High Schools in Wilkes County Schools

Summary:

The Wilkes County Schools district in North Carolina is home to 5 high schools, serving students in grades 9-12. These schools include Wilkes Central High School, West Wilkes High School, North Wilkes High School, East Wilkes High School, and Wilkes Early College High School.

Among these schools, Wilkes Early College High School stands out as a top performer, consistently ranking among the best high schools in North Carolina with a 4-5 star rating from SchoolDigger. This school boasts exceptional test scores, with 89.3% proficiency in Biology, 100% proficiency in English II, and 91% proficiency in Math III. Additionally, Wilkes Early College High School maintains a very high graduation rate of 87.7%. In contrast, other schools in the district, such as Wilkes Central High School and East Wilkes High School, have lower test proficiency rates, indicating room for improvement.

Across the Wilkes County Schools district, all 5 high schools face significant socioeconomic challenges, with extremely high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 98.53% to 99.59%. This suggests that the district is serving a predominantly low-income student population, which may present unique challenges and resource needs for the schools. Despite these challenges, the district maintains a consistent 4-year graduation rate of 87.7% across all 5 high schools.

District Detail

613 Cherry St
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659

(336) 667-1121

SchoolDigger Rank:
104^th of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2025 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-13
Students: 8,547

Primary Schools: 13
Middle Schools: 4
High Schools: 5
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
East Wilkes High School	Public	9-12	13315 Elkin Hwy 268	Ronda	28670	Wilkes County	Wilkes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 651-7200	469	28	16.4	99.4%	407 (86.8%)	5 (1.1%)	30 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.3%)	45.8	333^rd of 641 public high schools	48.0%		69.4	182^nd of 640 public high schools	71.6%	151	54.3	55.5	37.5	59.2	$10,562	$769	$9,794
North Wilkes High School	Public	9-12	2986 Traphill Rd	Hays	28635	Wilkes County	Wilkes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 903-4040	578	40	14.4	97.9%	457 (79.1%)	6 (1.0%)	92 (15.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.8%)	62.3	217^th of 641 public high schools	66.1%		71.1	174^th of 640 public high schools	72.8%	43	43.6	69.7	59.1	80.8	$9,880	$1,015	$8,865
West Wilkes High School	Public	9-12	6598 Boone Trail	Millers Creek	28651	Wilkes County	Wilkes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 903-6710	582	41	14.3	99.3%	464 (79.7%)	4 (0.7%)	97 (16.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.4%)	50.2	293^rd of 641 public high schools	54.3%		51.4	290^th of 640 public high schools	54.7%	3	41.1	51.5	57.8	69.1	$9,570	$787	$8,783
Wilkes Central High School	Public	9-12	1179 Moravian Falls Rd	Wilkesboro	28697	Wilkes County	Wilkes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 667-5277	719	49	14.6	99.6%	365 (50.8%)	79 (11.0%)	191 (26.6%)	7 (1.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (10.3%)	45.9	332^nd of 641 public high schools	48.2%		30.9	442^nd of 640 public high schools	30.9%	110	28.7	54.9	54.3	70.3	$9,054	$938	$8,116
Wilkes Early College High School	Public	9-12	1328 S Collegiate Dr	Wilkesboro	28697	Wilkes County	Wilkes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 838-6247	265	9	29.4	98.9%	205 (77.4%)	6 (2.3%)	36 (13.6%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.2%)	89.7	79^th of 641 public high schools	87.7%		90.2	72^nd of 640 public high schools	88.8%	7	89.3	100.0	57.6	91.0	$6,729	$458	$6,271

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
NCDPS Juvenile Education Services	3.74 mi	10
Caldwell County Schools	9.5 mi	25	141^st
Alexander County Schools	10.82 mi	11	99^th
Oak Hill Charter School	15.27 mi	1	221^st
Watauga County Schools	17.33 mi	11	39^th

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.