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West Columbus High

Public Grades 9-12

529^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 17% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

West Columbus High School is a public high school located in Cerro Gordo, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with 455 students. The school is part of the Columbus County Schools district, which is ranked 177 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

West Columbus High consistently underperforms compared to the state and district averages on End-of-Course (EOC) exams. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were significantly lower than the state and district in Biology (12.2% vs. 48.3% and 33.4%), English II (31% vs. 59.6% and 44.7%), and Math I (36.2% vs. 34.4% and 34.7%). Additionally, the school's four-year graduation rate has been declining, from 90.2% in 2024-2025 to 86.9% in 2023-2024, which is slightly below the state average.

Interestingly, West Columbus High's academic performance is significantly lower than the nearby South Columbus High and Columbus Career and College Academy, which are also part of the Columbus County Schools district. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, South Columbus High had proficiency rates of 39.4% in Biology and 46.2% in English II, while Columbus Career and College Academy had proficiency rates of 58.7% in Biology and 76.8% in English II. Despite these challenges, the school's small size and focus on serving a specific community could be leveraged to develop more personalized and targeted interventions for students.

459

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,672

Per pupil spending ?

97.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7294 Andrew Jackson Hwy SW
Cerro Gordo, NC 28430

(910) 654-6111

District: Columbus County Schools

Feeder schools for West Columbus High:

Elementary:

Chadbourn Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.7%

African American:

40.7%

Hispanic:

7.2%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare West Columbus High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2015 → 17th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (30% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg42%

North Carolina avg53%

529^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4High Schools in the Columbus County Schools

177^th of 242Columbus 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	18.8	529 of 641	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	537 of 640	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	528 of 626	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.8	431 of 621	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.2	421 of 594	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.4	244 of 514	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.6	237 of 469	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.5	191 of 476	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	20.6	379 of 507	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.1	352 of 531	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	35.9	236 of 451	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.2	296 of 505	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	66.2	92 of 502	81.7%	★★★★☆
2011	54.7	240 of 506	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	54.5	240 of 499	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	40.6	334 of 490	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.9	273 of 477	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	29.9	344 of 453	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.7	335 of 431	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.5	342 of 440	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	341 of 437	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	348 of 434	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	292 of 430	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.4	173 of 364	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.6	162 of 369	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.7	160 of 359	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.3	509 of 610	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	521 of 602	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	503 of 588	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	463 of 594	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.1	325 of 475	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.7	233 of 475	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	222 of 449	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	28.4	337 of 398	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.8	217 of 337	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.6	191 of 325	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	513 of 606	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	530 of 613	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	484 of 597	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	369 of 544	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.7	352 of 432	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.4	145 of 446	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.9	209 of 424	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.4	516 of 601	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	506 of 607	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	488 of 602	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.3	355 of 585	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.3	313 of 481	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.9	243 of 488	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.8	291 of 463	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	477 of 542	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	485 of 553	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	470 of 537	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.8	329 of 534	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.4	316 of 439	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.3	173 of 444	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.6	240 of 427	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)22nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)17th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)15th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2022)15th percentile-15 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)12th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III46%-21 vs state

Math I36%~ state avg

English II31%-29 vs state

Biology12%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Columbus High

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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Columbus High	Public	9-12	7294 Andrew Jackson Hwy SW	Cerro Gordo	28430	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 654-6111	459	33	13.9	97.6%	205 (44.7%)	187 (40.7%)	33 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.4%)	18.8	529^th of 641 public high schools	17.5%		17.1	537^th of 640 public high schools	16.1%	8	12.2	31.0	36.2	45.6	$11,672	$1,304	$10,369
Columbus Career and College Academy	Public	9-12	4564 Chadbourn Hwy	Whiteville	28472	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 788-6281	230	12	18.4	98.7%	133 (57.8%)	41 (17.8%)	47 (20.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	71.8	171^st of 641 public high schools	73.3%		56.1	255^th of 640 public high schools	60.2%	84	58.7	76.8	75.0	71.9	$6,813	$326	$6,488
North Whiteville Academy	Public	6-12	310 S Martin Luther King Jr Av	Whiteville	28472	Columbus County	Whiteville City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 914-4161	16	5	3.2	81.3%	4 (25.0%)	11 (68.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)								(n/a)					$24,391	$612	$23,779
South Columbus High	Public	9-12	40 Stallion Drive	Tabor City	28463	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 653-4073	669	43	15.7	99.4%	409 (61.1%)	157 (23.5%)	80 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.7%)	29	463^rd of 641 public high schools	27.8%		31.3	439^th of 640 public high schools	31.4%	24	39.4	46.2	32.9	45.9	$9,661	$1,025	$8,636
Whiteville High	Public	9-12	413 N Lee Street	Whiteville	28472	Columbus County	Whiteville City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 914-4189	639	29	22.1	99.5%	254 (39.7%)	240 (37.6%)	95 (14.9%)	6 (0.9%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.9%)	42.7	353^rd of 641 public high schools	44.9%		45.2	331^st of 640 public high schools	48.3%	22	39.9	42.2	34.7	82.0	$10,302	$1,532	$8,770
Fairmont High	Public	9-12	5419 Old Stage Road	Fairmont	28340	Robeson County	Public Schools of Robeson County	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 628-6727	780	58	13.4	99.6%	123 (15.8%)	317 (40.6%)	69 (8.8%)	1 (0.1%)	192 (24.6%)	3 (0.4%)	75 (9.6%)	20.8	518^th of 641 public high schools	19.2%		8.7	601^st of 640 public high schools	6.1%	83	14.7	36.6	25.9	58.7	$12,871	$1,995	$10,877

Frequently Asked Questions about West Columbus High

Is West Columbus High a good school?

West Columbus High ranks in the bottom 17.5% of North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend West Columbus High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 459 students attended West Columbus High.

What is the racial makeup of West Columbus High?

Students at West Columbus High are 45% White, 41% African American, 7% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% American Indian.

What district is West Columbus High in?

Columbus County Schools

What schools feed into West Columbus High?

West Columbus High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Chadbourn Elementary

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Schools in Cerro Gordo, NC

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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.