High Schools in Watauga County Schools

Summary:

The Watauga County Schools district in North Carolina is home to two high schools: Watauga High and Watauga Innovation Academy. Based on the available data, Watauga High appears to be the standout school in the district, consistently outperforming its counterpart and the state averages on key metrics.

Watauga High has a statewide rank of 133 out of 626 high schools in North Carolina and a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, while Watauga Innovation Academy has a lower statewide rank of 223 and a 3-star rating. Both schools had a 87.7% four-year graduation rate, but Watauga High outperformed Watauga Innovation Academy and the district/state averages in all End-of-Course (EOC) test subjects. Additionally, Watauga High had a significantly higher per-student spending of $11,160 compared to $2,667 for Watauga Innovation Academy, which may contribute to its stronger academic performance.

The data also reveals that Watauga Innovation Academy serves a more economically disadvantaged student population, with a higher free/reduced lunch rate of 42.62% compared to 33.07% at Watauga High. This suggests that Watauga Innovation Academy may face additional challenges in terms of academic achievement. Overall, the analysis indicates that Watauga High is the higher-performing school in the Watauga County Schools district, with better rankings, test scores, and resources compared to Watauga Innovation Academy.

District Detail

175 Pioneer Trail
Boone, NC 28607

(828) 264-7190

SchoolDigger Rank:
39^th of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2025 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 4,658

Primary Schools: 9
Middle Schools: 0
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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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

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.