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Gaston Early College High School

Q: Is Gaston Early College High School a good school?

Yes! Gaston Early College High School is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 2 nd of 662 North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Gaston Early College High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 235 students attended Gaston Early College High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Gaston Early College High School?

Students at Gaston Early College High School are 56% White, 20% Hispanic, 14% African American, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Public Grades 9-12

2^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 100% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Gaston Early College High School is a small public high school in Dallas, NC, serving just 235 students in grades 9–12 within Gaston County Schools. The school has been one of the very highest-performing high schools in North Carolina for years, ranking #2 of 662 schools statewide in the most recent reporting year, with a 5-star rating in every year on record.

What makes this school remarkable is the size of the gap between it and nearby traditional high schools. Gaston Early College reports 100% proficiency in Biology, English II, and Math I — roughly double the district and state averages of 40–60%. By contrast, Ashbrook High scored about 50% in the same subjects, and Hunter Huss High scored in the 30s. The school also has an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 5%, while nearby traditional high schools report rates between 30% and 40% and the district overall sits near 24%. These near-perfect test scores and strong attendance figures point to a focused and highly engaged student body.

The school's success extends to students from every background. Economically disadvantaged students at Gaston Early College have ranked as high as #1 statewide, and African American and Hispanic students consistently place in the top 10 in North Carolina. This is all the more notable given that the school draws roughly 40% of its students from low-income households and operates inside a district ranked 145th of 246 statewide. It achieves these results without high per-pupil spending and with average-sized classes. Gaston Early College is joined in the state's top 7 by Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences and Highland School of Technology, making this cluster of specialized schools a compelling option compared with the region's traditional high schools.

235

Students ?

21.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

42.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

201 Hwy 321 South
Dallas, NC 28034

(704) 922-2405

District: Gaston County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.7%

Hispanic:

20.4%

African American:

13.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Gaston Early College High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2021 → 100th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (100% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of North Carolina high schools

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school100%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg60%

2^nd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	96.0	2 of 662	99.7%	★★★★★
2025	95.4	19 of 641	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	96.8	1 of 626	99.8%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	5 of 621	99.2%	★★★★★
2021	97.6	10 of 594	98.3%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	99.4	6 of 430	98.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	95.1	12 of 610	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	6 of 602	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	96.5	3 of 588	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	12 of 594	98.0%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.2	36 of 412	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	78.8	20 of 403	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	81.3	27 of 403	93.3%	★★★★★
2022	67.8	128 of 398	67.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	97.9	5 of 462	98.9%	★★★★★
2023	98.7	6 of 449	98.7%	★★★★★
2022	98.4	12 of 436	97.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	97.5	4 of 620	99.4%	★★★★★
2025	97.8	6 of 606	99.0%	★★★★★
2024	98.8	1 of 613	99.8%	★★★★★
2023	98.5	5 of 597	99.2%	★★★★★
2022	99.1	8 of 544	98.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	95.0	7 of 624	98.9%	★★★★★
2025	95.4	22 of 601	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	96.9	2 of 607	99.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.6	12 of 602	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	97.7	3 of 585	99.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.8	2 of 551	99.6%	★★★★★
2025	93.4	20 of 542	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.0	5 of 553	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	95.6	2 of 537	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	93.7	27 of 534	94.9%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)99th percentile~ school

Male (2026)99th percentile~ school

African American (2022)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)91st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Biology100%+42 vs state

English II100%+35 vs state

Math I100%+58 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gaston Early College High School

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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
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
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
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	99.7%	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
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
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	98.3%	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
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	99.7%	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
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	99.5%	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
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	99.8%	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
East Gaston High	Public	9-12	1744 Lane Road	Mount Holly	28120	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9613	917	49	18.5	99.6%	563 (61.4%)	117 (12.8%)	181 (19.7%)	9 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (4.8%)	42.2	388^th of 662 public high schools	41.4%		34.5	417^th of 641 public high schools	34.9%	29	53.6	60.5	53.8	55.0								$10,078	$870	$9,208
Stuart W Cramer High	Public	9-12	101 Lakewood Rd	Belmont	28012	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 866-5700	953	53	17.8	99.7%	522 (54.8%)	193 (20.3%)	150 (15.7%)	27 (2.8%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	57 (6.0%)	52.4	313^th of 662 public high schools	52.7%		45.2	337^th of 641 public high schools	47.4%	24	61.2	62.8	64.6	62.3								$8,748	$608	$8,139

Frequently Asked Questions about Gaston Early College High School

Is Gaston Early College High School a good school?

Yes! Gaston Early College High School is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 2^nd of 662 North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend Gaston Early College High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 235 students attended Gaston Early College High School.

What is the racial makeup of Gaston Early College High School?

Students at Gaston Early College High School are 56% White, 20% Hispanic, 14% African American, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Gaston Early College High School in?

Gaston County Schools

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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.