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Silsa

Q: Is Silsa a good school?

Silsa ranks 145 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

145^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 77% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

The School of Inquiry and Life Sciences is a high-performing public high school in Asheville, North Carolina, serving 352 students in grades 9-12. The school consistently ranks among the top high schools in the state, with strong academic performance on end-of-course exams that exceeds the district and state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school had 81.1% proficiency in English II, compared to 72.3% for the Asheville City Schools district and 59.6% for the state.

The school's graduation rates are also impressive, ranging from 86.9% to 94.9% over the past few years. While the school performs well across different student subgroups, its performance for African American and Gifted and Talented students is relatively lower, ranking in the bottom 50% of North Carolina high schools. Interestingly, the nearby Nesbitt Discovery Academy, a public charter school, consistently ranks among the top high schools in the state, with exceptional performance on end-of-course exams.

Despite its strong academic performance, the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences has a relatively higher student-teacher ratio (25.1) compared to the nearby Asheville High School (13.2) and the Nesbitt Discovery Academy (20.9). This higher ratio may be a factor in the school's academic performance, as smaller class sizes can often lead to more personalized attention and support for students. Overall, the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences is a standout in the Asheville area, offering a high-quality education to its diverse student population.

332

Students ?

23.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,028

Per pupil spending ?

39.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

419 McDowell Street
Asheville, NC 28803

(828) 350-2700

District: Asheville City Schools

Feeder schools for Silsa:

Elementary:	Claxton Elementary
	Hall Fletcher Elementary
	Ira B Jones Elementary
	Isaac Dickson Elementary
	More...
	Lucy S. Herring Elementary
Middle:	Asheville Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.5%

African American:

19.3%

Hispanic:

10.5%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Silsa to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2015 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (74% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of North Carolina high schools

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (87%)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2015

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school74%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg53%

145^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 23%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Asheville City Schools

76^th of 242Asheville City 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	76.9	145 of 641	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	64.4	209 of 640	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.2	199 of 626	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.5	149 of 621	76.0%	★★★★☆
2021	59.6	209 of 594	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.9	76 of 514	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	86.2	33 of 469	93.0%	★★★★★
2017	81.6	40 of 476	91.6%	★★★★★
2016	77.5	44 of 507	91.3%	★★★★★
2015	80.0	41 of 531	92.3%	★★★★★
2013	77.4	24 of 505	95.2%	★★★★★
2012	74.4	46 of 502	90.8%	★★★★★
2011	79.5	29 of 506	94.3%	★★★★★
2010	67.0	106 of 499	78.8%	★★★★☆
2009	84.8	12 of 490	97.6%	★★★★★
2008	57.2	182 of 477	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.1	182 of 453	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.7	141 of 431	67.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.0	230 of 440	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.6	368 of 437	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	428 of 434	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	68.7	94 of 430	78.1%	★★★★☆
2021	52.1	109 of 364	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	16.3	342 of 369	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	65.3	69 of 359	80.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	98.4	7 of 349	98.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.1	153 of 610	74.9%	★★★★☆
2024	64.8	197 of 602	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.8	187 of 588	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.6	165 of 594	72.2%	★★★★☆
2021	47.8	206 of 475	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.1	103 of 475	78.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.4	80 of 449	82.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.9	146 of 412	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.2	279 of 403	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	327 of 403	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	61.4	180 of 398	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.8	222 of 337	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.5	129 of 325	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	49.7	182 of 454	59.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.3	146 of 606	75.9%	★★★★☆
2024	52.3	229 of 613	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.4	297 of 597	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.7	156 of 544	71.3%	★★★★☆
2021	43.8	161 of 432	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	86 of 446	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	71.9	55 of 424	87.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	139 of 601	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	61.1	216 of 607	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.6	232 of 602	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.0	125 of 585	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	69.5	81 of 481	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	78.6	51 of 488	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	89.0	27 of 463	94.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	79.7	116 of 542	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	79.0	122 of 553	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	148 of 537	72.4%	★★★★☆
2022	77.8	124 of 534	76.8%	★★★★☆
2021	65.9	101 of 439	77.0%	★★★★☆
2019	79.0	51 of 444	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	90.2	17 of 427	96.0%	★★★★★

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)

Disabled (2018)98th percentile+5 vs school

White (2025)79th percentile~ school

Male (2025)77th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile~ school

Female (2025)75th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)65th percentile-13 vs school

Hispanic (2024)60th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2025)48th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II81%+22 vs state

