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Alexander Early College

Q: Is Alexander Early College a good school?

Yes. Alexander Early College ranks in the top 8.8% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Alexander Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 172 students attended Alexander Early College.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Alexander Early College?

Students at Alexander Early College are 71% White, 20% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Public Grades 9-12

58^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 91% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Alexander Early College is a small public early-college high school in Taylorsville, NC, serving 172 students in grades 9–12 and ranking among the very best high schools in North Carolina even though its home district, Alexander County Schools, ranks near the state's middle. For 2025–2026 the school ranks 58th out of 662 North Carolina high schools, putting it in the 91st percentile with a five-star rating. It has never ranked below the 83rd percentile in the past six reported years and reached 13th statewide in 2021–2022.

The school's End-of-Course test scores tower over district and state averages. In 2025–2026 every subject hit at least 88% proficiency — Biology 95.3%, English II 95.4%, Math I 88.0%, and Math III 95.6% — compared with state averages between 42.1% and 68.9%. The largest gap is Math I, where the school outperforms the state by 45.9 percentage points. The contrast with Alexander Central High, the same district's traditional high school just 0.61 miles away, is stark: Alexander Central ranks 415th statewide and trails by more than 30 percentage points in every tested subject. Strong results are also common among neighboring early-college schools, though — Challenger Early College High ranks 20th statewide and Wilkes Early College High School ranks 71st — while traditional high schools like Wilkes Central High, Saint Stephens High, Hickory High, and West Iredell High all sit in the lower half of the state.

The school's success spans nearly every student group. Low-socioeconomic-status students perform at the 93rd percentile statewide, a notable result given that 98.26% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch (a figure that likely reflects a change in reporting methods rather than a sudden demographic shift). Female, male, Hispanic, and White students all rank at or near the 90th percentile. Chronic absenteeism is very low — 5.6% versus 31.1% statewide in 2021–2022 — and the school spends only $6,455 per student compared with $10,255 at Alexander Central High. Two concerns deserve attention: the gifted-identified student subgroup has slipped to the 43rd percentile in 2025–2026, down from the 99th percentile in 2020–2021, and the student-teacher ratio has risen to 28.6, well above Alexander Central's 15.9.

172

Students ?

28.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

345 Industrial Blvd
Taylorsville, NC 28681

(828) 632-8221

District: Alexander County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.9%

Hispanic:

19.8%

Asian:

5.2%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Alexander Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 93rd percentile in 2021 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (94% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 29 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school94%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg60%

58^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 2 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

128^th of 246Alexander 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	91.9	58 of 662	91.2%	★★★★★
2025	87.2	96 of 641	85.0%	★★★★☆
2024	86.3	106 of 640	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	95.8	15 of 626	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.1	13 of 621	97.9%	★★★★★
2021	93.7	42 of 594	92.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.2	53 of 629	91.6%	★★★★★
2025	87.1	84 of 610	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	83.0	115 of 602	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	94.8	19 of 588	96.8%	★★★★★
2022	94.1	23 of 594	96.1%	★★★★★
2021	96.4	5 of 475	98.9%	★★★★★
2019	86.9	29 of 475	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	86.4	30 of 449	93.3%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.4	231 of 407	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	81.1	48 of 403	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	85.4	4 of 337	98.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.1	43 of 474	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	91.5	52 of 454	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	98.1	17 of 449	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	86.5	15 of 354	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	78.0	33 of 340	90.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.9	45 of 620	92.7%	★★★★★
2025	89.6	80 of 606	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	93.3	67 of 613	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	98.3	8 of 597	98.7%	★★★★★
2021	92.3	13 of 432	97.0%	★★★★★
2019	87.3	18 of 446	96.0%	★★★★★
2018	97.1	7 of 424	98.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.4	36 of 624	94.2%	★★★★★
2025	84.1	117 of 601	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	87.1	108 of 607	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	96.7	9 of 602	98.5%	★★★★★
2022	97.8	1 of 585	99.8%	★★★★★
2021	86.1	36 of 481	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	94.7	10 of 488	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	97.4	1 of 463	99.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.0	57 of 551	89.7%	★★★★☆
2025	79.3	118 of 542	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	126 of 553	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	93.8	24 of 537	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	94.2	22 of 534	95.9%	★★★★★
2021	94.7	9 of 439	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	89.7	14 of 444	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	13 of 427	97.0%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2026)94th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)91st percentile~ school

White (2026)90th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)43rd percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III96%+27 vs state

