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Haywood County Schools

At a glance

54^thof 242 North Carolina districts▼ 27

Better than 77% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 8 Middle 3 High 4Grades PK, KG-13

1233 North Main St
Waynesville, NC 28786-3461·(828) 456-2400·All North Carolina district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 77.7% of districts

Schools

6,476

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedHaywood Early College20^th of 641 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

Junaluska Elementary up 56 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Jonathan Valley Elementary 13.8 students per teacher

✦

Newly ranked this year

Central Haywood High

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

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

Summary:

The Haywood County Schools district in North Carolina consists of 15 schools, including 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 4 high schools. The district is ranked 54 out of 242 school districts in the state and has an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out as high-performing. Riverbend Elementary is ranked 57 out of 1,490 elementary schools in North Carolina and has a 5-star rating, with exceptional test scores in math and reading. Bethel Middle is ranked 117 out of 773 middle schools and also has a 5-star rating, with very high proficiency rates in math, reading, and science. At the high school level, Haywood Early College is ranked 20 out of 641 high schools in the state and has a 5-star rating, with exceptional test scores in Biology, Math I, and Math III.

However, the district also has some lower-performing schools, such as Central Haywood High, which stands out as an outlier with proficiency rates well below the district and state averages. Additionally, the district faces challenges related to socioeconomic factors, with most schools having very high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients. The wide range in per-student spending, from $7,730 to $18,725, also raises questions about the equitable distribution of resources within the district.

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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
Bethel Elementary	Public	K-5	4700 Old River Road	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3448	537	31	17.5	98.7%	480 (89.4%)	2 (0.4%)	39 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.8%)	78	279^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.3%		77.9	283^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	81.2%	4					75.0	73.6	80.0				45.7	65.9	68.9				83.3		$9,186	$1,048	$8,138
Bethel Middle	Public	6-8	630 Sonoma Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 646-3442	254	16	15.4	98.8%	228 (89.8%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	81.9	117^th of 773 public middle schools	84.9%		88.8	74^th of 793 public middle schools	90.7%	43								72.5	83.3	74.1				57.1	58.3	75.3		81.5	$11,023	$637	$10,386
Canton Middle	Public	6-8	60 Penland St	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 646-3467	475	31	15.3	98.3%	399 (84.0%)	3 (0.6%)	50 (10.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.2%)	60.1	282^nd of 773 public middle schools	63.5%		67.1	230^th of 793 public middle schools	71.0%	52								75.0	56.3	57.9				54.3	41.5	52.1		69.7	$9,141	$940	$8,202
Clyde Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4182 Old Clyde Road	Clyde	28721	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 627-2206	523	36	14.7	99.4%	436 (83.4%)	5 (1.0%)	54 (10.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.6%)	40.8	903^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	39.4%		54.3	675^th of 1505 public elementary schools	55.1%	228					69.8	43.3	48.7				50.0	43.3	43.6				55.1		$11,365	$1,942	$9,424
Riverbend Elementary	Public	K-5	71 Learning Lane	Clyde	28721	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 627-6565	204	14	15.0	98.5%	193 (94.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	94.5	57^th of 1490 public elementary schools	96.2%		97.6	12^th of 1505 public elementary schools	99.2%	45					93.1	93.9	80.0				75.9	81.8	80.0				85.7		$10,871	$924	$9,947
Hazelwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1111 Plott Creek Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 456-2406	490	29	16.6	98.6%	395 (80.6%)	3 (0.6%)	70 (14.3%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	62.7	514^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.5%		68.3	439^th of 1505 public elementary schools	70.8%	75					70.6	71.1	61.5				44.7	57.8	56.4				69.2		$9,672	$1,194	$8,479
Junaluska Elementary	Public	K-5	2238 Asheville Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 456-2407	428	27	15.6	99.3%	354 (82.7%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.3%)	5 (1.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.1%)	85	174^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.3%		80.8	230^th of 1505 public elementary schools	84.7%	56					86.0	72.1	72.1				66.3	76.5	65.6				75.4		$9,950	$1,085	$8,865
North Canton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	60 Thompson St	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3444	332	20	16.8	98.8%	283 (85.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.5%)	72.1	361^st of 1490 public elementary schools	75.8%		78.8	264^th of 1505 public elementary schools	82.5%	97					84.0	66.0	74.5				60.0	63.8	53.2				63.8		$11,227	$1,320	$9,907
Pisgah High	Public	9-12	1 Black Bear Drive	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 646-3440	859	40	21.4	99.7%	702 (81.7%)	11 (1.3%)	111 (12.9%)	6 (0.7%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (2.8%)	79.3	137^th of 641 public high schools	78.6%		76.6	147^th of 640 public high schools	77.0%	10	65.0	70.8	72.7	88.9															$9,758	$969	$8,789
Tuscola High	Public	9-12	564 Tuscola School Rd	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 456-2408	873	43	20.3	99.7%	725 (83.0%)	16 (1.8%)	93 (10.7%)	7 (0.8%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	25 (2.9%)	62.6	214^th of 641 public high schools	66.6%		75.2	154^th of 640 public high schools	75.9%	60	57.3	67.1	54.4	68.3															$9,911	$860	$9,050
Waynesville Middle	Public	6-8	495 Brown Ave	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 456-2403	727	45	16.0	97.2%	606 (83.4%)	3 (0.4%)	78 (10.7%)	7 (1.0%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.7%)	54.9	328^th of 773 public middle schools	57.6%		58.6	299^th of 793 public middle schools	62.3%	29								62.6	50.8	51.8				57.8	52.3	54.7		54.0	$9,343	$1,182	$8,162
Central Haywood High	Public	9-12	62 Joy Lane	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 627-9944	63	7	8.5	93.7%	48 (76.2%)	2 (3.2%)	10 (15.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.2%)	4.6	622^nd of 641 public high schools	3.0%					(n/a)	18.8	13.0		25.0															$18,725	$2,409	$16,316
Jonathan Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	410 Hall Drive	Waynesville	28785	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 926-3207	336	24	13.8	98.5%	291 (86.6%)	2 (0.6%)	30 (8.9%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.4%)	57.7	601^st of 1490 public elementary schools	59.7%		72.8	361^st of 1505 public elementary schools	76.0%	240					69.8	61.4	66.7				39.7	52.6	57.8				71.1		$10,398	$995	$9,403
Meadowbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Morningstar Rd	Canton	28716	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 646-3445	198	12	16.7	98.0%	170 (85.9%)	6 (3.0%)	17 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	35.2	996^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.2%		61.1	562^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	62.7%	434					74.3	58.8	35.0				42.9	52.9	45.0				30.0		$11,254	$1,792	$9,462
Haywood Early College	Public	9-12	185 Freedlander Drive	Clyde	28721	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 565-4000	177	4	39.4	98.3%	151 (85.3%)	1 (0.6%)	16 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.1%)	95.4	20^th of 641 public high schools	96.9%		96.4	8^th of 640 public high schools	98.8%	12	94.6		100.0	97.7															$7,730	$690	$7,040

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Shining Rock Classical Academy	6.09 mi	1
Buncombe County Schools	8.89 mi	45	125^th
The Franklin School of Innovation	15 mi	1	69^th
Invest Collegiate - Imagine	16 mi	1
Jackson County Public Schools	16.54 mi	9	172^nd

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.