High Schools in Haywood County Schools

Haywood County Schools, a 4-star district ranked 64th of 246 in North Carolina, serves high schoolers across the mountain communities of Waynesville and Canton in far western North Carolina through four highly varied schools: Haywood Early College, Pisgah High, Tuscola High, and Central Haywood High. Even though more than 93% of students at each school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, three of the four outperform state averages on most measures.

Haywood Early College leads the district and the state, ranking 8th of 662 North Carolina high schools with a 5-star rating and 100% proficiency on every End-of-Course exam in 2025-2026. It also has the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism (14.0%) and lowest per-pupil spending ($7,730). Among the large comprehensive schools, Pisgah High is the stronger performer: it ranks 160th with a 4-star rating, holds the district’s highest graduation rate at 94.5%, records lower chronic absenteeism (16.4%) than Tuscola High (19.7%), and outscores Tuscola High on every End-of-Course subject despite nearly identical enrollment, poverty levels, spending, and class sizes. Tuscola High still earns a 3-star rating at 216th overall, with a strong 92.6% graduation rate and major recent gains in math.

The district’s outlier is Central Haywood High, a small 63-student school ranked 649th of 662 with a 0-star rating, a 68.1% graduation rate, and a 59.5% chronic absenteeism rate. It spends the most at $18,725 per student and has the smallest classes, pointing to a specialized alternative population that needs intensive support. For parents, Haywood County Schools offers exceptional range — an elite early college in Haywood Early College, a high-achieving comprehensive option in Pisgah High, a solid traditional school in Tuscola High, and a specialized school in Central Haywood High facing deep attendance and achievement challenges.