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Hiwassee Dam High

Q: Is Hiwassee Dam High a good school?

Hiwassee Dam High ranks 424 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

424^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 34% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Hiwassee Dam High is a public high school located in Murphy, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 141 students. The school is part of the Cherokee County Schools district, which is ranked 138 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hiwassee Dam High has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years, dropping from a high of 119 out of 469 North Carolina high schools in 2017-2018 (4-star rating) to a current ranking of 424 out of 641 high schools in 2024-2025 (2-star rating). The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with male students generally performing better than female students, and white students and low socioeconomic status students also showing varying performance. Hiwassee Dam High's four-year graduation rate has also declined, from 95.0% in 2024-2025 to 86.9% in 2023-2024, though still higher than the state average.

Academically, Hiwassee Dam High's performance, as measured by end-of-course (EOC) test scores, is generally lower than the Cherokee County Schools district and the state average across various subjects, including Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. The school also has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 32.43% in 2021-2022 to 97.87% in 2023-2024, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. Compared to nearby schools, The Oaks Academy and Tri-County Early College High have similar or lower rankings and performance, while Murphy High has a higher statewide ranking and better academic performance.

137

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,078

Per pupil spending ?

97.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

267 Blue Eagle Circle
Murphy, NC 28906

(828) 644-5115

District: Cherokee County Schools

Feeder schools for Hiwassee Dam High:

Elementary:	Ranger Elementary
Middle:	Hiwassee Dam Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.7%

Two or more races:

4.4%

Hispanic:

2.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Hiwassee Dam High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 41st percentile in 2015 → 34th in 2025

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (41% vs 53% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg53%

424^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5High Schools in the Cherokee County Schools

138^th of 242Cherokee County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	33.0	424 of 641	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.8	469 of 640	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	480 of 626	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.3	331 of 621	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.2	420 of 594	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.0	242 of 514	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.8	119 of 469	74.6%	★★★★☆
2017	58.6	139 of 476	70.8%	★★★★☆
2016	35.7	270 of 507	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.7	313 of 531	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.3	194 of 451	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	50.0	147 of 505	70.9%	★★★★☆
2012	62.5	125 of 502	75.1%	★★★★☆
2011	68.4	101 of 506	80.0%	★★★★☆
2010	72.5	58 of 499	88.4%	★★★★☆
2009	67.6	92 of 490	81.2%	★★★★☆
2008	69.9	69 of 477	85.5%	★★★★☆
2007	62.7	118 of 453	74.0%	★★★★☆
2006	70.0	72 of 431	83.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	483 of 610	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	532 of 602	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	462 of 588	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.2	296 of 594	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.4	276 of 475	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	228 of 475	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.1	115 of 449	74.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.6	278 of 606	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.7	361 of 613	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	432 of 597	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	51.9	209 of 544	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.6	101 of 446	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	75.3	43 of 424	89.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	386 of 601	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	386 of 607	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.8	454 of 602	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.1	339 of 585	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.9	373 of 481	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.4	209 of 488	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.3	123 of 463	73.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.1	466 of 542	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	482 of 553	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	490 of 537	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	389 of 534	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	404 of 439	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.6	298 of 444	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	197 of 427	53.9%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)54th percentile+20 vs school

Male (2025)36th percentile~ school

Female (2025)21st percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)14th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II70%+10 vs state

Biology39%-9 vs state

Math I37%~ state avg

Math III30%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hiwassee Dam High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)	EOG Reading (2025)	EOG Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hiwassee Dam High	Public	9-12	267 Blue Eagle Circle	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 644-5115	137	9	15.9	97.8%	127 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.4%)	33	424^th of 641 public high schools	33.9%		27.8	469^th of 640 public high schools	26.7%	45	39.1	70.0	36.8	29.7				$12,078	$452	$11,625
Murphy High	Public	9-12	234 High School Circle	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 837-2426	424	20	20.8	99.3%	340 (80.2%)	13 (3.1%)	36 (8.5%)	7 (1.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.9%)	51.2	285^th of 641 public high schools	55.5%		53.4	279^th of 640 public high schools	56.4%	6	47.7	55.9	50.0	67.6				$10,724	$1,248	$9,476
The Oaks Academy	Public	6-12	The Oaks Academy	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 837-6775	43	6	7.4	79.1%	39 (90.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	8.2	605^th of 641 public high schools	5.6%					(n/a)	27.3	12.5			8.3	16.7	25.0	$16,426	$280	$16,146
Tri-County Early College High	Public	9-12	Tri-County Early College High	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 837-6775	153	8	18.5	96.1%	112 (73.2%)	4 (2.6%)	24 (15.7%)	4 (2.6%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.2%)	83.6	117^th of 641 public high schools	81.7%		77.7	140^th of 640 public high schools	78.1%	23	69.0	90.5	62.5	85.7				$7,830	$280	$7,549

Frequently Asked Questions about Hiwassee Dam High

What district is Hiwassee Dam High in?

Cherokee County Schools

Is Hiwassee Dam High a good school?

Hiwassee Dam High ranks 424^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Hiwassee Dam High?

Hiwassee Dam High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ranger Elementary
Middle : Hiwassee Dam Middle

How many students attend Hiwassee Dam High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 137 students attended Hiwassee Dam High.

What is the racial makeup of Hiwassee Dam High?

Students at Hiwassee Dam High are 93% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.