Best Public Schools in Andrews, NC

Andrews, North Carolina is served by three public schools in Cherokee County Schools: Andrews Elementary (PK–5), Andrews Middle (6–8), and Andrews High (9–12), which together educate roughly 726 students in a high-poverty community. Cherokee County itself ranks near the middle of North Carolina districts, but the Andrews schools all sit below the 35th percentile statewide. All three serve extreme poverty, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 97.6% at Andrews Middle to 99.09% at Andrews Elementary. Chronic absenteeism exceeds the state average of 24.2% at every Andrews school, though each beats the district average of 38.7%; Andrews High is lowest at 26.6%, while Andrews Middle is highest at 34.8%.

No single school is an overall standout; instead each has isolated strengths. Andrews Elementary produced the most impressive result in the city: 5th-grade science proficiency jumped from 45.5% to 80.4% in one year, a 13-point advantage over both district and state. Andrews High is the most consistent school, staying near the 31st–34th percentile for three years, and its English II proficiency of 62.7% nearly matches the state average of 64.6%. Andrews Middle is the biggest concern: it fell from the 64th percentile with a 3-star rating in 2023–2024 to the 23rd percentile with 1 star by 2025–2026, while its strong 8th-grade reading and science scores dropped sharply in the latest year.

Math is a systemic weakness, with proficiency below the state at every grade level in every school. The gap becomes severe by 8th grade (26.5% vs. 53.0% statewide) and continues into high school, where Andrews High's Math III proficiency runs 23 points below the state average. Spending and staffing are uneven too: Andrews High spends the most per student ($14,037) yet has the largest student-to-teacher ratio (24:1), while Andrews Middle spends the least ($9,750) but has the smallest classes (13.1:1). For parents, the essential takeaway is a high-poverty feeder pattern with genuine bright spots in science and English, but a fragile math pathway that deserves attention from elementary school onward.