Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Early College

Q: Is Early College a good school?

Early College ranks 71 st of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

71^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 89% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Early College is a public high school in Buncombe County Schools, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 276 students. This exceptional school consistently ranks among the top high schools in North Carolina, with a 4-star or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Early College's academic performance is truly impressive. Students significantly outperform the district and state averages on end-of-course exams, with 94.3% proficient or better in English II, compared to 63.5% for Buncombe County Schools and 59.6% for North Carolina. The school also maintains consistently high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 86.5% to 91.5% over the past 3 years, well above the district and state averages. Additionally, Early College excels in serving diverse student populations, ranking among the top high schools in the state for Hispanic, White, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.

While Early College stands out academically, the nearby schools in the Buncombe County district generally perform below the state average on key metrics. For example, Community High School, the closest school to Early College, has significantly lower test scores and a lower statewide ranking. Interestingly, Early College achieves these exceptional results with a relatively efficient use of resources, spending less per student than some of the nearby schools.

271

Students ?

24.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,736

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

340 Victoria Road
Asheville, NC 28801

(828) 232-4123

District: Buncombe County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.9%

Hispanic:

40.6%

African American:

3.7%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 91st percentile in 2021 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Ranks in the top 11% of North Carolina high schools

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (86%)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school86%

District avg54%

North Carolina avg53%

71^st of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 11%▼ down 2 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 9High Schools in the Buncombe County Schools

125^th of 242Buncombe 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	90.6	71 of 641	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	88.6	94 of 640	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	87.1	92 of 626	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	87.2	94 of 621	84.9%	★★★★☆
2021	92.7	51 of 594	91.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	87.8	81 of 610	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	85.3	106 of 602	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	81.1	110 of 588	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	111 of 594	81.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	81.3	15 of 412	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	64.3	161 of 403	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	179 of 398	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	92.9	43 of 462	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	86.9	65 of 454	85.7%	★★★★☆
2023	86.6	62 of 449	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	89.0	59 of 436	86.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	92.2	69 of 606	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	93.6	64 of 613	89.6%	★★★★☆
2023	91.8	70 of 597	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	95.9	37 of 544	93.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	93.4	51 of 601	91.5%	★★★★★
2024	90.6	79 of 607	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	93.7	51 of 602	91.5%	★★★★★
2022	91.5	73 of 585	87.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	88.5	61 of 542	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	89.5	64 of 553	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	87.8	68 of 537	87.3%	★★★★☆
2022	85.8	83 of 534	84.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2025)96th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)92nd percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)91st percentile~ school

White (2025)89th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile~ school

Female (2025)87th percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III96%+30 vs state

English II94%+35 vs state

Biology80%+32 vs state

Math I67%+32 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Early College and help other families decide.

Rate Early College

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Early College

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Early College

Is Early College a good school?

Early College ranks 71^st of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Early College in?

Buncombe County Schools

How many students attend Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 271 students attended Early College.

What is the racial makeup of Early College?

Students at Early College are 51% White, 41% Hispanic, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Rate Early College!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina High School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Asheville, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Early College!

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.