Polk County Schools

Summary:

The Polk County Schools district in North Carolina consists of 7 schools, including 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools. The district's schools generally perform better than the state average in most subject areas and grade levels, with a few standout institutions.

Saluda Elementary School and Polk County Early College are the top performers in the district, consistently ranking among the best schools in the state. Saluda Elementary's test scores are significantly higher than the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics and reading, while Polk County Early College also excels academically, with 100% proficiency in English II and 91.7% proficiency in Math III.

However, there is some variability in elementary school performance, with Polk Central Elementary and Sunny View Elementary lagging behind the other schools in the district and the state in certain grade levels and subjects. Additionally, all of the schools in the district have very high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population, which may require additional resources and support to address their needs.

District Detail

125 E Mills Street
Columbus, NC 28722

(828) 894-3051

SchoolDigger Rank:
41^st of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2025 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 2,110

Primary Schools: 4
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 2
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
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%)	59.6	570^th of 1490 public elementary schools	61.7%		63.3	521^st of 1505 public elementary schools	65.4%	49					66.7	67.3	66.7				43.9	69.2	49.0				58.8		$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%)	52	280^th of 641 public high schools	56.3%		50.8	292^nd of 640 public high schools	54.4%	12	48.2	66.9	34.2	70.7															$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%)	91.2	92^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	93.8%		91.7	91^st of 1505 public elementary schools	94.0%	1					95.6	76.9	94.4				78.3	61.5	94.4				77.8		$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%)	60.3	562^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	62.3%		70	401^st of 1505 public elementary schools	73.4%	161					83.3	75.0	53.8				55.6	68.8	50.0				53.8		$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%)	66.1	465^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.8%		76.1	308^th of 1505 public elementary schools	79.5%	157					79.3	70.8	60.7				55.2	64.6	57.1				55.4		$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%)	67	230^th of 773 public middle schools	70.2%		73.9	180^th of 793 public middle schools	77.3%	50								50.7	56.8	52.1				62.9	63.6	65.3		74.3	$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%)	90.8	70^th of 641 public high schools	89.1%		94.8	29^th of 640 public high schools	95.5%	41		100.0		91.7															$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	18	73^rd
Henderson County Schools	14.31 mi	23	86^th
The Mountain Community School	17.83 mi	1	50^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.

Polk County Schools

District Detail

Saluda Elementary School

Polk County Early College

Polk County Middle School

Tryon Elementary School

Sunny View Elementary School

Polk Central Elementary School

Polk County High School

Districts nearby