High Schools in Buncombe County Schools

Summary:

The Buncombe County Schools district in North Carolina is home to 10 high schools serving grades 9-12. The data reveals stark performance differences between the top-ranked schools and the lower-performing institutions, with factors beyond just funding and resources likely contributing to these disparities.

At the top of the district are schools like Nesbitt Discovery Academy and Early College, which consistently rank among the best high schools in North Carolina. These specialized schools boast exceptional test scores, high graduation rates, and relatively low percentages of free/reduced lunch recipients. In contrast, Community High School stands out for its significantly lower performance, with test scores well below the district and state averages.

The data also highlights the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic achievement, with the schools serving the highest percentages of free/reduced lunch students tending to have the lowest test scores and rankings. This raises questions about equity within the Buncombe County Schools district and the need for further investigation into the root causes of these disparities.

District Detail

175 Bingham Road
Asheville, NC 28806-3800

(828) 232-4160

SchoolDigger Rank:
125^th of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2025 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-13
Students: 22,452

Primary Schools: 23
Middle Schools: 11
High Schools: 10
Alternative Schools: 1

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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Reynolds High	Public	9-12	One Rocket Drive	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 298-2500	1,169	65	17.9	99.0%	768 (65.7%)	133 (11.4%)	171 (14.6%)	17 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	75 (6.4%)	59.3	233^rd of 641 public high schools	63.7%		61.7	223^rd of 640 public high schools	65.2%	10	52.8	65.0	40.6	78.2	$9,315	$663	$8,652
Owen High	Public	9-12	99 Lake Eden Road	Black Mountain	28711	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 686-3852	649	43	15.1	98.0%	466 (71.8%)	25 (3.9%)	113 (17.4%)	7 (1.1%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	32 (4.9%)	43	350^th of 641 public high schools	45.4%		56.1	256^th of 640 public high schools	60.0%	94	35.5	62.1	28.8	70.8	$11,241	$694	$10,547
Erwin High	Public	9-12	60 Lees Creek Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4251	1,013	69	14.6	99.7%	481 (47.5%)	94 (9.3%)	359 (35.4%)	4 (0.4%)	5 (0.5%)	23 (2.3%)	47 (4.6%)	17.7	541^st of 641 public high schools	15.6%		19.8	516^th of 640 public high schools	19.4%	25	32.5	39.3	10.4	45.9	$10,603	$744	$9,859
Enka High	Public	9-12	475 Enka Lake Road	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 670-5000	1,051	64	16.4	99.7%	710 (67.6%)	40 (3.8%)	266 (25.3%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	26 (2.5%)	38.7	387^th of 641 public high schools	39.6%		42.5	355^th of 640 public high schools	44.5%	32	46.2	57.2	23.1	61.0	$9,892	$617	$9,276
North Buncombe High	Public	9-12	890 Clarks Chapel Road	Weaverville	28787	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 645-4221	896	54	16.5	99.0%	689 (76.9%)	9 (1.0%)	153 (17.1%)	7 (0.8%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.5%)	58.3	238^th of 641 public high schools	62.9%		61.2	226^th of 640 public high schools	64.7%	12	56.9	69.4	42.0	66.7	$9,935	$695	$9,241
Roberson High	Public	9-12	250 Overlook Road	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 654-1765	1,479	86	17.2	99.7%	756 (51.1%)	179 (12.1%)	382 (25.8%)	43 (2.9%)	4 (0.3%)	8 (0.5%)	107 (7.2%)	56.2	255^th of 641 public high schools	60.2%		53.3	280^th of 640 public high schools	56.3%	25	55.0	70.2	34.3	68.4	$10,511	$1,345	$9,166
Community High School	Public	7-12	235 Old US 70	Swannanoa	28778	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 686-7734	127	19	6.5	97.6%	77 (60.6%)	28 (22.0%)	13 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	8 (6.3%)	5.1	619^th of 641 public high schools	3.4%		4.9	619^th of 640 public high schools	3.3%		15.5	24.4		8.8	$22,238	$1,674	$20,564
Early College	Public	9-12	340 Victoria Road	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4123	271	11	24.8	98.9%	138 (50.9%)	10 (3.7%)	110 (40.6%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	7 (2.6%)	90.6	71^st of 641 public high schools	88.9%		88.6	94^th of 640 public high schools	85.3%	23	80.4	94.3	66.7	96.4	$7,736	$216	$7,520
Center for Career Innovation	Public	9-12	340 Victoria Road	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4123	41	4	10.2	43.9%	27 (65.9%)	3 (7.3%)	9 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.9%)	27.1	480^th of 641 public high schools	25.1%					(n/a)	27.3		33.3		$10,465	$251	$10,214
Nesbitt Discovery Academy	Public	9-12	175 Bingham Rd Ste 10	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 271-4521	372	17	21.8	98.7%	307 (82.5%)	4 (1.1%)	31 (8.3%)	16 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.2%)								(n/a)	92.2				$7,222	$451	$6,771

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Evergreen Community Charter	4.08 mi	1	27^th
ArtSpace Charter	4.29 mi	1	35^th
Asheville City Schools	4.6 mi	8	76^th
Mountain City Public Montessori	5.36 mi	1	140^th
Asheville PEAK Academy	6.61 mi	1	154^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.