
#600	D-	Northwest Halifax Collegiate And Technic	Littleton	Halifax County Schools	21%	15%	Exceeds Expectations	312
#601	D-	Eastern Randolph High School	Ramseur	Randolph County School System	20%	53%	Underperforms Expectations	626
#602	D-	Winston Salem Preparatory (Magnet)	Winston-Salem	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	20%	16%	Exceeds Expectations	361
#603	F	Richmond 9th Grade Academy	Hamlet	Richmond County Schools	27%	55%	Underperforms Expectations	491
#604	F	Weldon Stem High School	Career Academies Weldon	Weldon City Schools	19%	10%	Exceeds Expectations	120
#605	F	North Edgecombe High	Tarboro	Edgecombe County Public Schools	17%	14%	Meets Expectations	229
#606	F	Vance County High School	Henderson	Vance County Schools	17%	18%	Meets Expectations	958
#607	F	Tarboro High	Tarboro	Edgecombe County Public Schools	15%	21%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	518
#608	F	Northampton County High School	Gaston	Northampton County Schools	14%	12%	Meets Expectations	240

About this ranking

Scope: every public high school in North Carolina.
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