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Asheville City Schools

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

81^stof 246 North Carolina districts▼ 5

Better than 67% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 5 Middle 1 High 2Grades PK, KG-12

85 Mountain Street
Asheville, NC 28802·(828) 350-7000·All North Carolina district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 67.1% of districts

Schools

3,960

Students

Top rankedClaxton Elementary322^nd of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Asheville Middle up 66 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Asheville Middle 11.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

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

Summary:

Asheville City Schools serves approximately 3,960 students across eight schools in Asheville, North Carolina — five elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools — and ranks near the 67th percentile among North Carolina districts. The district's strongest schools on academic performance are Claxton Elementary and SILSA. Claxton ranks at the 78th percentile among elementary schools and beats both district and state proficiency averages in every tested subject, with the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 11.9%. SILSA is the district's highest-performing high school, ranking at the 69th percentile and exceeding state averages on all four EOC subjects, yet it has the highest student-teacher ratio and the district's highest chronic absenteeism. Lucy S. Herring Elementary is also a positive standout, posting strong 4th grade reading and math results despite serving a higher-than-average share of economically disadvantaged students.

Several schools improved meaningfully this year. Asheville Middle gained about seven percentage points in its composite proficiency average and now exceeds state reading and science averages in every grade, though 6th and 8th grade math remain below state averages. Asheville High also posted solid year-over-year gains, with strong English II results (78.3% proficiency vs. a 64.6% state average), but Math I proficiency is a concern at just 29.5%, far below the state's 42.1%. Notably, SILSA and Asheville High share the same campus, yet SILSA outperforms Asheville High in every EOC subject while receiving far less per-pupil funding.

The biggest concern in the district is Hall Fletcher Elementary, which ranks at just the 25th percentile and is the district's only 1-star school. With the highest free/reduced lunch rate (58.8%), it trails state averages in every tested subject and saw sharp declines in 4th grade reading and math. Ira B Jones Elementary also needs attention, ranked at the 43rd percentile with below-average proficiency and the district's second-highest chronic absenteeism rate at 23.7%. Isaac Dickson Elementary is a solid mid-tier school at the 63rd percentile. Overall, Asheville City Schools shows strength in science and early literacy, while math — especially Math I and middle school math — remains its biggest academic vulnerability.

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Asheville High	Public	9-12	419 McDowell Street	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-2500	1,221	89	13.7	41.3%	804 (65.8%)	173 (14.2%)	121 (9.9%)	12 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	19 (1.6%)	90 (7.4%)	57.2	272^nd of 662 public high schools	58.9%		53.4	270^th of 641 public high schools	57.9%	2	65.5	78.3	29.5	71.1															$14,811	$688	$14,123
Hall Fletcher Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	60 Ridgelawn Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 350-6400	318	25	12.5	58.8%	171 (53.8%)	76 (23.9%)	40 (12.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	27 (8.5%)	28.6	1124^th of 1492 public elementary schools	24.7%		40.4	910^th of 1490 public elementary schools	38.9%	214					48.6	40.4	59.1				40.0	40.4	54.5				59.1		$14,641	$1,562	$13,079
Claxton Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	241 Merrimon Avenue	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 350-6500	405	31	12.9	37.8%	287 (70.9%)	53 (13.1%)	34 (8.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (7.2%)	75	322^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	78.4%		72.8	348^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.6%	26					70.3	72.1	67.6				73.4	67.6	73.0				73.0		$11,974	$943	$11,031
Ira B Jones Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	544 Kimberly Avenue	Asheville	28804	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 350-6700	369	27	13.5	54.5%	199 (53.9%)	97 (26.3%)	31 (8.4%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.5%)	24 (6.5%)	43.7	850^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.0%		41.1	897^th of 1490 public elementary schools	39.8%	47					53.8	45.0	56.1				48.7	50.0	69.0				76.2		$13,444	$825	$12,620
Asheville Middle	Public	6-8	211 S French Broad Avenue	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-6200	670	59	11.3	50.9%	383 (57.2%)	145 (21.6%)	74 (11.0%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.5%)	53 (7.9%)	59.1	314^th of 778 public middle schools	59.6%		51	380^th of 773 public middle schools	50.8%	66								55.2	59.6	45.9				57.5	61.9	66.5		74.2	$12,770	$724	$12,046
Lucy S. Herring Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	98 Sulphur Springs Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(828) 350-6600	255	22	11.4	46.3%	173 (67.8%)	33 (12.9%)	29 (11.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.5%)	63	535^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.1%		69	408^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.6%	127					63.0	73.6	59.6				60.9	78.8	48.9				72.3		$13,509	$1,024	$12,485
Isaac Dickson Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	125 Hill Street	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(828) 350-6800	390	29	13.3	41.0%	220 (56.4%)	75 (19.2%)	36 (9.2%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	47 (12.1%)	61.4	558^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.6%		62.6	520^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.1%	38					60.4	79.0	59.6				56.3	77.4	52.6				66.7		$12,739	$936	$11,803
Silsa	Public	9-12	419 McDowell Street	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-2700	332	14	23.9	39.2%	214 (64.5%)	64 (19.3%)	35 (10.5%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.2%)	67.2	204^th of 662 public high schools	69.2%		76.9	145^th of 641 public high schools	77.4%	59	69.4	86.2	47.5	76.7															$7,028	$199	$6,830

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Buncombe County Schools	0.22 mi	45	109^th
Mountain City Public Montessori	1.4 mi	1	129^th
Asheville PEAK Academy	1.99 mi	1	149^th
Francine Delany New School	2.31 mi	1	96^th
Evergreen Community Charter	3.7 mi	1	25^th

See the top NC North Carolina districts

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.