Public schools in Asheville, NC
Asheville has 33 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 9 high, 5 middle, 17 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 17,324 students. They are run by 7 districts and agencies; Buncombe County Schools runs 20 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 7 districts and agencies that run Asheville's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Asheville | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buncombe County Schools | 20 | 22,091 | $13,585 |
| Asheville City School District | 8 | 4,137 | $16,507 |
| Invest Collegiate - Imagine | 1 | 1,248 | $10,022 |
| The Franklin School of Innovation | 1 | 694 | $11,529 |
| Evergreen Community Charter School | 1 | 441 | $12,698 |
| Francine Delany New School | 1 | 178 | $13,882 |
| Asheville PEAK Academy | 1 | 90 | $26,256 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
9 high schools in Asheville, 6,615 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberson High | 1,479 | 17.3 | 99.7% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Asheville High | 1,221 | 13.7 | 40.5% | Asheville City |
| Reynolds High | 1,169 | 18.0 | 99.0% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Erwin High | 1,013 | 14.6 | 99.7% | Buncombe County Schools |
| The Franklin School of Innovation | 717 | 12.9 | 36.3% | The Franklin School of Innovation |
| Nesbitt Discovery Academy | 372 | 21.9 | 98.7% | Buncombe County Schools |
| School of Inquiry and Life Sciences | 332 | 24.0 | 38.3% | Asheville City |
| Early College | 271 | 24.8 | 98.9% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Middle College | 41 | 10.3 | 43.9% | Buncombe County Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
5 middle schools in Asheville, 2,996 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koontz Intermediate | 725 | 18.1 | 99.2% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Asheville Middle | 670 | 11.3 | 49.9% | Asheville City |
| Eblen Intermediate | 566 | 14.9 | 99.3% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Erwin Middle | 545 | 13.8 | 99.4% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Reynolds Middle | 490 | 15.0 | 98.2% | Buncombe County Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
17 elementary schools in Asheville, 6,178 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estes Elementary | 754 | 14.3 | 99.5% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Sand Hill-Venable Elementary | 590 | 15.0 | 98.0% | Buncombe County Schools |
| West Buncombe Elementary | 580 | 14.7 | 98.1% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Oakley Elementary | 502 | 15.5 | 98.0% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Evergreen Community Charter | 430 | 13.3 | 39.1% | Evergreen Community Charter School |
| Claxton Elementary | 405 | 13.0 | 35.8% | Asheville City |
| Haw Creek Elementary | 402 | 12.4 | 99.3% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Isaac Dickson Elementary | 390 | 13.3 | 39.5% | Asheville City |
| Ira B Jones Elementary | 369 | 13.5 | 54.2% | Asheville City |
| Hall Fletcher Elementary | 318 | 12.5 | 57.2% | Asheville City |
The other 7 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Elementary | 277 | 12.9 | 98.2% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Lucy S. Herring Elementary | 255 | 11.4 | 45.9% | Asheville City |
| Bell Elementary | 224 | 12.4 | 96.0% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Johnston Elementary | 217 | 12.5 | 98.6% | Buncombe County Schools |
| Francine Delany New School | 193 | 12.9 | not reported | Francine Delany New School |
| Asheville PEAK Academy | 161 | 10.4 | not reported | Asheville PEAK Academy |
| Woodfin Elementary | 111 | 10.2 | 97.3% | Buncombe County Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 other schools in Asheville, 1,535 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IC Imagine | 1,239 | 13.3 | not reported | Invest Collegiate - Imagine |
| Buncombe County Schools Virtual Academy | 296 | 21.4 | 54.4% | Buncombe County Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Asheville's public schools compare with North Carolina's
The median Asheville school has 13.5 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the North Carolina median of 15.4. 52% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 55% across the state. Its median school enrolls 405 students (state 497).
| Asheville | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 13.5 | 15.4 |
| Median school size (students) | 405 | 497 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 52% | 55% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 0% |
| Charter schools | 15% | 7.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 33 Asheville schools and the 2,653 North Carolina schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Asheville
- Buncombe County SchoolsRuns 20 of Asheville's 33 public schools and spent $13,585 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,585
- Roberson High, the largest high school in Asheville1,479 students in 2024-25, 17.3 per teacher.1,479
- Compare Buncombe County Schools with Asheville City School DistrictAsheville's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in North CarolinaNorth Carolina's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for an Asheville addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in North Carolina
- Charlotte173 schools
- Raleigh99 schools
- Greensboro79 schools
- Durham68 schools
- Fayetteville68 schools
- Winston Salem64 schools
- Wilmington44 schools
- Concord35 schools
Questions about schools in Asheville
How many public schools are in Asheville, NC?
33 public schools with an address in Asheville were open in 2024-25: 9 high, 5 middle, 17 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 17,324 students. 5 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Asheville?
Roberson High, with 1,479 students in 2024-25 (Buncombe County Schools).Which districts run Asheville's schools?
Buncombe County Schools (20 schools), Asheville City School District (8 schools), Invest Collegiate - Imagine (1 school), The Franklin School of Innovation (1 school), and 3 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25