Math III80%+13 vs state

Biology68%+20 vs state

Math I53%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Silsa

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)	EOG Mathematics (2025)				EOG Reading (2025)				EOG Science (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	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Silsa	Public	9-12	419 McDowell Street	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-2700	332	14	23.9	39.2%	214 (64.5%)	64 (19.3%)	35 (10.5%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.2%)	76.9	145^th of 641 public high schools	77.4%		64.4	209^th of 640 public high schools	67.3%	64	68.4	81.1	52.6	79.8											$7,028	$199	$6,830
Asheville High	Public	9-12	419 McDowell Street	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-2500	1,221	89	13.7	41.3%	804 (65.8%)	173 (14.2%)	121 (9.9%)	12 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	19 (1.6%)	90 (7.4%)	53.4	270^th of 641 public high schools	57.9%		45.6	327^th of 640 public high schools	48.9%	57	55.7	69.8	32.6	62.1											$14,811	$688	$14,123
Early College	Public	9-12	340 Victoria Road	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4123	271	11	24.8	98.9%	138 (50.9%)	10 (3.7%)	110 (40.6%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	7 (2.6%)	90.6	71^st of 641 public high schools	88.9%		88.6	94^th of 640 public high schools	85.3%	23	80.4	94.3	66.7	96.4											$7,736	$216	$7,520
Center for Career Innovation	Public	9-12	340 Victoria Road	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4123	41	4	10.2	43.9%	27 (65.9%)	3 (7.3%)	9 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.9%)	27.1	480^th of 641 public high schools	25.1%					(n/a)	27.3		33.3												$10,465	$251	$10,214
Nesbitt Discovery Academy	Public	9-12	175 Bingham Rd Ste 10	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 271-4521	372	17	21.8	98.7%	307 (82.5%)	4 (1.1%)	31 (8.3%)	16 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.2%)								(n/a)	92.2														$7,222	$451	$6,771
Reynolds High	Public	9-12	One Rocket Drive	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 298-2500	1,169	65	17.9	99.0%	768 (65.7%)	133 (11.4%)	171 (14.6%)	17 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	75 (6.4%)	59.3	233^rd of 641 public high schools	63.7%		61.7	223^rd of 640 public high schools	65.2%	10	52.8	65.0	40.6	78.2											$9,315	$663	$8,652
The Franklin School of Innovation	Public, Charter	5-12	61 Innovation Dr	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	The Franklin School of Innovation	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 318-8140	717	56	12.9	37.8%	567 (79.1%)	25 (3.5%)	73 (10.2%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.3%)	55.3	261^st of 641 public high schools	59.3%		59.9	234^th of 640 public high schools	63.4%	27	56.8	77.8	25.4	65.8	45.2	66.3	50.0	31.3	67.1	56.8	61.6	63.6	64.4	74.7
Erwin High	Public	9-12	60 Lees Creek Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4251	1,013	69	14.6	99.7%	481 (47.5%)	94 (9.3%)	359 (35.4%)	4 (0.4%)	5 (0.5%)	23 (2.3%)	47 (4.6%)	17.7	541^st of 641 public high schools	15.6%		19.8	516^th of 640 public high schools	19.4%	25	32.5	39.3	10.4	45.9											$10,603	$744	$9,859
Roberson High	Public	9-12	250 Overlook Road	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 654-1765	1,479	86	17.2	99.7%	756 (51.1%)	179 (12.1%)	382 (25.8%)	43 (2.9%)	4 (0.3%)	8 (0.5%)	107 (7.2%)	56.2	255^th of 641 public high schools	60.2%		53.3	280^th of 640 public high schools	56.3%	25	55.0	70.2	34.3	68.4											$10,511	$1,345	$9,166
Enka High	Public	9-12	475 Enka Lake Road	Candler	28715	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 670-5000	1,051	64	16.4	99.7%	710 (67.6%)	40 (3.8%)	266 (25.3%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	26 (2.5%)	38.7	387^th of 641 public high schools	39.6%		42.5	355^th of 640 public high schools	44.5%	32	46.2	57.2	23.1	61.0											$9,892	$617	$9,276

Frequently Asked Questions about Silsa

What district is Silsa in?

Asheville City Schools

What is the racial makeup of Silsa?

Students at Silsa are 64% White, 19% African American, 11% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Silsa a good school?

Silsa ranks 145^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Silsa?

In the 2024-25 school year, 332 students attended Silsa.

What schools feed into Silsa?

Silsa is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Claxton Elementary
Elementary : Hall Fletcher Elementary
Elementary : Ira B Jones Elementary
Elementary : Isaac Dickson Elementary
Elementary : Lucy S. Herring Elementary
Middle : Asheville Middle

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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.