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Rutherford Early College High School

Q: Is Rutherford Early College High School a good school?

Rutherford Early College High School ranks 104 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

104^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 84% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Rutherford Early College High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Spindale, North Carolina, part of the Rutherford County Schools district. The school has consistently performed well, ranking in the top 15% of North Carolina high schools over the past 5 years and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Rutherford Early College High School stands out for its exceptional academic performance, significantly outperforming the district and state averages in end-of-course test scores across all subjects. The school's Math III proficiency rate was an impressive 96.3% in 2024-2025, compared to 69.3% for the district and 66.4% for the state. Additionally, the school's performance for male students and low-income students is particularly strong, ranking in the top 10% and top 15% of North Carolina high schools, respectively, in recent years.

Despite serving a high-poverty student population, with over 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, Rutherford Early College High School operates efficiently, spending $6,973 per student, which is lower than the nearby high schools in the district. This suggests the school is effectively leveraging its resources to drive academic success, making it a model for other high-poverty schools facing similar challenges.

208

Students ?

55.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,973

Per pupil spending ?

98.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

286 ICC Loop Road
Spindale, NC 28160

(828) 288-2202

District: Rutherford County Schools

Feeder schools for Rutherford Early College High School:

Elementary:	Cliffside Elementary School
	Ellenboro Elementary School
	Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School
	Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School
	More...
	Harris Elementary School
	Mt. Vernon-Ruth Elementary School
	Pinnacle Elementary School
	Rutherfordton Elementary School
	Spindale Elementary School
	Sunshine Elementary School
Middle:	Chase Middle School
	East Rutherford Middle School
	R-S Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.6%

Hispanic:

13.9%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Rutherford Early College High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 86th percentile in 2021 → 84th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (82% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of North Carolina high schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Rutherford County Schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 55 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school82%

District avg53%

North Carolina avg53%

104^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 16%▼ down 2 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4High Schools in the Rutherford County Schools

73^rd of 242Rutherford 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	85.9	104 of 641	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	91.2	65 of 640	89.8%	★★★★☆
2023	88.6	84 of 626	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	87.9	91 of 621	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	87.6	84 of 594	85.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.4	122 of 610	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	88.0	79 of 602	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	88.9	70 of 588	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	84.5	93 of 594	84.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.2	280 of 412	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	74.2	78 of 403	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	56.6	205 of 403	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	300 of 398	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	93.3	63 of 606	89.6%	★★★★☆
2024	94.0	61 of 613	90.0%	★★★★★
2023	84.3	94 of 597	84.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	92.7	62 of 601	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	93.9	49 of 607	91.9%	★★★★★
2023	87.2	102 of 602	83.1%	★★★★☆
2022	89.2	86 of 585	85.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	74.1	153 of 542	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	86.3	85 of 553	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.7	103 of 537	80.8%	★★★★☆
2022	80.8	106 of 534	80.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)90th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)90th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)80th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)72nd percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)32nd percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III96%+30 vs state

English II88%+29 vs state

Biology69%+21 vs state

Math I59%+24 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 12, 2010

I attended the 2010 meeting for this REACH program excited that Rutherford County had such a program for my child that would help him with a college education that myself or his step-dad did not get the opportunity to have. I was under the impression that this was the first priority of the program, to help the kids whose parents did not have a degree. After the results came in from the so called lottery drawing, we have contacted several friends and students who applied also. It was to our suprise that so far, 4 of the children selected, 2 in Rutherfordton - both parents have at least a 4 year or higher college degree, and are known to be very wealthy in town. This is not fair and an outrage and we have contacted Dr. Mason who claims that none of this matters if your name was not drawn in the lottery. So let me see...lets say there are 300 applicants. 250 applicants parents have went to college and 50 did not have a college degree. A lottery was drawn but none of the 50 students names were drawn. This means the program is not at all for these under priveleged children at all if the 50 are not considered first. What is the purpose of the program, and is there a white to black child ratio - as there should be. The NAACP needs to get involved also. This is a drawing like when you gamble, and a who you know program for the wealthy. Let's Get Real. Tell it for what it is. Another poorly ran program that is not what it claims to be. If my son had been chosen and I knew that another child was less fortunate, I would offer my slot first to those who need it most, not who got lucky in the drawing. After all those less fortunate were exausted, then the more fortunate could join in. That is the way it should be. FAIR and what it is advertised for first! Close Quote

