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Watauga County Schools

At a glance

39^thof 242 North Carolina districts▲ 8

Better than 83% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 9 High 2Grades PK, KG-12

175 Pioneer Trail
Boone, NC 28607·(828) 264-7190·All North Carolina district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 83.9% of districts

Schools

4,658

Students

Top rankedBlowing Rock Elementary187^th of 1,490 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Bethel Elementary up 194 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Bethel Elementary 7.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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

Summary:

The Watauga County Schools district in North Carolina consists of 11 schools, including 9 elementary schools, 2 high schools, and no middle schools or alternative schools. The district as a whole is ranked 39 out of 242 school districts in the state and is rated 4 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out as top performers. Blowing Rock Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state, with particularly strong performance in mathematics. Hardin Park Elementary and Parkway Elementary also demonstrate solid academic performance across grade levels and subject areas. In contrast, some lower-performing elementary schools like Green Valley and Mabel struggle to reach state proficiency averages.

At the high school level, Watauga High School maintains strong academic standing, consistently ranking in the top half of North Carolina high schools and outperforming the state on End-of-Course exams. The district's other high school, Watauga Innovation Academy, serves as a unique choice for students but lags slightly behind the main Watauga High campus in performance.

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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 (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
Bethel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	138 Bethel School Rd	Sugar Grove	28679	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2240	128	17	7.7	55.5%	115 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.0%)	60.8	550^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.1%		50.1	744^th of 1505 public elementary schools	50.6%	194					46.2	45.5	64.3	76.9	72.7	37.5	53.8	72.7	57.1	53.8	72.7	62.5	71.4	68.8	$14,795	$1,301	$13,494
Blowing Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	165 Morris Street	Blowing Rock	28605	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 295-3204	409	28	14.6	20.0%	371 (90.7%)	2 (0.5%)	25 (6.1%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.5%)	84.3	187^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.4%		85.2	176^th of 1505 public elementary schools	88.3%	11					84.9	86.7	75.0	76.6	93.9	78.0	58.5	76.7	64.6	72.3	87.9	87.8	70.8	92.5	$10,946	$628	$10,318
Cove Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	930 Vanderpool Rd	Vilas	28692	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2781	289	23	12.6	41.2%	252 (87.2%)	2 (0.7%)	22 (7.6%)	9 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	66.6	457^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.3%		69.3	420^th of 1505 public elementary schools	72.1%	37					57.1	84.8	65.4	78.9	68.0	58.6	42.9	57.6	65.4	57.9	48.0	70.0	57.7	73.3	$12,375	$859	$11,515
Green Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	189 Big Hill Road	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 264-3606	292	28	10.6	64.4%	254 (87.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (6.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.5%)	39.9	920^th of 1490 public elementary schools	38.3%		35.5	1006^th of 1505 public elementary schools	33.2%	86					50.0	40.6	40.6	56.7	62.1	64.1	50.0	50.0	53.1	56.7	51.7	71.8	53.1	71.8	$11,237	$1,247	$9,990
Hardin Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	361 Jefferson Road	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 264-8481	854	73	11.7	41.6%	599 (70.1%)	21 (2.5%)	143 (16.7%)	50 (5.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.3%)	72.7	350^th of 1490 public elementary schools	76.5%		79.3	251^st of 1505 public elementary schools	83.3%	99					66.7	71.9	55.7	73.8	71.4	65.6	54.8	67.7	61.4	70.2	61.9	76.0	72.7	82.3	$11,487	$1,000	$10,486
Mabel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	404 Mabel School Road	Zionville	28698	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 297-2512	140	16	8.8	66.4%	128 (91.4%)	1 (0.7%)	6 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	47.2	794^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.7%		40.8	918^th of 1505 public elementary schools	39.0%	124					66.7	60.0	72.7	56.3	72.7	57.1	40.0	50.0	36.4	43.8	63.6	50.0	63.6	64.3	$13,398	$1,416	$11,982
Parkway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	160 Parkway School Dr	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 264-3032	610	42	14.5	35.4%	503 (82.5%)	2 (0.3%)	76 (12.5%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.9%)	78.7	266^th of 1490 public elementary schools	82.1%		78.6	271^st of 1505 public elementary schools	82.0%	5					66.2	65.7	76.5	75.4	70.8	67.5	47.8	70.0	75.0	72.5	66.7	74.0	85.3	77.9	$9,618	$414	$9,204
Valle Crucis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	175 Pioneer Trail	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 963-4712	345	27	12.5	40.3%	285 (82.6%)	4 (1.2%)	48 (13.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.7%)	66.4	462^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	69.0%		77.8	285^th of 1505 public elementary schools	81.1%	177					56.5	72.4	44.1	80.5	78.0	54.1	50.0	75.9	55.9	78.0	65.9	70.3	67.6	86.5	$10,351	$520	$9,831
Watauga High	Public	9-12	300 Go Pioneers Drive	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 264-2407	1,289	82	15.6	33.0%	1,042 (80.8%)	16 (1.2%)	159 (12.3%)	27 (2.1%)	7 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (2.9%)	72.8	166^th of 641 public high schools	74.1%		75.2	153^rd of 640 public high schools	76.1%	13	53.4	76.2	56.6	87.7															$11,160	$624	$10,536
Watauga Innovation Academy	Public	9-12	300 Go Pioneers Drive	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 264-2407	292	0		44.2%	249 (85.3%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (12.3%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	49.1	308^th of 641 public high schools	52.0%		64.6	207^th of 640 public high schools	67.7%	101	36.7	58.2	50.0	74.7															$2,667	$110	$2,557
Watauga Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	K-8	175 Pioneer Trail	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(828) 264-7190	10	6	4.0	50.0%	6 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (30.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Avery County Schools	10.09 mi	8	131^st
Two Rivers Community School	13.88 mi	1	43^rd
Marjorie Williams Academy	19.18 mi	1
Ashe County Schools	19.55 mi	6	53^rd
Mitchell County Schools	25.81 mi	6

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.