Best High Schools in North Carolina (2025-26)

Ranked high schools

584

Listed, not ranked

116

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 584 of 584

Rank	Grade	School	City	District	Actual	Projected	Impact	Students
#501	C+	Pender High	Burgaw	Pender County Schools	35%	35%	Meets Expectations	677
#502	C+	Purnell Swett High	Pembroke	Public Schools of Robeson County	35%	25%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,608
#503	C+	Wallace Rose Hill High	Teachey	Duplin County Schools	35%	33%	Meets Expectations	807
#504	C+	Quality Education Academy (Charter, K-12)	Winston Salem	Quality Education Academy	27%	11%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	673
#505	C	E E Smith High	Fayetteville	Cumberland County Schools	34%	19%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,004
#506	C	Garinger High School	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	34%	20%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,677
#507	C	Northampton Early College	Weldon	Northampton County Schools	34%	26%	Exceeds Expectations	171
#508	C	Northern Nash High	Rocky Mount	Nash County Public Schools	34%	35%	Meets Expectations	1,059
#509	C	Rocky River High School	Mint Hill	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	34%	24%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,643
#510	C	Southern Guilford High (Magnet)	Greensboro	Guilford County Schools	34%	36%	Meets Expectations	938
#511	C	Bartlett Yancey High	Yanceyville	Caswell County Schools	33%	34%	Meets Expectations	679
#512	C	Hillside High (Magnet)	Durham	Durham Public Schools	33%	25%	Exceeds Expectations	1,526
#513	C	Hiwassee Dam High	Murphy	Cherokee County Schools	33%	46%	Underperforms Expectations	158
#514	C	John M Morehead High	Eden	Rockingham County Schools	33%	34%	Meets Expectations	814
#515	C	Knightdale High	Knightdale	Wake County Schools	33%	33%	Meets Expectations	1,702
#516	C	Shelby High	Shelby	Cleveland County Schools	33%	43%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	825
#517	C	South Rowan High	China Grove	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	33%	42%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	952
#518	C	Southern Nash High	Bailey	Nash County Public Schools	33%	34%	Meets Expectations	1,070
#519	C	Westover High	Fayetteville	Cumberland County Schools	33%	31%	Exceeds Expectations	1,202
#520	C	Bessemer City High	Bessemer City	Gaston County Schools	32%	27%	Exceeds Expectations	566
#521	C	North Pitt High	Bethel	Pitt County Schools	32%	27%	Exceeds Expectations	814
#522	C	Northeast Guilford High	Mcleansville	Guilford County Schools	32%	25%	Exceeds Expectations	959
#523	C	Reidsville High	Reidsville	Rockingham County Schools	32%	34%	Meets Expectations	753
#524	C	Saint Pauls High	Saint Pauls	Public Schools of Robeson County	32%	32%	Meets Expectations	1,151
#525	C	West Bladen High	Bladenboro	Bladen County Schools	32%	32%	Meets Expectations	701
#526	C	West Craven High	Vanceboro	Craven County Board of Education	32%	32%	Meets Expectations	860
#527	C	West Iredell High	Statesville	Iredell-Statesville Schools	32%	37%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	844
#528	C	West Mecklenburg High School	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	32%	19%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,207
#529	C	Hunter Huss High	Gastonia	Gaston County Schools	31%	31%	Meets Expectations	1,120
#530	C	Greene Central High	Snow Hill	Greene County Schools	30%	27%	Exceeds Expectations	752
#531	C-	Ayden Grifton High	Ayden	Pitt County Schools	30%	30%	Meets Expectations	659
#532	C-	Charlotte Secondary (Charter)	Charlotte	Charlotte Secondary School	30%	25%	Exceeds Expectations	175
#533	C-	Columbia High	Columbia	Tyrrell County Schools	30%	31%	Meets Expectations	199
#534	C-	Harding University High School (Magnet)	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	30%	19%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,305
#535	C-	Lumberton Senior High	Lumberton	Public Schools of Robeson County	30%	35%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	1,935
#536	C-	Northern High	Durham	Durham Public Schools	30%	32%	Meets Expectations	1,308
#537	C-	Albemarle High	Albemarle	Stanly County Schools	28%	32%	Meets Expectations	390
#538	C-	Douglas Byrd High	Fayetteville	Cumberland County Schools	28%	29%	Meets Expectations	940
#539	C-	James Kenan High	Warsaw	Duplin County Schools	28%	30%	Meets Expectations	784
#540	C-	Kinston High	Kinston	Lenoir County Public Schools	28%	11%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	713
#541	C-	Anson High School	Wadesboro	Anson County Schools	27%	26%	Meets Expectations	655
#542	C-	J F Webb High	Oxford	Granville County Schools	27%	26%	Meets Expectations	594
#543	C-	Military And Global Leadership (Magnet)	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	27%	31%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	162
