East Columbus Junior-Senior High

East Columbus Junior-Senior High is a public high school located in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, serving grades 7-12 with a total enrollment of 560 students. The school is part of the Columbus County Schools district, which is ranked 177 out of 242 districts in the state.

East Columbus Junior-Senior High has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina high schools, with proficiency rates on state assessments significantly below the state and district averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in Math and Reading for 7th and 8th grades ranged from 24.5% to 40.4%, compared to the state averages of 48.7% to 54.2%. The school's four-year graduation rate, however, is relatively stable, ranging from 82% to 88.5% over the past few years, which is on par with nearby schools like East Bladen High and Columbus Career and College Academy.

While the high percentage of students from low-income backgrounds at East Columbus Junior-Senior High may be a contributing factor to the school's academic challenges, the school's performance is still lower than the state and district averages, even when considering the high poverty rate. The school's performance on the Math III end-of-course exam, where it outperformed the state and district, suggests that there may be specific areas of strength that could be leveraged to improve overall academic achievement. Comparing the school's performance to nearby schools, such as the higher-performing East Bladen High, may provide opportunities to learn from their practices and strategies.