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Chatham Central High

Q: Is Chatham Central High a good school?

Chatham Central High ranks 227 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

227^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 66% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Chatham Central High is a small, rural public high school in Bear Creek, NC, serving 320 students in grades 9-12 as part of Chatham County Schools. It has climbed to the 66th percentile statewide (227th of 662 high schools), earning 3 stars, and stands out for its exceptional mathematics performance. Math I proficiency is 71.4%—dramatically higher than the state average of 42.1%, as well as far above nearby traditional schools like Northwood High (41.9%), North Moore High (47.1%), and Jordan-Matthews High (38.3%). Math III proficiency is also strong at 73.4%. This academic strength is especially notable given that the school serves a high-need population, with a free/reduced lunch rate around 99%.

Beyond test scores, Chatham Central has shown dramatic improvement in graduation rates, rising from 80.6% in 2021-2022 to 93.6% in 2025-2026, which now outpaces both the district (92.3%) and state (88.8%). The school also benefits from a low student-teacher ratio of 10.3 and above-average per-student spending of $12,606, which may help explain its recent upward trajectory. Chronic absenteeism sits at 23.1%, far lower than many peer institutions in the region, such as Jordan-Matthews High (56.6%) and Eastern Randolph High School (47.2%).

While Chatham Central is clearly a math-forward school, its profile in other subjects is more mixed: English II and Biology scores are above state averages but trail the district and Northwood High. Interestingly, Chatham Central and Northwood now hold nearly identical overall state rankings (227th vs. 228th), despite having opposite academic strengths—an outcome that highlights the importance of looking beyond a single rank. The school has demonstrated strong recent gains across most student subgroups, including Hispanic, low-SES, and male students. However, data for students with disabilities is outdated and concerning, and gifted-student rankings have fluctuated wildly from the 97th to the 31st percentile due to small cohort sizes. Overall, this is an improving, high-poverty school whose small class sizes and targeted academic gains make it one of the more interesting schools in the region.

320

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,606

Per pupil spending ?

99.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

14950 NC Hwy 902 W
Bear Creek, NC 27207

(919) 837-2251

District: Chatham County Schools

Feeder schools for Chatham Central High:

Elementary:	Bennett School
	Bonlee School
	J S Waters School

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.0%

Hispanic:

23.8%

African American:

6.3%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Chatham Central High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 55th percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (69% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (89%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg66%

North Carolina avg60%

227^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 34%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to top 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4High Schools in the Chatham County Schools

62^nd of 246Chatham 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	64.0	227 of 662	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.6	209 of 641	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.9	324 of 640	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.9	325 of 626	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.3	330 of 621	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	321 of 594	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.3	205 of 514	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.2	257 of 469	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.4	214 of 476	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	40.4	229 of 507	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.6	121 of 531	77.2%	★★★★☆
2014	57.7	124 of 451	72.5%	★★★★☆
2013	43.3	203 of 505	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.2	155 of 502	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.1	185 of 506	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.0	145 of 499	70.9%	★★★★☆
2009	58.2	192 of 490	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.4	145 of 477	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.4	102 of 453	77.5%	★★★★☆
2006	71.3	58 of 431	86.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	29.3	310 of 434	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.7	234 of 430	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.2	185 of 359	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	29.2	245 of 334	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.9	361 of 364	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	83 of 273	69.6%	★★★★☆
2024	46.7	108 of 262	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.5	181 of 629	71.2%	★★★★☆
2025	68.0	182 of 610	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	60.9	219 of 602	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	305 of 588	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.6	301 of 594	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.0	210 of 475	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.6	181 of 475	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.3	260 of 449	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	282 of 407	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	81.4	13 of 412	96.8%	★★★★★
2024	63.2	164 of 403	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.6	251 of 403	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.2	325 of 398	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	76.7	34 of 337	89.9%	★★★★★
2019	51.2	183 of 325	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.9	64 of 100	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.0	115 of 474	75.7%	★★★★☆
2025	64.4	124 of 462	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	44.2	225 of 454	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	203 of 449	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.4	269 of 436	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.0	177 of 354	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.0	194 of 340	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.9	194 of 620	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.2	186 of 606	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.2	292 of 613	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.2	309 of 597	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	309 of 544	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	210 of 432	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.3	213 of 446	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.5	264 of 424	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	267 of 624	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.0	234 of 601	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.2	404 of 607	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.9	328 of 602	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	345 of 585	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.2	234 of 481	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.2	251 of 488	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	280 of 463	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.5	256 of 551	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.9	236 of 542	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.4	375 of 553	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	367 of 537	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	323 of 534	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.3	293 of 439	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	259 of 444	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.1	341 of 427	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)76th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)71st percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)70th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)57th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)54th percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)31st percentile-35 vs school

