North Carolina · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best-Resourced Public Schools in North Carolina

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score, based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

77/100
Top score
B+
Top grade
62/100
Avg score (top 50)
50
Schools ranked

The ranking in one line

Career Academy and Technical School in Troutman is North Carolina's top-resourced public school, scoring 77/100 on the NCES resource index.

77/100
top score (grade B+)
1
schools at the top grade (B+)
62/100
average across the top 50
# School GradeScore
1 Career Academy and Technical School Troutman B+ 77
2 Middle College Hs @ Dtcc Durham B- 69
3 Philip J Weaver Ed Center Greensboro B- 68
4 Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy Raleigh B- 67
5 Cleveland Innovation Shelby B- 67
6 Gc Middle College High Greensboro B- 67
7 Mcdowell Academy for Innovation Marion B- 66
8 Granville Academy Oxford B- 65
9 Lawsonville Elementary School Lawsonville B- 65
10 Woodfin Elementary Asheville B- 65
11 Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences Dallas C+ 64
12 Barnardsville Elementary Barnardsville C+ 64
13 Elizabeth City Pasquotank Early College Elizabeth City C+ 64
14 North Academy of World Languages Huntersville C+ 63
15 Ellendale Elementary Taylorsville C+ 63
16 West Mecklenburg High School Charlotte C+ 62
17 Forest Hill Elementary Morganton C+ 62
18 Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School Hickory C+ 62
19 Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy Elizabethtown C+ 62
20 Middle College at Gtcc-High Point High Point C+ 62
21 Yadkin Valley Regional Career Academy Lexington C+ 62
22 Stokes Early College High School Walnut Cove C+ 62
23 Williams Secondary Montessori Charlotte C+ 61
24 Bugg Elementary Raleigh C+ 61
25 Walnut Cove Elementary School Walnut Cove C+ 61
26 The Innovation Academy at South Campus Smithfield C+ 61
27 Trillium Springs Montessori Huntersville C+ 61
28 Mcdowell Early College Marion C+ 61
29 Sea-Tech Castle Hayne C+ 61
30 Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy Hudson C+ 61
31 Mcadenville Elementary McAdenville C+ 61
32 Edgecombe Early College High Tarboro C+ 61
33 T S Cooper Elementary Sunbury C+ 61
34 Sunny View Elementary School Mill Spring C+ 61
35 Phillips Middle Chapel Hill C+ 60
36 Jeffreys Grove Elementary Raleigh C+ 60
37 Vernon Malone College and Career Academy Raleigh C+ 60
38 Highlands School Highlands C+ 60
39 Bell Elementary Asheville C+ 60
40 Elkin Middle Elkin C+ 60
41 Stem Early College @ Nc a&T Su Greensboro C+ 60
42 Mountain Park Elementary State Road C+ 60
43 Harnett County Early College Dunn C+ 60
44 Black Mountain Elementary Black Mountain C+ 60
45 Pisgah Elementary Candler C+ 60
46 A&T Four Middle College Greensboro C+ 60
47 Halifax County Early College High Weldon C+ 60
48 Kearns Academy High Point C+ 60
49 Smith Middle Chapel Hill C 59
50 Culbreth Middle Chapel Hill C 59

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in North Carolina?

The highest-ranked school in North Carolina is Career Academy and Technical School in Troutman with a quality score of 77/100 (grade B+). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated?

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Methodology

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.