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Owen High

Q: Is Owen High a good school?

Owen High ranks 317 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

317^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 52% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Owen High is a mid-sized, traditional public high school in Black Mountain, NC, serving roughly 649 students in grades 9–12 as part of Buncombe County Schools. The school carries a solid graduation rate around 90% and sits in the middle of the Asheville-area academic landscape, ranking 317th out of 662 North Carolina high schools (52nd percentile) with a 3-star rating in the most recent SchoolDigger data.

Where Owen truly stands out is attendance and consistent student engagement in key subjects. Its chronic absenteeism rate is only 13.8% — far better than the state average of 24.2% and the district average of 18.7%, and comparable to schools like North Buncombe High and Reynolds High. Students also perform well in upper-level math: Math III proficiency has run above both the district and state averages for several years. English Language Learners at Owen are a notable bright spot, earning a 5-star subgroup rating that ranks in the 91st percentile statewide.

Compared with its neighbors, Owen clearly outperforms Erwin High, a similar high-poverty school in the same district, while ranking nearly identically to North Buncombe. It trails more competitive schools such as Roberson High, Reynolds High, Asheville High, and specialized programs including Nesbitt Discovery Academy and Early College. Owen’s overall ranking has slipped from a stronger 82nd-percentile position several years ago, though recent results show a small rebound. Parents should also note that the school’s near-universal free/reduced lunch figure reflects a districtwide universal meal program change rather than a sudden shift in student demographics.

649

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,241

Per pupil spending ?

98%

Free/discounted lunch ?

99 Lake Eden Road
Black Mountain, NC 28711-8706

(828) 686-3852

District: Buncombe County Schools

Feeder schools for Owen High:

Elementary:	Black Mountain Elementary
	Black Mountain Primary
	Williams Elementary
Middle:	Owen Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.8%

Hispanic:

17.4%

Two or more races:

4.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Owen High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 61st percentile in 2016 → 52nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg60%

317^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 48%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From top 39% (2016) to top 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6High Schools in the Buncombe County Schools

109^th of 246Buncombe 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	52.2	317 of 662	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.0	350 of 641	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.1	256 of 640	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.8	209 of 626	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.3	197 of 621	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.1	262 of 594	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.5	94 of 514	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	73.4	84 of 469	82.1%	★★★★☆
2017	56.4	154 of 476	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	44.9	197 of 507	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	48.0	193 of 531	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	44.0	196 of 451	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	40.3	230 of 505	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	37.6	328 of 502	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	45.6	321 of 506	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.2	217 of 499	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.7	138 of 490	71.8%	★★★★☆
2008	71.4	60 of 477	87.4%	★★★★☆
2007	61.5	128 of 453	71.7%	★★★★☆
2006	70.3	68 of 431	84.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	70.5	48 of 330	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	47.3	127 of 334	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.4	43 of 364	88.2%	★★★★☆
2018	71.9	56 of 349	84.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.1	25 of 289	91.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	331 of 629	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.1	367 of 610	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.6	246 of 602	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.7	238 of 588	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.5	155 of 594	73.9%	★★★★☆
2021	55.6	155 of 475	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.7	97 of 475	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	79.2	61 of 449	86.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.5	209 of 407	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	78.8	29 of 403	92.8%	★★★★★
2023	66.7	147 of 403	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.3	50 of 398	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	43.3	231 of 337	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	79.0	30 of 325	90.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.9	319 of 474	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.0	288 of 462	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.0	157 of 454	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	191 of 449	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.2	166 of 436	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.5	197 of 370	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.6	56 of 354	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	42.3	176 of 340	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.2	230 of 620	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.9	371 of 606	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	238 of 613	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.4	204 of 597	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.3	166 of 544	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.4	116 of 432	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	66.2	54 of 446	87.9%	★★★★☆
2018	78.6	40 of 424	90.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.7	283 of 624	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.7	314 of 601	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.9	254 of 607	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.6	184 of 602	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.2	214 of 585	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.8	185 of 481	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.7	96 of 488	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	65.3	114 of 463	75.4%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	12.7	232 of 249	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.9	161 of 199	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.4	219 of 372	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.4	301 of 352	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	69.3	52 of 349	85.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	329 of 551	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.5	375 of 542	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.0	304 of 553	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.1	232 of 537	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.6	207 of 534	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.5	217 of 439	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.9	114 of 444	74.3%	★★★★☆
2018	68.1	111 of 427	74.0%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)91st percentile+39 vs school

Disabled (2022)85th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)63rd percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)55th percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)49th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)47th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)41st percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)40th percentile-12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)33rd percentile-19 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)7th percentile-60 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III69%~ state avg

English II69%+4 vs state

Biology62%+4 vs state

Math I44%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Owen 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
Owen High	Public	9-12	99 Lake Eden Road	Black Mountain	28711	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 686-3852	649	43	15.1	98.0%	466 (71.8%)	25 (3.9%)	113 (17.4%)	7 (1.1%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	32 (4.9%)	52.2	317^th of 662 public high schools	52.1%		43	350^th of 641 public high schools	45.4%	33	62.0	68.8	44.4	69.0	$11,241	$694	$10,547
Community High School	Public	7-12	235 Old US 70	Swannanoa	28778	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 686-7734	127	19	6.5	97.6%	77 (60.6%)	28 (22.0%)	13 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	8 (6.3%)	1.9	653^rd of 662 public high schools	1.4%		5.1	619^th of 641 public high schools	3.4%	34	14.0	21.6	538.0	7.1	$22,238	$1,674	$20,564
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%)	59.6	258^th of 662 public high schools	61.0%		59.3	233^rd of 641 public high schools	63.7%	25	66.1	68.2	44.2	82.4	$9,315	$663	$8,652
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%)	67.2	204^th of 662 public high schools	69.2%		76.9	145^th of 641 public high schools	77.4%	59	69.4	86.2	47.5	76.7	$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%)	57.2	272^nd of 662 public high schools	58.9%		53.4	270^th of 641 public high schools	57.9%	2	65.5	78.3	29.5	71.1	$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%)	89.2	83^rd of 662 public high schools	87.5%		90.6	71^st of 641 public high schools	88.9%	12	91.7	88.2	74.2	100.0	$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%)								(n/a)					$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%)	94.4	12^th of 662 public high schools	98.2%					(n/a)	98.8	100.0	88.9	99.9	$7,222	$451	$6,771
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%)	60.3	252^nd of 662 public high schools	61.9%		56.2	255^th of 641 public high schools	60.2%	3	64.3	72.7	51.0	75.8	$10,511	$1,345	$9,166
North Buncombe High	Public	9-12	890 Clarks Chapel Road	Weaverville	28787	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 645-4221	896	54	16.5	99.0%	689 (76.9%)	9 (1.0%)	153 (17.1%)	7 (0.8%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.5%)	52.9	309^th of 662 public high schools	53.3%		58.3	238^th of 641 public high schools	62.9%	71	66.2	68.9	49.4	64.0	$9,935	$695	$9,241

Frequently Asked Questions about Owen High

What schools feed into Owen High?

Owen High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Black Mountain Elementary
Elementary : Black Mountain Primary
Elementary : Williams Elementary
Middle : Owen Middle

Is Owen High a good school?

Owen High ranks 317^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Owen High?

Students at Owen High are 72% White, 17% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American, 1% Asian.

What district is Owen High in?

Buncombe County Schools

How many students attend Owen High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 649 students attended Owen High.

Rate Owen High!

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Schools in Black Mountain, 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.