Hugh M Cummings High

Hugh M Cummings High is a traditional public high school in Burlington, NC, serving 807 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Alamance-Burlington Schools district. The school is ranked 567th out of 662 high schools statewide (14th percentile, 1 star), with a graduation rate of 78.9% — below the district's 85.9% and the state's 88.8%. More than half of its students were chronically absent (51.7%), and nearly all (98.76%) qualified for free or reduced-price lunch. Proficiency on End-of-Course exams trails district and state averages in every major subject, with especially large gaps in Math III and English II.

The challenges at Cummings stand out even next to nearby schools. Its 51.7% chronic absenteeism rate is the highest among the district's traditional high schools — Graham High, just 1.22 miles away, is at 41.3%. Cummings' 78.9% graduation rate is also the lowest among those schools, and its student-teacher ratio (20.4:1) is the highest. Most importantly, several neighboring schools serve nearly identical poverty rates yet get stronger results. Eastern Alamance High and Walter M Williams High both have roughly 99.7% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, yet Eastern Alamance graduates 90.5% of its students and posts much higher proficiency in Math I and Math III.

There are bright spots too. Cummings' Special Education students ranked at the 79th percentile statewide (4 stars) in 2025–2026 — a genuine strength. African American students also improved from the 9th to the 34th percentile in one year. Several trends are moving in the right direction: chronic absenteeism has fallen from 73.4% in 2021–2022 to 51.7%, and graduation has risen from 71.6% to 78.9%. For parents, the key takeaway is that Cummings is addressing serious challenges, but the most promising levers are attendance intervention, additional instructional staffing, and learning from higher-performing high-poverty schools like Eastern Alamance High.