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Bessemer City High

Q: Is Bessemer City High a good school?

Bessemer City High ranks in the bottom 12.4% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Bessemer City High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 590 students attended Bessemer City High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Bessemer City High?

Students at Bessemer City High are 44% White, 25% African American, 24% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Q: What schools feed into Bessemer City High?

Bessemer City High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Bessemer City Central Elementary Elementary : Bessemer City Primary Elementary : Edward D Sadler Junior Elementary School Middle : Bessemer City Middle

Public Grades 9-12

580^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 12% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Bessemer City High is a public high school in Bessemer City, North Carolina, serving roughly 590 students in grades 9–12 as part of Gaston County Schools. The school's state ranking has trended downward in recent years; it currently ranks 580th of 662 North Carolina high schools, placing it in the 12th percentile. Academic proficiency trails the district and state in every tested subject: Biology is 33.7% proficient (state 58.5%), English II is 41.8% (state 64.6%), Math I is 26.6% (state 42.1%), and Math III is 45.6% (state 68.9%). Math I proficiency is the lowest among nearby traditional high schools.

One of the most striking concerns is attendance. In the most recent school year, 39.5% of students were chronically absent, compared with 23.2% for Gaston County Schools and 24.2% statewide — about two in five students missing significant school days. That rate has held steady near 39% for three straight years. There is a bright spot: the graduation rate has risen from 71.7% five years ago to 87.1%, close to the district rate of 90.0% and the state rate of 88.8%. The school also serves a population where 99.49% of students are economically disadvantaged, a figure very similar to nearby Cherryville High and other schools in the area.

The comparison to Cherryville High is revealing. Cherryville is about 8.5 miles away, enrolls a similar number of students, and has nearly the same share of economically disadvantaged students (99.38%), yet its outcomes are significantly stronger: a 52nd-percentile state ranking, a 91.9% graduation rate, 27.4% chronic absenteeism, and much higher proficiency in every subject. Attendance and instructional consistency are likely the areas that matter most. Gaston County Schools also includes some of North Carolina's top-ranked high schools — Gaston Early College High School, Highland School of Technology, and Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences — but those are selective programs rather than direct comparisons. Among traditional comprehensive high schools, Hunter Huss High ranks just below Bessemer City, while North Gaston High, Ashbrook High, Forestview High, and Kings Mountain High all rank higher. The persistent attendance gap stands out as the most important red flag.

590

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,616

Per pupil spending ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

119 Yellow Jacket Lane
Bessemer City, NC 28016

(704) 836-9601

District: Gaston County Schools

Feeder schools for Bessemer City High:

Elementary:	Bessemer City Central Elementary
	Bessemer City Primary
	Edward D Sadler Junior Elementary School
Middle:	Bessemer City Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.9%

African American:

25.1%

Hispanic:

24.4%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Bessemer City High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 46th percentile in 2016 → 12th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (36% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg60%

580^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 33 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 9High Schools in the Gaston County Schools

145^th of 246Gaston 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	15.7	580 of 662	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	554 of 641	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	491 of 640	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.2	416 of 626	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.9	506 of 621	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	443 of 594	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.0	455 of 514	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	389 of 469	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.3	373 of 476	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.9	275 of 507	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.0	355 of 531	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	21.2	347 of 451	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.3	393 of 505	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.7	411 of 502	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.8	392 of 506	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.6	420 of 499	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.1	397 of 490	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.3	400 of 477	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	21.1	379 of 453	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.5	340 of 431	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.3	410 of 450	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.3	369 of 440	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.1	317 of 437	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.2	180 of 434	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.7	307 of 430	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.5	188 of 364	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.0	352 of 369	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	323 of 359	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	24.9	261 of 330	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.7	257 of 334	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.9	329 of 364	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	180 of 289	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.2	158 of 273	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	134 of 262	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.2	575 of 629	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	517 of 610	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	449 of 602	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.8	386 of 588	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.9	498 of 594	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	383 of 475	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.5	455 of 475	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	372 of 449	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.2	340 of 474	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.2	433 of 462	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	38.2	257 of 454	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.3	212 of 449	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.1	272 of 436	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.7	283 of 370	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.8	307 of 354	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	229 of 340	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.3	544 of 620	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.5	521 of 606	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	440 of 613	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.4	307 of 597	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.6	450 of 544	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.7	240 of 432	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.1	408 of 446	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.0	346 of 424	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	547 of 624	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.3	549 of 601	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	494 of 607	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	434 of 602	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	472 of 585	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.3	285 of 481	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.4	437 of 488	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	416 of 463	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.6	226 of 265	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.3	313 of 372	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.5	150 of 352	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	21.5	314 of 349	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	525 of 551	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.1	504 of 542	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	487 of 553	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	442 of 537	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	496 of 534	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.3	354 of 439	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.4	425 of 444	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.3	405 of 427	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)38th percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2026)28th percentile+16 vs school

