Jackson County Public Schools

Summary:

The Jackson County Public Schools district in North Carolina consists of 9 schools, including 5 elementary schools, 4 high schools, and no middle or alternative schools. The district as a whole is ranked 172 out of 242 in the state and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out. Jackson County Early College is a high-performing high school, ranking 133 out of 641 high schools in the state and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. It excels in End-of-Course (EOC) exams, with over 90% proficiency in Math III and English II. In contrast, Blue Ridge Early College is a lower-performing high school, ranking 477 out of 641, but it maintains a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 87.7%. At the elementary/middle school level, Fairview School stands out, ranking 749 out of 1,490 elementary schools and earning a 2-star rating, with strong performance on End-of-Grade (EOG) exams.

The data reveals significant economic challenges facing the district, with several schools having very high free/reduced lunch rates, ranging from 65.98% at Scotts Creek School to 99.51% at Cullowhee Valley School. This suggests that the district's overall lower performance compared to state averages may be linked to the high levels of economic disadvantage among its students. The district's low overall ranking and 1-star rating indicate that there is room for improvement, and targeted interventions and support may be needed to raise student achievement across the Jackson County Public Schools district.

District Detail

398 Hospital Road
Sylva, NC 28779-5196

(828) 586-2311

SchoolDigger Rank:
172^nd of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2025 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-13
Students: 3,444

Primary Schools: 5
Middle Schools: 0
High Schools: 4
Alternative Schools: 0

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
Blue Ridge School	Public	PK, KG-6	95 Bobcat Drive	Cashiers	28717	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 743-2646	144	10	14.5	90.3%	78 (54.2%)	2 (1.4%)	58 (40.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	47	801^st of 1490 public elementary schools	46.2%		42	887^th of 1505 public elementary schools	41.1%	86					64.7	50.0	41.2	77.3			17.6	70.0	47.1	59.1			47.1		$13,938	$1,846	$12,092
Cullowhee Valley School	Public	PK, KG-8	240 Wisdom Drive	Cullowhee	28723	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 293-5667	570	35	16.3	99.5%	341 (59.8%)	5 (0.9%)	171 (30.0%)	3 (0.5%)	22 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.9%)	25.4	1172^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	21.3%		30.5	1089^th of 1505 public elementary schools	27.6%	83					58.3	44.0	39.7	45.2	39.6	41.9	47.9	36.0	31.0	40.5	39.6	54.0	34.5	54.0	$10,392	$1,261	$9,131
Fairview School	Public	PK, KG-8	251 Big Orange Way	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 586-2819	797	48	16.5	98.0%	550 (69.0%)	11 (1.4%)	144 (18.1%)	10 (1.3%)	32 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (6.3%)	49.6	749^th of 1490 public elementary schools	49.7%		61.1	563^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	62.6%	186					54.8	58.2	59.2	63.2	62.2	65.3	40.9	64.8	39.8	60.5	46.3	52.6	57.1	67.4	$8,533	$860	$7,673
Scotts Creek School	Public	PK, KG-8	516 Parris Branch	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 631-2740	422	29	14.6	98.6%	290 (68.7%)	9 (2.1%)	75 (17.8%)	6 (1.4%)	12 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.1%)	32.3	1051^st of 1490 public elementary schools	29.5%		31.5	1072^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	28.8%	21					24.1	40.4	40.8	38.0	44.2	22.4	27.8	42.6	63.3	50.0	48.8	51.0	75.5	73.5	$9,973	$1,203	$8,770
Smoky Mountain High School	Public	9-12	100 Smoky Mountain Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 586-2177	881	42	21.1	97.7%	585 (66.4%)	8 (0.9%)	185 (21.0%)	6 (0.7%)	49 (5.6%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (5.3%)	47.2	327^th of 641 public high schools	49.0%		39.8	372^nd of 640 public high schools	41.9%	45	43.1	56.3	38.5	71.8															$11,017	$880	$10,137
Smokey Mountain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	884 US Hwy 441N	Whittier	28789	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 497-5535	340	22	15.7	96.2%	125 (36.8%)	3 (0.9%)	53 (15.6%)	5 (1.5%)	111 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (12.6%)	9.1	1434^th of 1490 public elementary schools	3.8%		8.1	1444^th of 1505 public elementary schools	4.1%	10					41.9	16.3	31.0	25.6	22.6	32.4	22.6	27.9	31.0	27.9	38.7	48.6	51.7	54.3	$11,755	$1,735	$10,021
Jackson Community School	Public	5-12	3770 Skyland Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 586-4328	50	4	14.0	88.0%	38 (76.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.0%)	4.1	625^th of 641 public high schools	2.5%		4.3	623^rd of 640 public high schools	2.7%	2		7.1	5.6																$26,010	$1,858	$24,152
Blue Ridge Early College	Public	7-12	95 Bobcat Dr	Cashiers	28717	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 743-2646	127	8	16.3	97.6%	59 (46.5%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (51.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	27.4	477^th of 641 public high schools	25.6%		24.2	489^th of 640 public high schools	23.6%	12	43.5	55.0	20.0	17.6					43.5	24.0					43.5	24.0		36.0	$11,670	$875	$10,794
Jackson County Early College	Public	9-12	404 College Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 339-4499	113	2	47.0	97.3%	74 (65.5%)	2 (1.8%)	18 (15.9%)	4 (3.5%)	6 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.0%)	80.7	133^rd of 641 public high schools	79.3%		87	103^rd of 640 public high schools	83.9%	30	56.4	96.5	64.3	93.8															$7,254	$111	$7,144

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Summit Charter	2.13 mi	1
Macon County Schools	7.1 mi	12	113^th
Catamount School	13.04 mi	1	44^th
Transylvania County Schools	13.17 mi	9	103^rd
Haywood County Schools	24.92 mi	15	54^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.