Summary
Highland School of Technology is a small-to-mid-sized public high school serving grades 9–12 in Gastonia, NC, with about 538 students, and it stands out as one of the strongest high schools in North Carolina—ranked #5 of 662 schools statewide for 2025–2026. That places it in the same elite tier as Gaston Early College High School and Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, yet far above the larger traditional schools in Gaston County Schools, such as Ashbrook High, Hunter Huss High, and Bessemer City High, which all rank in the bottom quarter statewide.
Academically, the school posts near-universal proficiency on state End-of-Course tests: 100% proficient in Biology, English II, Math I, and other subjects in recent testing years, compared with district averages of 40–60% in those same subjects. Highland’s success also stretches across student backgrounds—its African American, Hispanic, and multiracial students all rank #1 or #2 statewide, and low-income students rank #3. Attendance is another standout: chronic absenteeism was just 8.3% in 2022–2023, about one-third the district and state average, while nearby schools like Forestview High, North Gaston High, Stuart W. Cramer High, and East Gaston High report absenteeism over 20%. A favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.8 also gives students more individual attention.
For parents, the biggest watch item is a recent gender gap: female students rank #2 statewide while males rank #38 (still in the 94th percentile). Gifted and talented students also show relatively softer performance, ranking 89th statewide—strong, but a tier below the school’s other top-five subgroup results, suggesting room for additional challenge at the highest levels. Highland’s per-pupil spending is not especially high, so its results appear driven more by school model, small classes, student engagement, and peer environment than by budget. Overall, Highland offers one of the best public high school outcomes in the region and is a dramatic positive outlier compared with the traditional high schools around it.
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