Schools Near Rutherford Early College High School

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 6th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rutherford Early College High School	Public	9-12	286 ICC Loop Road	Spindale	28160	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 288-2202	208	4	55.0	98.6%	149 (71.6%)	8 (3.8%)	29 (13.9%)	9 (4.3%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.8%)	85.9	104^th of 641 public high schools	83.8%		91.2	65^th of 640 public high schools	89.8%	39	68.8	88.2	58.8	96.3					$6,973	$327	$6,646
Rutherford Opportunity Center	Public	6-12	140 Old Caroleen Road	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 248-5294	82	10	8.2	96.3%	58 (70.7%)	12 (14.6%)	5 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (8.5%)								(n/a)		8.0			14.3	14.3	13.6	18.2	$26,764	$1,648	$25,116
East Rutherford High School	Public	9-12	331 East High Rd	Bostic	28018	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 245-6424	623	33	18.9	98.4%	411 (66.0%)	89 (14.3%)	74 (11.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (7.4%)	44.8	341^st of 641 public high schools	46.8%		49.2	303^rd of 640 public high schools	52.7%	38	41.3	55.2	41.7	66.7					$10,163	$1,106	$9,057
R-S Central High School	Public	9-12	641 Hwy 221 North	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 287-3304	763	36	21.2	98.2%	539 (70.6%)	99 (13.0%)	60 (7.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (8.1%)	38.1	391^st of 641 public high schools	39.0%		41.9	359^th of 640 public high schools	43.9%	32	37.9	56.5	20.1	68.1					$10,966	$1,171	$9,795
Chase High School	Public	9-12	1603 Chase High Rd	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 245-5883	596	29	20.7	98.7%	431 (72.3%)	37 (6.2%)	88 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.4%)	62	220^th of 641 public high schools	65.7%		49.1	304^th of 640 public high schools	52.5%	84	34.6	67.4	57.1	85.9					$10,771	$989	$9,782
Polk County Early College	Public	9-12	1545 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2698	52	3	18.9	94.2%	46 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	90.8	70^th of 641 public high schools	89.1%		94.8	29^th of 640 public high schools	95.5%	41		100.0		91.7					$9,557	$127	$9,430
Polk County High School	Public	9-12	1681 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2525	596	32	18.5	99.5%	433 (72.7%)	42 (7.0%)	93 (15.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.5%)	52	280^th of 641 public high schools	56.3%		50.8	292^nd of 640 public high schools	54.4%	12	48.2	66.9	34.2	70.7					$12,130	$897	$11,232
Crest High	Public	9-12	800 Old Boiling Springs Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8331	1,098	58	18.8	99.7%	671 (61.1%)	254 (23.1%)	91 (8.3%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	76 (6.9%)	42.2	361^st of 641 public high schools	43.7%		66.2	199^th of 640 public high schools	68.9%	162	42.8	50.7	37.7	67.9					$8,650	$808	$7,842

Frequently Asked Questions about Rutherford Early College High School

What district is Rutherford Early College High School in?

Rutherford County Schools

Is Rutherford Early College High School a good school?

Rutherford Early College High School ranks 104^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Rutherford Early College High School?

Students at Rutherford Early College High School are 72% White, 14% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 4% African American.

How many students attend Rutherford Early College High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 208 students attended Rutherford Early College High School.

What schools feed into Rutherford Early College High School?

Rate Rutherford Early College High School!

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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.