#544	C-	Nash Central High	Rocky Mount	Nash County Public Schools	27%	33%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	921
#545	C-	North Johnston High	Kenly	Johnston County Public Schools	27%	44%	Underperforms Expectations	787
#546	C-	Smithfield Selma High	Smithfield	Johnston County Public Schools	27%	38%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	1,503
#547	C-	Southern Wayne High	Dudley	Wayne County Public Schools	27%	30%	Meets Expectations	1,066
#548	C-	Rocky Mount High	Rocky Mount	Nash County Public Schools	25%	23%	Exceeds Expectations	1,072
#549	C-	Mattamuskeet School (K-12)	Swan Quarter	Hyde County Schools	24%	22%	Exceeds Expectations	317
#550	C-	Haliwa Saponi Tribal School (Charter, K-12)	Hollister	Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School	23%	13%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	135
#551	C-	Kipp Gaston College Preparatory (Charter, K-12)	Gaston	KIPP Gaston College Preparatory	23%	13%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,286
#552	D+	Bertie High	Windsor	Bertie County Schools	25%	11%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	442
#553	D+	North Forsyth High (Magnet)	Winston Salem	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	25%	22%	Exceeds Expectations	1,062
#554	D+	Pasquotank County High	Elizabeth City	Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools	25%	27%	Meets Expectations	628
#555	D+	South Johnston High	Four Oaks	Johnston County Public Schools	25%	32%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	1,331
#556	D+	Tarboro High	Tarboro	Edgecombe County Public Schools	25%	15%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	518
#557	D+	Washington High	Washington	Beaufort County Schools	25%	30%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	839
#558	D+	Southern School Of Energy And Sustainabi (Magnet)	Durham	Durham Public Schools	24%	25%	Meets Expectations	1,283
#559	D+	Rocky Mount Preparatory (Charter, K-12)	Rocky Mount	Rocky Mount Preparatory	20%	12%	Exceeds Expectations	1,022
#560	D+	Vance Virtual Village Academy (K-12)	Henderson	Vance County Schools	20%	25%	Meets Expectations	197
#561	D+	Carter G Woodson School (Charter, K-12)	Winston Salem	Carter G Woodson School	17%	14%	Exceeds Expectations	451
#562	D+	College Prep And Leadership Academy (Charter, K-12)	Jamestown	The College Preparatory and Leadership A	17%	18%	Meets Expectations	821
#563	D	Cochrane Collegiate Academy	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	23%	21%	Exceeds Expectations	918
#564	D	Fairmont High	Fairmont	Public Schools of Robeson County	23%	26%	Meets Expectations	840
#565	D	Red Springs High	Red Springs	Public Schools of Robeson County	23%	25%	Meets Expectations	851
#566	D	Statesville High	Statesville	Iredell-Statesville Schools	23%	25%	Meets Expectations	879
#567	D	T Wingate Andrews High High (Magnet)	Point	Guilford County Schools	23%	24%	Meets Expectations	717
#568	D	Carver High	Winston Salem	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	20%	17%	Exceeds Expectations	664
#569	D	Citi High School	Rocky Mount	Nash County Public Schools	20%	32%	Underperforms Expectations	115
#570	D	Hertford County High	Ahoskie	Hertford County Schools	20%	14%	Exceeds Expectations	573
#571	D	J F Kennedy High (Magnet)	Winston Salem	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	20%	29%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	383
#572	D	Southeast Halifax Collegiate Prep Academ	Halifax	Halifax County Schools	20%	17%	Exceeds Expectations	196
#573	D	Performance Learning Center	Charlotte	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	19%	25%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	74
#574	D-	North Rowan High	Spencer	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	18%	26%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	589
#575	D-	Goldsboro High	Goldsboro	Wayne County Public Schools	17%	15%	Exceeds Expectations	470
#576	D-	Northwest Halifax Collegiate And Technic	Littleton	Halifax County Schools	17%	16%	Meets Expectations	312
#577	D-	Paul R Brown Leadership Academy (Charter)	Elizabethtown	Paul R Brown Leadership Academy	17%	20%	Meets Expectations	148
#578	D-	North Edgecombe High	Tarboro	Edgecombe County Public Schools	16%	13%	Exceeds Expectations	229
#579	D-	Vance County High School	Henderson	Vance County Schools	14%	14%	Meets Expectations	958
#580	D-	Warren County High	Warrenton	Warren County Schools	14%	17%	Meets Expectations	384
#581	D-	Washington County High	Plymouth	Washington County Schools	12%	10%	Exceeds Expectations	260
#582	D-	Winston Salem Preparatory (Magnet)	Winston-Salem	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	12%	14%	Meets Expectations	361
#583	F	Northampton County High School	Gaston	Northampton County Schools	10%	13%	Meets Expectations	240
#584	F	Weldon Stem High School	Career Academies Weldon	Weldon City Schools	8%	9%	Meets Expectations	120

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