High Schools in Rowan-Salisbury Schools

Summary:

The Rowan-Salisbury Schools district in North Carolina is home to 8 high schools serving grades 9-12. The data reveals a mix of high-performing and underperforming schools, with Rowan County Early College standing out as an exceptional institution consistently ranking among the top high schools in the state.

Rowan County Early College boasts significantly higher test scores compared to the district and state averages, with over 77% proficiency in Biology, 89.5% in English II, 68.6% in Math I, and 90.5% in Math III. The school also maintains a high 4-year graduation rate of 87.7%. In contrast, several other high schools in the district, such as West Rowan High, Salisbury High, and North Rowan High, rank in the bottom 10-15% of high schools statewide and have 0-1 star ratings from SchoolDigger, indicating lower academic performance.

The district as a whole faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with all 8 high schools reporting very high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 96.15% to 99.41%. This may be a contributing factor to the lower academic performance observed in many of the schools. Additionally, the wide variation in spending per student, from $7,268 at Rowan County Early College to $25,678 at Henderson High, raises questions about the equitable distribution of resources within the district.

District Detail

500 North Main Street
Salisbury, NC 28144

(704) 636-7500

SchoolDigger Rank:
207^th of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2025 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 17,683

Primary Schools: 17
Middle Schools: 6
High Schools: 8
Alternative Schools: 1

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 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 Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Rowan High	Public	9-12	175 St Luke's Church Rd	Salisbury	28146	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 279-5232	986	49	20.0	98.4%	703 (71.3%)	121 (12.3%)	97 (9.8%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (6.2%)	32.3	431^st of 641 public high schools	32.8%		31.3	436^th of 640 public high schools	31.9%	5	37.0	50.0	16.5	64.6				$9,575	$985	$8,590
North Rowan High	Public	9-12	300 North Whitehead Ave	Spencer	28159	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 636-4420	555	28	20.0	0.5%	117 (21.1%)	214 (38.6%)	177 (31.9%)	9 (1.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.3%)	5.9	617^th of 641 public high schools	3.7%		4.8	621^st of 640 public high schools	3.0%	4	21.1	30.1		13.5				$12,425	$1,166	$11,259
South Rowan High	Public	9-12	1655 Patterson St	China Grove	28023	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 857-1161	932	43	21.5	99.7%	552 (59.2%)	85 (9.1%)	230 (24.7%)	9 (1.0%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (5.4%)	16.2	552^nd of 641 public high schools	13.9%		11.9	578^th of 640 public high schools	9.7%	26	32.0	38.3	15.0	37.0				$9,584	$1,002	$8,582
West Rowan High	Public	9-12	8050 NC 801 Hwy	Mount Ulla	28125	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 278-9233	988	46	21.6	99.7%	497 (50.3%)	180 (18.2%)	221 (22.4%)	11 (1.1%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	74 (7.5%)	11.8	588^th of 641 public high schools	8.3%		11.5	580^th of 640 public high schools	9.4%	8	17.6	42.9	10.1	30.3				$9,333	$909	$8,424
Salisbury High	Public	9-12	500 Lincolnton Rd	Salisbury	28144	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 636-1221	930	47	19.5	99.7%	139 (14.9%)	401 (43.1%)	320 (34.4%)	12 (1.3%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (5.6%)	11.9	586^th of 641 public high schools	8.6%		10.8	587^th of 640 public high schools	8.3%	1	26.7	35.7	15.8	22.3				$11,029	$745	$10,284
Henderson High	Public	6-12	1215 North Main St	Salisbury	28144	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3134	71	7	10.2	95.8%	15 (21.1%)	38 (53.5%)	7 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (15.5%)								(n/a)		12.5			7.1	12.5	12.5	$25,678	$1,458	$24,220
Carson High	Public	9-12	290 Kress Venture Dr	China Grove	28023	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 855-7297	1,063	46	22.9	99.7%	677 (63.7%)	67 (6.3%)	253 (23.8%)	12 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (5.1%)	44.2	343^rd of 641 public high schools	46.5%		24.8	487^th of 640 public high schools	23.9%	144	35.0	59.4	48.8	61.6				$8,570	$767	$7,803
Rowan County Early College	Public	9-12	1333 Jake Alexander Blvd S	Salisbury	28146	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 216-3873	235	7	32.9	98.7%	93 (39.6%)	31 (13.2%)	91 (38.7%)	10 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.3%)	88	91^st of 641 public high schools	85.8%		82.8	121^st of 640 public high schools	81.1%	30	77.2	89.5	68.6	90.5				$7,268	$298	$6,970

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Kannapolis City Schools	3.64 mi	9	208^th
Concord Lake STEAM Academy	5.5 mi	1	56^th
Cabarrus County Schools	5.64 mi	43	66^th
Faith Academy	6.58 mi	1
Valor Preparatory Academy	10.66 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.