Best Public Schools in Gaston, NC

Gaston, North Carolina, is served by three schools—KIPP Pride College Preparatory (K–12, 1,143 students), Gaston STEM Leadership Academy (PK–8, 284 students), and Northampton County High School (9–12, 265 students)—all high-poverty schools where more than 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Two of the three belong to Northampton County Schools, a district ranked in the bottom tier of North Carolina, while KIPP Pride operates as a stand-alone school outside the district structure. With a combined enrollment of 1,692 students, the city has no separate middle school; middle grades are served through Gaston STEM and KIPP Pride.

For parents comparing high school options, KIPP Pride College Preparatory is the strongest local test performer. In 2025–2026, KIPP posted End-of-Course proficiency rates of 38.1% in Biology, 57.0% in English II, 51.6% in Math I, and 57.6% in Math III—each well ahead of Northampton County High School, which scored 11.8%, 26.6%, 26.0%, and 22.8%, respectively. KIPP even exceeded the state average in Math I (51.6% vs. 42.1%) and 8th-grade science (74.4% vs. 68.6%), yet its graduation rate of 76.3% trails Northampton High's 82.2%. Meanwhile, Gaston STEM Leadership Academy shows extreme year-to-year swings because of small cohorts—5th-grade math proficiency fell from 84.6% to 10.0%—so single-year results should be read cautiously.

Chronic absenteeism is the most urgent issue across all three schools: 38.3% at KIPP Pride College Preparatory, 40.7% at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy, and 74.0% at Northampton County High School, compared with 24.2% statewide. At Northampton High, only about one in four students attends regularly enough to avoid the chronic absenteeism designation. There are encouraging signs: English II proficiency there more than doubled from 12.7% to 26.6%, and Math I rose from 9.5% to 26.0%, though the school still ranks 622 out of 662 high schools statewide. Overall, KIPP produces the strongest test outcomes in the city, especially in science and math, but all three schools face steep challenges tied to poverty and absenteeism that parents should weigh carefully.