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South Central

Q: Is South Central a good school?

South Central ranks 296 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

296^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 55% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

South Central High School in Winterville, NC, serves roughly 1,738 students in grades 9–12 and is part of Pitt County Schools, a mid-ranked district in North Carolina. In the latest state rankings, South Central placed 296th of 662 high schools — the 55th percentile with 3 stars — its strongest state standing in a decade. That places it behind only D H Conley High among traditional high schools in the district, while ranking ahead of Junius H Rose High, Ayden-Grifton High, Farmville Central High, and North Pitt High. The two higher-ranked schools in the district, PCS Early College High School and Innovation Early College High, are small, application-based programs with a different mission than a large comprehensive school like South Central.

South Central's academic strengths are notable given that nearly all of its students (99.8%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. On 2025-26 End-of-Course exams, the school posted strong results in Math III (79.8% proficient) and Biology (61.7% proficient), both above state averages and ahead of most nearby high-poverty schools. Only D H Conley scored higher in those subjects. The graduation rate has climbed steadily from 75.5% in 2021-22 to 85.0% in 2025-26, narrowing the gap with the state average. Subgroup results are also encouraging: English learners rank in the top 6% of schools statewide, and African American, Hispanic, White, and Multiracial students all rank near or above the 70th percentile. By comparison, other high-poverty schools like Kinston High and Greene Central High trail far behind on nearly every subject.

The main areas to watch are attendance and English II. Chronic absenteeism was 26.9% in 2024-25, better than several peer schools but still above the state rate of 24.2%. English II proficiency (60.8%) sits slightly below the state average (64.6%). However, the school improved dramatically across nearly every subject between 2024-25 and 2025-26, and its graduation momentum suggests South Central is heading in the right direction. For families considering this school, the data paints a picture of a large, broad-access high school that is outperforming most peers serving similar student populations and building real momentum.

1,738

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,918

Per pupil spending ?

99.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

570 W Forlines Road
Winterville, NC 28590

(252) 321-3232

District: Pitt County Schools

Feeder schools for South Central:

Elementary:	Creekside Elementary
	Lakeforest Elementary
	Ridgewood Elementary
	W H Robinson Elementary
Middle:	A G Cox Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

64.9%

White:

19.9%

Hispanic:

7.0%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare South Central to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 36th percentile in 2016 → 55th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg63%

North Carolina avg60%

296^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 45%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 36% (2016) to top 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6High Schools in the Pitt County Schools

112^th of 246Pitt County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	296 of 662	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.4	358 of 641	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.7	342 of 640	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	380 of 626	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	413 of 621	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.8	393 of 594	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.7	343 of 514	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.3	315 of 469	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	20.5	372 of 476	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.6	324 of 507	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.4	283 of 531	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	22.9	328 of 451	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.6	264 of 505	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	63.2	118 of 502	76.5%	★★★★☆
2011	49.2	295 of 506	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.1	249 of 499	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	43.1	311 of 490	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.7	261 of 477	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	61.9	125 of 453	72.4%	★★★★☆
2006	63.9	122 of 431	71.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.9	132 of 450	70.7%	★★★★☆
2025	48.3	188 of 440	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.3	160 of 437	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.6	210 of 434	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.9	215 of 430	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.4	174 of 364	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.0	233 of 369	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.0	209 of 359	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	39.8	63 of 91	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.4	281 of 330	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	294 of 334	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.8	214 of 364	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	191 of 349	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	88.5	16 of 289	94.5%	★★★★★
2025	71.6	32 of 273	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.2	33 of 262	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.5	18 of 226	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	32.7	94 of 156	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	80 of 173	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	281 of 629	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.7	346 of 610	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.2	356 of 602	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.5	395 of 588	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.6	404 of 594	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.5	306 of 475	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.5	338 of 475	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	312 of 449	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.0	150 of 407	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.1	161 of 412	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	194 of 403	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.9	122 of 403	69.7%	★★★★☆
2022	55.4	217 of 398	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	74.6	51 of 337	84.9%	★★★★☆
2019	51.0	184 of 325	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.2	38 of 100	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.3	138 of 474	70.9%	★★★★☆
2025	59.5	146 of 462	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.1	147 of 454	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.1	110 of 449	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	48.3	189 of 436	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.6	131 of 370	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.0	93 of 354	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	33.1	232 of 340	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.0	312 of 620	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.4	378 of 606	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	373 of 613	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.4	402 of 597	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.9	397 of 544	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.9	292 of 432	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.3	342 of 446	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	333 of 424	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.2	299 of 624	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.1	349 of 601	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	313 of 607	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	350 of 602	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	393 of 585	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.6	291 of 481	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.5	343 of 488	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.1	342 of 463	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.8	34 of 265	87.2%	★★★★☆
2025	50.1	126 of 253	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	124 of 261	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	103 of 249	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	83 of 226	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.6	105 of 199	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.3	63 of 195	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.1	80 of 185	56.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.7	168 of 372	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.4	157 of 352	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.7	152 of 349	56.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.3	127 of 551	77.0%	★★★★☆
2025	74.1	152 of 542	72.0%	★★★★☆
2024	76.6	138 of 553	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	65.1	185 of 537	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.2	251 of 534	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.9	131 of 439	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	58.8	141 of 444	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.9	149 of 427	65.1%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)94th percentile+39 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)87th percentile+32 vs school

