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Ashe County Early College High

Q: Is Ashe County Early College High a good school?

Ashe County Early College High ranks 78 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

78^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 88% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Ashe County Early College High is a small public high school in West Jefferson, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 and part of the Ashe County Schools district. With just 131 students, this school consistently outperforms the district and state in academic metrics, ranking in the top 15% of North Carolina high schools.

Ashe County Early College High excels in End-of-Course test scores, with an 82.1% proficiency rate in Biology compared to 43.1% for the district and 48.3% for the state. The school also maintains a strong 4- or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and significantly outperforms the nearby Ashe County High School in academic measures. Interestingly, the school has seen a sharp increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 34.13% in 2021-2022 to 97.71% in 2023-2024, indicating it serves a high-need population.

While Ashe County Early College High excels overall, it may need to focus more on supporting its gifted and talented students, as the school's ranking for this subgroup has been more variable. Nonetheless, this small school appears to be an effective option for families in the area, providing a high-quality education at a lower cost per student than some nearby schools like Watauga High.

143

Students ?

51.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,089

Per pupil spending ?

97.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

363 Campus Dr
West Jefferson, NC 28694

(336) 846-1881

District: Ashe County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.8%

Hispanic:

21.0%

Two or more races:

2.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Ashe County Early College High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 91st percentile in 2021 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (86% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 52 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school86%

District avg56%

North Carolina avg53%

78^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 3 pts since 2021

From top 9% (2021) to top 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Ashe County Schools

53^rd of 242Ashe 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
2025	89.7	78 of 641	87.8%	★★★★☆
2024	93.3	49 of 640	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	89.2	79 of 626	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	96.7	9 of 621	98.6%	★★★★★
2021	92.5	52 of 594	91.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	85.0	103 of 610	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	86.9	90 of 602	85.0%	★★★★☆
2023	86.3	86 of 588	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	96.0	10 of 594	98.3%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.0	145 of 412	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	78.4	47 of 403	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	45.1	284 of 403	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	82.6	22 of 398	94.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	93.8	61 of 606	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	93.8	63 of 613	89.7%	★★★★☆
2023	89.3	78 of 597	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	99.0	13 of 544	97.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	88.9	92 of 601	84.7%	★★★★☆
2024	95.7	28 of 607	95.4%	★★★★★
2023	90.8	77 of 602	87.2%	★★★★☆
2022	97.0	13 of 585	97.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	83.3	94 of 542	82.7%	★★★★☆
2024	90.4	55 of 553	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	85.7	81 of 537	84.9%	★★★★☆
2022	95.9	2 of 534	99.6%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)90th percentile~ school

Male (2025)85th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)83rd percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)83rd percentile-5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)65th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III89%+22 vs state

Math I87%+52 vs state

English II86%+26 vs state

Biology82%+34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ashe County Early College High

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
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%)	89.7	78^th of 641 public high schools	87.8%		93.3	49^th of 640 public high schools	92.3%	29	82.1	86.0	86.7	88.6	$11,089	$346	$10,742
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%)	41.8	364^th of 641 public high schools	43.2%		44.8	335^th of 640 public high schools	47.7%	29	34.1	59.2	42.9	61.1	$10,958	$817	$10,142
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%)	72.8	166^th of 641 public high schools	74.1%		75.2	153^rd of 640 public high schools	76.1%	13	53.4	76.2	56.6	87.7	$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%)	49.1	308^th of 641 public high schools	52.0%		64.6	207^th of 640 public high schools	67.7%	101	36.7	58.2	50.0	74.7	$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%)	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

Frequently Asked Questions about Ashe County Early College High

How many students attend Ashe County Early College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 143 students attended Ashe County Early College High.

What district is Ashe County Early College High in?

Ashe County Schools

Is Ashe County Early College High a good school?

Ashe County Early College High ranks 78^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ashe County Early College High?

Students at Ashe County Early College High are 75% White, 21% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Rate Ashe County Early College High!

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NCNorth Carolina High School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in West Jefferson, NC

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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.