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Best Public Schools in Marion, NC

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

4,899

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedMcDowell Early College48^th of 641 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

West McDowell Middle School up 56 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

East McDowell Middle School 11.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare North Carolina cities →See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

The city of Marion, North Carolina, is home to 13 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 4 high schools. The data reveals a significant disparity in academic performance among these schools, with some standout performers and others struggling to meet state and district averages.

The top-performing schools in the area are McDowell Early College and McDowell Academy for Innovation, both of which are ranked among the best in the state with 5 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. These schools have significantly higher proficiency rates on end-of-course (EOC) exams and graduation rates around 87.7%. Another standout is Foothills Community School, a middle school ranked 4 out of 5 stars with higher proficiency rates on end-of-grade (EOG) exams compared to the McDowell County Schools district and the state.

In contrast, some schools, such as North Cove Elementary and McDowell Virtual Academy, struggle with lower proficiency rates compared to the district and state averages. Additionally, the majority of the schools have very high free and reduced lunch rates, ranging from 98.47% to 99.49%, suggesting that the student population in the Marion area comes from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, which can present unique challenges for the schools.

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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 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East McDowell Middle School	Public	6-8	676 State Street	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 652-7711	392	35	11.2	99.2%	273 (69.6%)	16 (4.1%)	77 (19.6%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.1%)	31.6	529^th of 773 public middle schools	31.6%		43.5	455^th of 793 public middle schools	42.6%	74								45.8	56.7	27.9				42.3	46.4	48.1		39.5	$9,697	$1,539	$8,158
Eastfield Global Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	170 Eastfield School Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 652-3730	279	21	13.2	97.8%	161 (57.7%)	6 (2.2%)	99 (35.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.7%)	56.1	632^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	57.6%		58.6	606^th of 1505 public elementary schools	59.7%	26					66.7	54.3	69.2				44.4	52.2	59.0				66.7		$11,548	$1,932	$9,616
Glenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1545 Old Hwy 221 South	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 738-4220	435	27	15.9	99.3%	364 (83.7%)	5 (1.1%)	28 (6.4%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.9%)	34.9	1004^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.6%		36.7	982^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	34.8%	22					47.0	50.9	56.7				40.9	54.4	50.0				36.7		$10,691	$1,210	$9,481
Marion Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	209 Robert Street	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 652-2141	333	23	14.6	99.1%	222 (66.7%)	14 (4.2%)	68 (20.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (8.1%)	62.2	528^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.6%		70.5	393^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	73.9%	135					88.0	78.5	55.4				56.0	78.5	41.5				47.7		$9,997	$1,489	$8,507
McDowell High School	Public	9-12	600 McDowell High School Dr	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 652-7920	1,379	88	15.6	98.8%	1,003 (72.7%)	50 (3.6%)	221 (16.0%)	13 (0.9%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (6.5%)	29	465^th of 641 public high schools	27.5%		32.1	429^th of 640 public high schools	33.0%	36	40.4	43.5	21.1	58.7															$9,698	$1,036	$8,662
North Cove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 American Thread Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 756-4342	230	16	14.4	98.7%	174 (75.7%)	2 (0.9%)	37 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.4%)	25.3	1176^th of 1490 public elementary schools	21.1%		33.6	1036^th of 1505 public elementary schools	31.2%	140					50.0	26.1	42.4				41.3	52.2	33.3				48.5		$11,425	$1,369	$10,056
Pleasant Gardens Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 John Roach Drive	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 724-4422	289	21	13.4	99.0%	214 (74.0%)	3 (1.0%)	48 (16.6%)	5 (1.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.9%)	48.2	777^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.9%		57.2	632^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	58.0%	145					55.3	44.7	53.2				44.7	44.7	66.0				70.2		$10,413	$1,532	$8,881
West Marion Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	820 Marler Road	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 738-3353	390	28	14.1	99.2%	298 (76.4%)	12 (3.1%)	50 (12.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.9%)	42.3	874^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.3%		48.1	781^st of 1505 public elementary schools	48.1%	93					76.1	56.0	29.0				56.5	54.0	33.9				59.0		$11,463	$1,657	$9,807
West McDowell Middle School	Public	6-8	346 West McDowell Junior High	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 652-3390	550	35	15.5	99.5%	413 (75.1%)	17 (3.1%)	88 (16.0%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.5%)	43.7	444^th of 773 public middle schools	42.6%		38.7	500^th of 793 public middle schools	36.9%	56								72.7	46.4	37.4				48.3	49.4	44.7		50.0	$9,132	$764	$8,368
McDowell Early College	Public	9-12	54 College Drive	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 659-0411	241	12	19.7	98.8%	184 (76.3%)	5 (2.1%)	40 (16.6%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.3%)	93.2	48^th of 641 public high schools	92.5%		93.3	48^th of 640 public high schools	92.5%		77.8	95.2	83.8	100.0															$7,400	$232	$7,168
Foothills Community School	Public, Magnet	6-8	176 Lukin Street	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(828) 652-1040	200	11	18.0	98.5%	164 (82.0%)	4 (2.0%)	22 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.0%)	83.8	105^th of 773 public middle schools	86.4%		77.1	152^nd of 793 public middle schools	80.8%	47								69.0	80.3	55.6				72.4	77.3	73.6		75.0	$6,490	$276	$6,214
McDowell Academy for Innovation	Public	9-12	54 College Drive	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 659-0411	158	7	22.5	98.1%	108 (68.4%)	5 (3.2%)	38 (24.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.8%)	92.8	53^rd of 641 public high schools	91.7%		96.4	7^th of 640 public high schools	98.9%	46	76.5	95.1	86.8	97.6															$24,717	$228	$24,489
The Summit Academy	Public	6-12	75 Crawford St	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 652-1266	23	4	5.7	87.0%	20 (87.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.3%)								(n/a)		12.5		6.7

Cities Near Marion

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Nebo	4.99 mi	1	273^rd
Old Fort	10.35 mi	1	97^th
Morganton	13.22 mi	22	272^nd
Spruce Pine	14.08 mi	2	44^th
Burnsville	14.76 mi	6	260^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

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.