English II95%+31 vs state

Biology95%+37 vs state

Math I88%+46 vs state

4.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, February 25, 2019

This school has a great collection of teachers. However, they have a policy where teachers must assign 40 minutes of homework each night which quickly adds up and can be rather overwhelming. Additionally, it is fairly new so it offers a limited amount of courses to gain one's associate degree. For example, only Spanish is offered for the foreign language requirement. However, two free years of college is two free years of college. You take what you can get. Close Quote

Schools Near Alexander Early College

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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)	EOG Mathematics (2026)		EOG Reading (2026)		EOG Science (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	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Alexander Early College	Public	9-12	345 Industrial Blvd	Taylorsville	28681	Alexander County	Alexander County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 632-8221	172	6	28.6	98.3%	122 (70.9%)	3 (1.7%)	34 (19.8%)	9 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	91.9	58^th of 662 public high schools	91.2%		87.2	96^th of 641 public high schools	85.0%	38	95.3	95.4	88.0	95.6						$6,455	$116	$6,339
Alexander Central High	Public	9-12	223 School Drive	Taylorsville	28681	Alexander County	Alexander County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 632-7063	1,254	79	15.9	99.8%	992 (79.1%)	59 (4.7%)	129 (10.3%)	10 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (4.9%)	38.3	415^th of 662 public high schools	37.3%		48.8	310^th of 641 public high schools	51.6%	105	52.9	61.4	40.4	58.4						$10,255	$776	$9,479
Saint Stephens High	Public	9-12	3205 34th Street Drive NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 256-9841	1,268	57	22.0	99.8%	560 (44.2%)	109 (8.6%)	442 (34.9%)	62 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (7.5%)	49.9	330^th of 662 public high schools	50.2%		58	243^rd of 641 public high schools	62.1%	87	64.7	62.9	42.2	68.9						$8,502	$740	$7,761
Gateway School	Public	6-12	1889 Dudley Shoals Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-8373	53	9	5.9	94.3%	33 (62.3%)	2 (3.8%)	9 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (15.1%)								(n/a)			11.1	541.5	9.1	< 5%	45.5	10.5	26.3	$28,313	$1,830	$26,484
Bunker Hill High	Public	9-12	4675 Oxford School Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-3355	845	40	21.1	99.6%	457 (54.1%)	69 (8.2%)	179 (21.2%)	86 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (6.4%)	25.4	518^th of 662 public high schools	21.8%		30.3	441^st of 641 public high schools	31.2%	77	42.5	53.8	39.1	44.9						$8,880	$745	$8,136
West Iredell High	Public	9-12	213 Warrior Dr	Statesville	28625	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 873-2181	767	43	17.7	99.1%	398 (51.9%)	130 (16.9%)	153 (19.9%)	25 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	60 (7.8%)	25.7	515^th of 662 public high schools	22.2%		20.6	520^th of 641 public high schools	18.9%	5	42.4	52.0	28.6	56.9						$9,961	$600	$9,361
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%)	48.4	341^st of 662 public high schools	48.5%		45.9	332^nd of 641 public high schools	48.2%	9	45.5	63.2	56.7	71.8						$9,054	$938	$8,116
Hickory High	Public	9-12	1234 3rd Street NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 322-5860	1,024	38	26.6	99.7%	358 (35.0%)	196 (19.1%)	297 (29.0%)	47 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	120 (11.7%)	28.5	487^th of 662 public high schools	26.4%		26.1	486^th of 641 public high schools	24.2%	1	45.0	54.6	30.8	56.0						$8,704	$694	$8,010
Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School	Public	9-12	409 8th Avenue NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 328-6738	201	13	15.2	98.5%	107 (53.2%)	22 (10.9%)	45 (22.4%)	6 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (10.4%)	53.3	300^th of 662 public high schools	54.7%		56.6	253^rd of 641 public high schools	60.5%	47	60.0	64.9	38.6	83.3						$15,342	$1,043	$14,299
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%)	90.5	71^st of 662 public high schools	89.3%		89.7	79^th of 641 public high schools	87.7%	8	83.9	94.7	89.7	99.9						$6,729	$458	$6,271

Frequently Asked Questions about Alexander Early College

How many students attend Alexander Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 172 students attended Alexander Early College.

Is Alexander Early College a good school?

Yes. Alexander Early College ranks in the top 8.8% of North Carolina high schools.

What district is Alexander Early College in?

Alexander County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Alexander Early College?

Students at Alexander Early College are 71% White, 20% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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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.