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Polk County Schools

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At a glance

57^thof 246 North Carolina districts▼ 16

Better than 76% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 4 Middle 1 High 2Grades PK, KG-12

125 E Mills Street
Columbus, NC 28722·(828) 894-3051·All North Carolina district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 76.8% of districts

Schools

2,110

Students

Top rankedPolk County Early College84^th of 662 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

Sunny View Elementary School up 70 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Saluda Elementary School 10.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

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

Summary:

Polk County Schools is a small, seven-school district in western North Carolina serving about 2,110 students in pre-K through 12th grade across four elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools. The district earns a 4-star rating and ranks 57th of 246 statewide (77th percentile), a notable achievement given that every school reports free/reduced-price lunch rates between 94% and 99.5%.

Saluda Elementary is the district's top elementary school, ranking 185th of 1,492 (88th percentile) with 100% proficiency in 4th grade math and 3rd grade reading, the lowest elementary student-to-teacher ratio at 10.3:1, and moderate chronic absenteeism at 18.8%. Polk County Early College leads the high schools, ranking 84th of 662 (87th percentile) with 100% Biology, 90.5% English II, and 92.9% Math III proficiency, plus the district's best attendance at 9.2% chronic absenteeism. Both schools serve populations with roughly 94% or higher economic disadvantage, showing that high poverty does not prevent high achievement. In comparison, Polk County High School sits at the 51st percentile, Tryon Elementary and Sunny View Elementary each rank at the 67th percentile, and Polk County Middle School ranks at the 61st percentile with strong 8th grade reading (72% vs. 56.1% statewide) but math that trails state averages.

Two concerns stand out. Polk Central Elementary has fallen to the 45th percentile (815 of 1,492) with a 29.3% chronic absenteeism rate, and Polk County Middle School has declined from the 77th to the 61st percentile over three years while posting the district's highest chronic absenteeism at 31.0%. Districtwide, every elementary school scored below the state average of 55.3% in 5th grade reading, and only Saluda Elementary exceeded the state in 5th grade science. Both high schools beat the state graduation rate of 88.8% — 91.0% at Polk County High School and 90.7% at Polk County Early College. Spending does not predict results: Sunny View Elementary spends the most per pupil ($15,864) yet struggles in 5th grade, while Polk County Early College spends the least ($9,557).

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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
Polk Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2141 South NC9 Hwy	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 894-8233	379	24	15.9	99.2%	299 (78.9%)	20 (5.3%)	39 (10.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.3%)	45.5	815^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.4%		59.6	570^th of 1490 public elementary schools	61.7%	245					56.5	56.4	69.4				48.4	60.0	53.1				59.2		$12,367	$1,550	$10,818
Polk County High School	Public	9-12	1681 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2525	596	32	18.5	99.5%	433 (72.7%)	42 (7.0%)	93 (15.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.5%)	50.6	324^th of 662 public high schools	51.1%		52	280^th of 641 public high schools	56.3%	44	51.2	66.9	46.4	75.7															$12,130	$897	$11,232
Saluda Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	214 E Main Street	Saluda	28773	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 894-1040	142	14	10.3	97.9%	125 (88.0%)	2 (1.4%)	10 (7.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.8%)	84.3	185^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.6%		91.2	92^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	93.8%	93					559.4	100.0	63.6				100.0	80.0	54.5				72.7		$13,956	$1,586	$12,371
Sunny View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	86 Sunny View School Road	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 894-1050	120	10	11.8	97.5%	115 (95.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	65.8	492^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	67.0%		60.3	562^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	62.3%	70					73.3	90.0	76.5				60.0	80.0	47.1				47.1		$15,864	$1,636	$14,228
Tryon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 School Place	Tryon	28782	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 859-6584	367	27	13.7	99.2%	238 (64.9%)	36 (9.8%)	64 (17.4%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.8%)	65.5	498^th of 1492 public elementary schools	66.6%		66.1	465^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.8%	33					89.1	70.0	58.0				72.7	71.7	48.0				58.0		$12,033	$1,081	$10,952
Polk County Middle School	Public	6-8	321 Wolverine Trail	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2215	454	41	11.1	99.3%	339 (74.7%)	19 (4.2%)	64 (14.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.4%)	59.4	307^th of 778 public middle schools	60.5%		67	230^th of 773 public middle schools	70.2%	77								54.9	56.0	51.3				52.9	60.4	72.0		76.7	$11,233	$636	$10,597
Polk County Early College	Public	9-12	1545 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2698	52	3	18.9	94.2%	46 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	89.1	84^th of 662 public high schools	87.3%		90.8	70^th of 641 public high schools	89.1%	14	100.0	90.5		92.9															$9,557	$127	$9,430

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Lake Lure Classical Academy	9.03 mi	1
Rutherford County Schools	9.28 mi	16	71^st
Henderson County Schools	14.31 mi	23	74^th
The Mountain Community School	17.83 mi	2	36^th
Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy	18.8 mi	1

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.