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Ashe County High

Q: Is Ashe County High a good school?

Ashe County High ranks 292 nd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

292^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 56% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Ashe County High is a comprehensive public high school in West Jefferson, NC, serving about 767 students in grades 9–12 within Ashe County Schools, a district rated in the 80th percentile statewide. For 2025-2026, Ashe County High ranks 292nd out of 662 North Carolina high schools—placing it in the 56th percentile with 3 stars. That marks a meaningful recovery from a two-year dip, although the school still sits below the 4-star, 70th-percentile ranking it earned in 2015-2016.

The most striking comparison is with Ashe County Early College High, located just 0.2 miles away, which posts End-of-Course proficiency rates 20–35 points higher in every subject despite serving a similarly high-poverty population. Against Watauga High, Ashe County High trails by 10–20 points in Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III—though that gap is not surprising given Watauga's far lower poverty rate. The fairest comparison may be West Wilkes High School, which has nearly identical economic disadvantage; Ashe County High comes out ahead in overall ranking, Biology, and Math I. The graduation rate of 89.5% exceeds the state average but trails the district's 91.0% and the rates at Watauga High, Watauga Innovation Academy, and West Wilkes High School. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 38.7% to 19.0% since 2021-2022—better than the state average, though above the district's 13.7%.

What stands out most, however, is the school's progress with high-need students. Special Education students jumped from the 7th percentile statewide in 2023-2024 to the 86th percentile in 2025-2026, English Language Learners rank in the 62nd percentile, and homeless students placed in the 95th percentile in 2024-2025. Low-income students also score slightly better relative to similar students across North Carolina than the school's overall rank suggests. In contrast, White students and Gifted and Talented students rank below the school's overall statewide placement—an area worth watching as the school continues to improve. With roughly 99% of students experiencing economic disadvantage, Ashe County High is a high-poverty school showing real momentum—even as English II proficiency and year-to-year Biology swings remain areas to watch.

767

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,958

Per pupil spending ?

99.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

184 Campus Drive
West Jefferson, NC 28694

(336) 846-2400

District: Ashe County Schools

Feeder schools for Ashe County High:

Elementary:	Blue Ridge Elementary
	Mountain View Elementary
	Westwood Elementary
Middle:	Ashe County Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.6%

Hispanic:

12.1%

Two or more races:

2.2%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Ashe County High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 70th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg69%

North Carolina avg60%

292^nd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

48^th of 246Ashe 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	54.3	292 of 662	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.8	364 of 641	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	335 of 640	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.3	293 of 626	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.8	267 of 621	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.3	288 of 594	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.4	243 of 514	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.2	168 of 469	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.6	184 of 476	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	51.5	152 of 507	70.0%	★★★★☆
2015	51.0	167 of 531	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	59.1	120 of 451	73.4%	★★★★☆
2013	47.1	170 of 505	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.7	173 of 502	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.3	133 of 506	73.7%	★★★★☆
2010	65.7	122 of 499	75.6%	★★★★☆
2009	75.8	41 of 490	91.6%	★★★★★
2008	76.6	32 of 477	93.3%	★★★★★
2007	67.5	89 of 453	80.4%	★★★★☆
2006	71.1	60 of 431	86.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	56.6	92 of 330	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	27.6	260 of 334	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.7	203 of 364	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.2	175 of 349	49.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	109 of 289	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.1	301 of 629	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.2	349 of 610	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.3	294 of 602	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.4	248 of 588	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.6	241 of 594	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.9	150 of 475	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.5	204 of 475	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.5	166 of 449	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.2	250 of 407	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.0	333 of 412	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.1	253 of 403	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.1	156 of 403	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.9	233 of 398	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	66.3	106 of 337	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.1	64 of 325	80.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.6	263 of 474	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.9	291 of 462	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.4	414 of 454	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.1	299 of 449	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	236 of 436	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.7	170 of 370	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	17.9	319 of 354	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.4	222 of 340	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	85.3	2 of 39	94.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.0	243 of 620	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.0	290 of 606	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.8	308 of 613	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.6	237 of 597	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.1	154 of 544	71.7%	★★★★☆
2021	60.9	64 of 432	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	45.8	166 of 446	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.0	111 of 424	73.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	269 of 624	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.5	341 of 601	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.9	351 of 607	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.9	317 of 602	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.5	285 of 585	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.6	240 of 481	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.2	269 of 488	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.6	195 of 463	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	29.1	190 of 249	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	52 of 372	86.0%	★★★★☆
2025	53.4	109 of 352	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.9	325 of 349	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	346 of 551	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.0	420 of 542	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.8	377 of 553	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	358 of 537	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.7	319 of 534	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.6	252 of 439	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.5	294 of 444	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	258 of 427	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)95th percentile+52 vs school

Special Education (2026)86th percentile+30 vs school

Disabled (2022)72nd percentile+15 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)62nd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)61st percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)57th percentile~ school

Female (2026)52nd percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)45th percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)39th percentile-17 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile-19 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)24th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III68%~ state avg

Biology66%+8 vs state

English II62%~ state avg

Math I56%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ashe County High

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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
Ashe County High	Public	9-12	184 Campus Drive	West Jefferson	28694	Ashe County	Ashe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 846-2400	767	41	18.7	99.1%	649 (84.6%)	4 (0.5%)	93 (12.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.2%)	54.3	292^nd of 662 public high schools	55.9%		41.8	364^th of 641 public high schools	43.2%	72	66.1	62.1	56.0	67.6	$10,958	$817	$10,142
Ashe County Early College High	Public	9-12	363 Campus Dr	West Jefferson	28694	Ashe County	Ashe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 846-1881	143	3	51.8	97.9%	107 (74.8%)	1 (0.7%)	30 (21.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	88.7	93^rd of 662 public high schools	86.0%		89.7	78^th of 641 public high schools	87.8%	15	86.0	90.2	92.0	93.6	$11,089	$346	$10,742
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%)	74.3	163^rd of 662 public high schools	75.4%		72.8	166^th of 641 public high schools	74.1%	3	73.8	75.0	65.7	87.5	$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%)	54.3	293^rd of 662 public high schools	55.7%		49.1	308^th of 641 public high schools	52.0%	15	54.9	53.7	68.8	75.9	$2,667	$110	$2,557
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%)	49.7	331^st of 662 public high schools	50.0%		50.2	293^rd of 641 public high schools	54.3%	38	45.7	64.9	50.0	77.9	$9,570	$787	$8,783

Frequently Asked Questions about Ashe County High

How many students attend Ashe County High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 767 students attended Ashe County High.

What district is Ashe County High in?

Ashe County Schools

Is Ashe County High a good school?

Ashe County High ranks 292^nd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ashe County High?

Students at Ashe County High are 85% White, 12% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Ashe County High?

Ashe County High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Blue Ridge Elementary
Elementary : Mountain View Elementary
Elementary : Westwood Elementary
Middle : Ashe County Middle

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Schools in West Jefferson, 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.