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Haywood County Schools

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At a glance

64^thof 246 North Carolina districts▼ 10

Better than 73% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 8 Middle 3 High 4Grades PK, KG-12

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

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 74% of districts

Schools

6,476

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedHaywood Early College8^th of 662 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

Clyde Elementary up 222 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Jonathan Valley Elementary 13.8 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

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

Summary:

Haywood County Schools serves about 6,476 students across 15 schools in western North Carolina, including 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 4 high schools. The district ranks 64th out of 246 North Carolina districts, placing it at the 74th percentile with a 4-star rating. One of the most remarkable aspects of this district is that nearly every school has 97% or higher free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, yet the district as a whole still outperforms state averages in most subjects. Haywood Early College is the district's flagship school, ranked #8 in the state (99th percentile), and Riverbend Elementary leads the elementary schools at #62 out of 1,492 (96th percentile). Both schools achieve elite results despite serving populations with overwhelming economic need.

Among traditional high schools, Pisgah High stands out with a 94.5% graduation rate, exceeding both district (91.1%) and state (88.8%) averages, while Tuscola High also performs above average. At the other end of the spectrum, Central Haywood High ranks near the bottom statewide (#649 of 662) with a 68.1% graduation rate, only 5.9% proficiency in English II, and a 59.5% chronic absenteeism rate. In the middle grades, Bethel Middle is the strongest option at #181 out of 778, followed by Waynesville Middle (#270) and Canton Middle (#288). Beyond Riverbend, solid elementary choices include Junaluska Elementary (#279) and North Canton Elementary (#386), while Meadowbrook Elementary (#933) trails the pack.

Chronic absenteeism is the clearest indicator of performance differences across this district. The highest-performing schools — Riverbend Elementary (12.7%), North Canton Elementary (12.7%), and Haywood Early College (14.0%) — all post low absenteeism, while Central Haywood High (59.5%), Canton Middle (28.0%), Waynesville Middle (27.7%), and Clyde Elementary (23.4%) struggle most with attendance. A notable resource-versus-outcome inversion appears when comparing Haywood Early College, which has the lowest per-student spending ($7,730) and strongest results, to Central Haywood High, which has the highest spending ($18,725) but weakest outcomes — likely reflecting vastly different student populations and needs. Some schools are trending in the right direction, such as Clyde Elementary rebounding from #903 to #681, while others like Bethel Middle, Meadowbrook Elementary, and Tuscola High have slipped in recent rankings. Families in this district will find exceptional high-performing options and struggling schools, sometimes within just a few miles of each other.

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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
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%)	68.2	454^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.6%		78	279^th of 1490 public elementary schools	81.3%	175					73.4	59.4	81.6				57.4	57.3	62.1				87.4		$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%)	74	181^st of 778 public middle schools	76.7%		81.9	117^th of 773 public middle schools	84.9%	64								71.6	55.1	74.1				69.3	57.8	69.4		83.5	$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%)	60.8	288^th of 778 public middle schools	63.0%		60.1	282^nd of 773 public middle schools	63.5%	6								63.2	62.3	65.8				50.6	59.9	49.1		79.6	$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%)	52.9	681^st of 1492 public elementary schools	54.4%		40.8	903^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	39.4%	222					68.6	66.7	50.8				58.6	64.3	49.2				60.0		$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%)	93.9	62^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	95.8%		94.5	57^th of 1490 public elementary schools	96.2%	5					86.5	92.9	90.3				89.2	78.6	77.4				87.1		$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%)	56.4	634^th of 1492 public elementary schools	57.5%		62.7	514^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.5%	120					72.8	70.2	51.3				58.0	54.8	53.8				71.8		$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%)	76.9	279^th of 1492 public elementary schools	81.3%		85	174^th of 1490 public elementary schools	88.3%	105					66.3	78.9	73.3				62.0	72.2	73.3				81.3		$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%)	71.6	386^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.1%		72.1	361^st of 1490 public elementary schools	75.8%	25					81.1	74.0	63.0				69.8	66.0	60.9				67.4		$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%)	75.3	160^th of 662 public high schools	75.8%		79.3	137^th of 641 public high schools	78.6%	23	70.1	76.6	76.3	86.1															$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%)	65.5	216^th of 662 public high schools	67.4%		62.6	214^th of 641 public high schools	66.6%	2	62.2	71.7	67.1	78.5															$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%)	63	270^th of 778 public middle schools	65.3%		54.9	328^th of 773 public middle schools	57.6%	58								62.8	64.7	63.6				57.8	60.7	56.1		70.3	$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%)	2.1	649^th of 662 public high schools	2.0%		4.6	622^nd of 641 public high schools	3.0%	27	12.9	5.9		27.8															$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%)	59.4	591^st of 1492 public elementary schools	60.4%		57.7	601^st of 1490 public elementary schools	59.7%	10					52.3	72.4	70.0				50.8	60.3	63.3				76.7		$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%)	38.4	933^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	37.5%		35.2	996^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.2%	63					61.8	50.0	37.5				61.8	53.6	31.3				56.3		$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%)	94.7	8^th of 662 public high schools	98.8%		95.4	20^th of 641 public high schools	96.9%	12	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0															$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	109^th
The Franklin School of Innovation	15 mi	1	79^th
Invest Collegiate - Imagine	16 mi	1
Jackson County Public Schools	16.54 mi	9	184^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.