Summary:
NERSBA Early College is a single high school serving grades 9–12 in Jamesville, NC, with 140 students and nearly 98% eligible for free/reduced lunch. As both a school and its own district, this early college stands out because its students perform above state averages on most End-of-Course exams despite extreme poverty. The school has earned 3 out of 5 stars for three straight years, ranking 240th out of 662 NC high schools in 2025–26 (64th percentile), a slight improvement from the prior year but below its 2023–24 rank of 220th.
Academically, the most striking result is Math I proficiency jumping from 37.9% in 2024–25 to 87.5% in 2025–26, compared to a 42.1% state average. In the same year, Biology (68.8%), English II (70.3%), and Math III (69.6%) all met or exceeded state averages, giving the school a 15.5-point overall advantage in tested subjects. Chronic absenteeism is a clear strength: only 13.1% of students are chronically absent versus 24.2% statewide. However, the graduation rate is concerning at 69.7% for 2024–25, far below the 88.8% state figure for 2025–26, so strong test performance does not always translate to on-time graduation.
Because the school is small, year-to-year swings of 30–50 points likely reflect changes involving just a handful of students, not broad programmatic shifts. Biology, for example, moved from 40% to 68.8% proficiency in one year. Parents should view the 2025–26 results as very encouraging in most subjects, but also note that only 140 students means proficiency rates can be volatile. The combination of low absenteeism, strong attendance, and high academic performance in a high-poverty setting is impressive, though the below-average graduation rate suggests that completing the early college pathway remains a serious challenge for many students.
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