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Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll

Public Grades 9-12

66^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 90% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll is a small, selective early college high school in Concord, NC, serving 234 students in grades 9–12 and earning a 5-star ranking every year since 2020–2021. In 2025–2026, CKEC placed 66th out of 662 North Carolina high schools (90th percentile), far ahead of traditional neighborhood schools like Concord High (36th percentile), West Cabarrus High (47th percentile), and Northwest Cabarrus High (67th percentile). It also slightly outranks its specialized peers within Cabarrus County Schools, including Cabarrus Early College of Technology and Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute, which are also ranked in the 90th percentile or higher.

The academic numbers are striking. In 2025–2026, CKEC posted proficiency rates of 84.7% in Biology, 95% in English II, 93.3% in Math I, and 96.4% in Math III—far above district and state averages. The Math I gap is the most dramatic: the district proficiency is 54.7% and the state's is just 42.1%, leaving CKEC roughly 40 points ahead. Even compared to the highly rated Cox Mill High School, CKEC is stronger in English II and both math courses, though Cox Mill posted a slightly higher Biology proficiency (88.6% vs. 84.7%). Biology has been CKEC's lowest end-of-course subject in three of the last four years—still a strong result overall, but worth noting for a school with a STEM-len early college focus. Chronic absenteeism (18.7%) is below the state average of 24.2%, yet roughly double the rate at its two early college sister schools, and CKEC's student-teacher ratio of 24.2 is higher than most area traditional high schools.

What truly sets CKEC apart is its combination of elite achievement with equitable results. The school ranked #1 in the state in 2024–2025 for serving gifted students, and it also places in the top 10–11% for African American, Hispanic, and low-income students—a rare pattern, since many top-ranked schools achieve their standing primarily through advantaged populations. Its 94.5% graduation rate exceeds the district (88.9%) and state (86.5%) averages, and it accomplishes all of this while spending less per student than nearly every nearby high school, including A L Brown High. For parents seeking a rigorous, college-prep environment that challenges high achievers while supporting a diverse student body, CKEC is an exceptional option.

234

Students ?

24.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

35.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1531 Trinity Church Rd
Concord, NC 28027-7601

(704) 260-6780

District: Cabarrus County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

37.2%

African American:

28.6%

Hispanic:

20.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 96th percentile in 2021 → 90th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (92% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina high schools

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

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2021

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school92%

District avg69%

North Carolina avg60%

66^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 6 pts since 2021

From top 4% (2021) to top 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

67^th of 246Cabarrus 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	91.0	66 of 662	90.0%	★★★★★
2025	92.5	57 of 641	91.1%	★★★★★
2024	92.4	54 of 640	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	19 of 626	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	93.6	37 of 621	94.0%	★★★★★
2021	96.1	22 of 594	96.3%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.7	44 of 450	90.2%	★★★★★
2025	97.7	22 of 440	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	94.4	38 of 437	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	98.7	11 of 434	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	96.4	26 of 430	94.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.1	69 of 629	89.0%	★★★★☆
2025	90.7	59 of 610	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	89.9	64 of 602	89.4%	★★★★☆
2023	94.3	26 of 588	95.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	40 of 594	93.3%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.4	5 of 407	98.8%	★★★★★
2025	83.4	1 of 412	99.8%	★★★★★
2024	78.8	24 of 403	94.0%	★★★★★
2022	81.0	38 of 398	90.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.7	50 of 474	89.5%	★★★★☆
2025	92.3	46 of 462	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.9	30 of 454	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	10 of 449	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	98.9	5 of 436	98.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.2	55 of 620	91.1%	★★★★★
2025	92.8	67 of 606	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	95.3	52 of 613	91.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	39 of 597	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	84.0	79 of 544	85.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.7	32 of 624	94.9%	★★★★★
2025	94.0	43 of 601	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	94.9	38 of 607	93.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.2	19 of 602	96.8%	★★★★★
2022	95.5	36 of 585	93.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.6	22 of 551	96.0%	★★★★★
2025	89.2	57 of 542	89.5%	★★★★☆
2024	89.8	62 of 553	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	93.9	22 of 537	95.9%	★★★★★
2022	90.9	51 of 534	90.4%	★★★★★

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 (2026)99th percentile+9 vs school

White (2026)96th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)95th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)91st percentile~ school

African American (2026)90th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)89th percentile~ school

Female (2026)89th percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III96%+27 vs state