African American (2023)29th percentile-20 vs school

Disabled (2021)27th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III73%+4 vs state

Math I71%+29 vs state

English II70%+5 vs state

Biology64%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Chatham Central 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)	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 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th 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
Chatham Central High	Public	9-12	14950 NC Hwy 902 W	Bear Creek	27207	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 837-2251	320	31	10.3	99.1%	208 (65.0%)	20 (6.3%)	76 (23.8%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	64	227^th of 662 public high schools	65.7%		63.6	209^th of 641 public high schools	67.4%	18	63.5	69.9	71.4	73.4								$12,606	$549	$12,058
Jordan-Matthews High	Public	9-12	910 East Cardinal Street	Siler City	27344	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 742-2916	848	59	14.3	99.6%	139 (16.4%)	93 (11.0%)	579 (68.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.1%)	24.4	523^rd of 662 public high schools	21.0%		20.4	521^st of 641 public high schools	18.7%	2	38.3	54.0	38.3	45.5								$11,306	$836	$10,470
ONE Academy	Public	6-12	501 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd	Siler City	27344	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 663-5899	35	5	7.0	91.4%	13 (37.1%)	14 (40.0%)	2 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (17.1%)	6.3	620^th of 662 public high schools	6.3%		7	609^th of 641 public high schools	5.0%	11		36.4	537.8	29.4								$98,377	$6,717	$91,661
Chatham Early College	Public	9-12	501 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd	Siler City	27344	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 663-5899	113	6	20.5	97.3%	65 (57.5%)	8 (7.1%)	30 (26.5%)	4 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.3%)	94.5	10^th of 662 public high schools	98.5%		96.1	8^th of 641 public high schools	98.8%	2	97.3	100.0	95.2	100.0								$2,517	$114	$2,403
Chatham County Schools Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	9-12	501 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd	Siler City	27344	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(919) 663-5899	9	0		33.3%	8 (88.9%)	1 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Central Carolina Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	1801 Douglas Drive	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Central Carolina Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(984) 977-9455	536	35	15.4	26.5%	377 (70.3%)	26 (4.9%)	82 (15.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (9.3%)	73.9	166^th of 662 public high schools	74.9%					(n/a)	70.4	75.3	63.5	92.3	67.9	77.2	85.4	68.8	71.9	63.5	86.5
North Moore High	Public	9-12	1504 North Moore Rd	Robbins	27325	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 464-3105	605	29	20.8	99.3%	353 (58.3%)	34 (5.6%)	197 (32.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.0%)	46.2	354^th of 662 public high schools	46.5%		38.4	389^th of 641 public high schools	39.3%	35	73.5	58.0	47.1	60.5								$11,514	$738	$10,776
Northwood High	Public	9-12	310 Northwood High School Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 542-4181	634	49	12.9	99.5%	387 (61.0%)	100 (15.8%)	94 (14.8%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	43 (6.8%)	63.6	228^th of 662 public high schools	65.6%		58.2	239^th of 641 public high schools	62.7%	11	73.0	81.1	41.9	72.2								$9,555	$397	$9,159
Bragg Street Academy	Public	6-12	504 Bragg Street	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 775-2686	40	6	6.4	90.0%	7 (17.5%)	18 (45.0%)	14 (35.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.5%)	1.1	657^th of 662 public high schools	0.8%		2.8	632^nd of 641 public high schools	1.4%	25	339.1	8.3	537.9	23.1			10.0			20.0	40.0	$20,791	$253	$20,538
Eastern Randolph High School	Public	9-12	390 Eastern Randolph Rd	Ramseur	27316	Randolph County	Randolph County School System	No	No	No	No	(336) 824-2351	586	36	16.0	99.3%	291 (49.7%)	57 (9.7%)	195 (33.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (7.2%)	8.5	611^th of 662 public high schools	7.7%		6.9	610^th of 641 public high schools	4.8%	1	30.9	37.5	9.0	34.4								$10,181	$839	$9,342

Frequently Asked Questions about Chatham Central High

What district is Chatham Central High in?

Chatham County Schools

How many students attend Chatham Central High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 320 students attended Chatham Central High.

What schools feed into Chatham Central High?

Chatham Central High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bennett School
Elementary : Bonlee School
Elementary : J S Waters School

What is the racial makeup of Chatham Central High?

Students at Chatham Central High are 65% White, 24% Hispanic, 6% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Chatham Central High a good school?

Chatham Central High ranks 227^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Chatham Central High!

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Schools in Bear Creek, 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.