White (2026)77th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)71st percentile+16 vs school

African American (2026)71st percentile+15 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)63rd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)55th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)55th percentile~ school

Male (2026)52nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2022)31st percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)15th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III80%+11 vs state

Biology62%+3 vs state

English II61%-4 vs state

Math I48%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Central

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
South Central	Public	9-12	570 W Forlines Road	Winterville	28590	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 321-3232	1,738	94	18.4	99.8%	346 (19.9%)	1,128 (64.9%)	121 (7.0%)	23 (1.3%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	116 (6.7%)	54	296^th of 662 public high schools	55.3%		42.4	358^th of 641 public high schools	44.1%	62	61.7	60.8	47.5	79.8	$8,918	$1,095	$7,823
PCS Early College High School	Public	9-12	2064 Warren Drive	Winterville	27835	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 493-7821	334	14	23.3	99.1%	107 (32.0%)	117 (35.0%)	93 (27.8%)	6 (1.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.7%)	93.9	15^th of 662 public high schools	97.7%		95.1	24^th of 641 public high schools	96.3%	9	98.6	97.4	95.6	98.3	$7,489	$876	$6,613
Junius H Rose High	Public	9-12	600 W Arlington Blvd	Greenville	27834	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 321-3640	1,568	83	18.9	99.8%	516 (32.9%)	794 (50.6%)	105 (6.7%)	58 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	94 (6.0%)	52.7	311^th of 662 public high schools	53.0%		50.5	292^nd of 641 public high schools	54.4%	19	59.7	63.9	49.4	73.7	$8,977	$844	$8,133
Innovation Early College High	Public	9-12	East Carolina University	Greenville	27858	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 737-3860	227	10	21.8	98.7%	88 (38.8%)	62 (27.3%)	45 (19.8%)	14 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.9%)	92.8	38^th of 662 public high schools	94.3%		93.3	45^th of 641 public high schools	93.0%	7	363.9	98.0	100.0	97.8	$11,291	$335	$10,955
D H Conley High	Public	9-12	2006 Worthington Rd	Greenville	27858	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 756-3440	1,757	91	19.3	33.3%	994 (56.6%)	365 (20.8%)	270 (15.4%)	32 (1.8%)	6 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (5.1%)	71.4	182^nd of 662 public high schools	72.5%		66.7	191^st of 641 public high schools	70.2%	9	75.1	69.3	65.7	85.1	$8,429	$588	$7,841
Ayden-Grifton High	Public	9-12	7653 NC 11 South	Ayden	28513	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 746-4183	757	47	15.9	99.6%	299 (39.5%)	300 (39.6%)	117 (15.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.0%)	36.5	429^th of 662 public high schools	35.2%		25.1	494^th of 641 public high schools	22.9%	65	54.0	51.1	41.7	62.1	$10,854	$1,280	$9,574
Farmville Central High	Public	9-12	3308 E Wilson Street	Farmville	27828	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 753-5138	778	45	17.4	99.6%	193 (24.8%)	446 (57.3%)	89 (11.4%)	8 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.0%)	35.1	440^th of 662 public high schools	33.5%		26.3	484^th of 641 public high schools	24.5%	44	43.4	62.0	21.4	69.6	$9,488	$1,038	$8,450
Greene Central High	Public	9-12	140 School Drive	Snow Hill	28580	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 747-3814	776	51	15.0	99.6%	206 (26.5%)	291 (37.5%)	249 (32.1%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.2%)	8.1	612^th of 662 public high schools	7.6%		11.3	593^rd of 641 public high schools	7.5%	19	30.9	33.5	10.3	33.9	$11,712	$1,688	$10,024
Greene Early College High	Public	9-12	818 Highway 91	Snow Hill	28580	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 747-9044	166	9	18.4	98.2%	43 (25.9%)	28 (16.9%)	90 (54.2%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	58.7	264^th of 662 public high schools	60.1%		71.6	173^rd of 641 public high schools	73.0%	91	57.9	79.5	51.4	71.9	$9,040	$301	$8,739
North Pitt High	Public	9-12	5659 NC 11 North	Bethel	27812	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 825-0054	854	53	16.1	99.6%	99 (11.6%)	429 (50.2%)	277 (32.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (5.6%)	22.7	536^th of 662 public high schools	19.0%		30	450^th of 641 public high schools	29.8%	86	35.9	35.4	43.0	54.3	$10,427	$1,238	$9,189

Frequently Asked Questions about South Central

How many students attend South Central?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,738 students attended South Central.

Is South Central a good school?

South Central ranks 296^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into South Central?

South Central is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Creekside Elementary
Elementary : Lakeforest Elementary
Elementary : Ridgewood Elementary
Elementary : W H Robinson Elementary
Middle : A G Cox Middle

What district is South Central in?

Pitt County Schools

What is the racial makeup of South Central?

Students at South Central are 65% African American, 20% White, 7% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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Schools in Winterville, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.