Disabled (2022)21st percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)16th percentile+3 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)15th percentile~ school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)12th percentile~ school

African American (2026)9th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)9th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)5th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III46%-23 vs state

English II42%-23 vs state

Biology34%-25 vs state

Math I27%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bessemer City 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Bessemer City High	Public	9-12	119 Yellow Jacket Lane	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9601	590	32	18.5	—	259 (43.9%)	148 (25.1%)	144 (24.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.9%)	15.7	580^th of 662 public high schools	12.4%		15.9	554^th of 641 public high schools	13.6%	26	33.7	41.8	26.6	45.6								$9,616	$754	$8,862
Gaston Early College High School	Public	9-12	201 Hwy 321 South	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 922-2405	235	11	21.8	42.6%	131 (55.7%)	32 (13.6%)	48 (20.4%)	7 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.2%)	96	2^nd of 662 public high schools	99.7%		95.4	19^th of 641 public high schools	97.0%	17	100.0	100.0	100.0	564.7								$7,351	$466	$6,886
Highland School of Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	1600 N Morris Street	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(704) 810-8816	538	39	13.8	34.0%	327 (60.8%)	81 (15.1%)	75 (13.9%)	31 (5.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.3%)	95.2	5^th of 662 public high schools	99.2%		96.9	3^rd of 641 public high schools	99.5%	2	100.0	100.0	562.1	566.5								$10,033	$715	$9,318
Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences	Public	9-12	300 Rhodes Perimeter Drive	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 923-8480	174	8	21.8	54.6%	88 (50.6%)	33 (19.0%)	31 (17.8%)	10 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.9%)	94.9	7^th of 662 public high schools	98.9%		96.4	5^th of 641 public high schools	99.2%	2	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Hunter Huss High	Public	9-12	1518 Edgefield Avenue	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 866-6610	1,165	62	18.9	—	214 (18.4%)	488 (41.9%)	403 (34.6%)	3 (0.3%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (4.3%)	12.8	593^rd of 662 public high schools	10.4%		15.1	560^th of 641 public high schools	12.6%	33	29.9	30.0	36.4	27.1								$9,702	$791	$8,910
North Gaston High	Public	9-12	1133 Ratchford Road	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 922-5285	1,061	62	17.2	—	468 (44.1%)	286 (27.0%)	226 (21.3%)	12 (1.1%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	63 (5.9%)	25.3	519^th of 662 public high schools	21.6%		22.8	508^th of 641 public high schools	20.7%	11	44.7	43.4	32.0	59.2								$8,686	$748	$7,938
Kings Mountain High	Public	9-12	500 Phifer Road	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8330	1,305	72	18.1	—	771 (59.1%)	297 (22.8%)	119 (9.1%)	17 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	98 (7.5%)	60.4	251^st of 662 public high schools	62.1%		52.3	278^th of 641 public high schools	56.6%	27	60.5	61.3	63.8	82.3								$9,036	$654	$8,382
Warlick Academy	Public	6-12	1316 Spencer Mountain Road	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9608	175	16	10.9	—	49 (28.0%)	95 (54.3%)	15 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (9.1%)								(n/a)	339.0	17.6	538.2	540.8	9.1	5.6	< 5%	9.1	11.1	19.6	13.3	$18,894	$2,248	$16,646
Cherryville High	Public	9-12	313 Ridge Avenue	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9605	484	33	14.6	—	349 (72.1%)	56 (11.6%)	60 (12.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	52.2	318^th of 662 public high schools	52.0%		46	330^th of 641 public high schools	48.5%	12	56.2	59.3	65.7	67.3								$10,928	$967	$9,961
Ashbrook High	Public	9-12	2222 S New Hope Road	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 866-6600	1,386	77	17.9	—	247 (17.8%)	625 (45.1%)	409 (29.5%)	25 (1.8%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	76 (5.5%)	27.6	497^th of 662 public high schools	24.9%		18.1	537^th of 641 public high schools	16.2%	40	50.8	50.8	42.9	34.4								$8,726	$738	$7,988

Frequently Asked Questions about Bessemer City High

What schools feed into Bessemer City High?

Bessemer City High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bessemer City Central Elementary
Elementary : Bessemer City Primary
Elementary : Edward D Sadler Junior Elementary School
Middle : Bessemer City Middle

What is the racial makeup of Bessemer City High?

Students at Bessemer City High are 44% White, 25% African American, 24% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Is Bessemer City High a good school?

Bessemer City High ranks in the bottom 12.4% of North Carolina high schools.

What district is Bessemer City High in?

Gaston County Schools

How many students attend Bessemer City High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 590 students attended Bessemer City High.

Rate Bessemer City High!

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Schools in Bessemer City, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.