English II95%+30 vs state

Math I93%+51 vs state

Biology85%+26 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Early college is an all around great school the students are well behaved and the teachers care about their students and have a special connection to all students. Close Quote

Schools Near Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll

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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)	EOG Mathematics (2026)		EOG Reading (2026)		EOG Science (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	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll	Public	9-12	1531 Trinity Church Rd	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-6780	234	10	24.2	35.5%	87 (37.2%)	67 (28.6%)	49 (20.9%)	22 (9.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	91	66^th of 662 public high schools	90.0%		92.5	57^th of 641 public high schools	91.1%	9	84.7	95.0	93.3	96.4						$7,514	$205	$7,309
Northwest Cabarrus High	Public	9-12	5130 NW Cabarrus Drive	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-6720	1,142	68	16.9	35.4%	518 (45.4%)	285 (25.0%)	179 (15.7%)	83 (7.3%)	5 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	70 (6.1%)	65.3	220^th of 662 public high schools	66.8%		56.7	251^st of 641 public high schools	60.8%	31	67.8	71.6	65.9	74.8						$9,034	$555	$8,479
West Cabarrus High	Public	9-12	4100 Weddington Rd	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-5970	1,627	86	18.9	57.2%	472 (29.0%)	508 (31.2%)	526 (32.3%)	36 (2.2%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	78 (4.8%)	47.1	348^th of 662 public high schools	47.4%		40.1	375^th of 641 public high schools	41.5%	27	50.6	57.1	44.4	80.2
Cabarrus Early College of Technology	Public	9-12	670 Concord Parkway North	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-6750	236	7	36.1	32.2%	113 (47.9%)	35 (14.8%)	44 (18.6%)	28 (11.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.9%)	90.9	67^th of 662 public high schools	89.9%		93.5	44^th of 641 public high schools	93.1%	23	93.0	93.0	88.6	94.7						$8,795	$218	$8,577
Cabarrus County Schools Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	4511 Weddington Road	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(704) 260-6820	107	4	26.7	42.1%	61 (57.0%)	15 (14.0%)	17 (15.9%)	3 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (10.3%)	45.9	359^th of 662 public high schools	45.8%		44.7	342^nd of 641 public high schools	46.6%	17	57.7	76.9	50.0	50.0	54.5	20.0	81.8	60.0	80.0
Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute	Public	9-12	421 Medical Park Dr NE	Concord	28025	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(704) 260-6860	159	6	25.1	30.2%	47 (29.6%)	28 (17.6%)	31 (19.5%)	38 (23.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (8.8%)	91.7	60^th of 662 public high schools	90.9%					(n/a)	92.5	100.0	80.0	96.5
Performance Learning Center	Public	9-12	4521 Weddington Road	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-6800	77	7	11.8	96.1%	37 (48.1%)	13 (16.9%)	23 (29.9%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.9%)	25.7	514^th of 662 public high schools	22.4%		29.2	462^nd of 641 public high schools	27.9%	52	52.2	57.1		38.7						$10,998	$489	$10,509
Cabarrus County Opportunity School	Public	6-12	120 Marsh Avenue NW	Concord	28025	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-5800	41	10	4.1	92.7%	8 (19.5%)	19 (46.3%)	9 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (12.2%)								(n/a)										$29,596	$2,369	$27,226
Concord High	Public, Magnet	9-12	481 Burrage Road NE	Concord	28025	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(704) 260-6000	1,128	71	15.9	99.1%	312 (27.7%)	355 (31.5%)	389 (34.5%)	9 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (5.6%)	37.8	421^st of 662 public high schools	36.4%		38.8	386^th of 641 public high schools	39.8%	35	46.5	51.9	45.3	69.6						$9,116	$520	$8,595
A L Brown High	Public	9-12	415 Martin Luther King Jr Ave	Kannapolis	28083	Cabarrus County	Kannapolis City Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 932-6125	1,753	94	18.6	99.8%	422 (24.1%)	497 (28.4%)	702 (40.0%)	10 (0.6%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (6.7%)	9.2	606^th of 662 public high schools	8.5%		11.4	591^st of 641 public high schools	7.8%	15	26.5	42.0	7.7	36.4						$9,314	$705	$8,609

Frequently Asked Questions about Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll

Is Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll a good school?

Yes. Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll ranks in the top 10.0% of North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll?

In the 2024-25 school year, 234 students attended Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll.

What district is Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll in?

Cabarrus County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll?

Students at Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll are 37% White, 29% African American, 21% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.