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Henderson County Early College

Public Grades 9-12

9^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 99% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Henderson County Early College is a small public high school in Flat Rock, NC, serving 197 students in grades 9–12 as part of Henderson County Schools. The school has ranked at the 99th percentile in North Carolina for years, coming in 9th out of 662 high schools in 2025–2026. It is the clear academic leader in the region: nearby West Henderson High and North Henderson High rank at the 73rd percentile, Hendersonville High at the 63rd, and East Henderson High at the 49th. Even Polk County Early College, another strong early-college program, trails well behind at the 87th percentile.

On End-of-Course tests, Henderson County Early College posts near-universal proficiency. In 2025–2026, 100% of students scored proficient on English II, 94.9% on Biology, and 92.9% on Math I — outperforming the state by 36 to 51 percentage points. The gap with traditional high schools is striking: English II proficiency is roughly 42 points higher than at East Henderson High, and Biology is about 30 points higher. The contrast is even sharper on its own campus, since Henderson County Career Academy shares the same address yet recorded just 30% English II proficiency the same year — though that school serves a very different population and mission. The early college also produces equitable results across subgroups, with economically disadvantaged, Hispanic, male, and female students all ranking in the 91st–99th percentile statewide.

Beyond test scores, attendance is a strength: chronic absenteeism was 8.9% in the last school-level report, versus 27.8% for the district and 31.1% statewide. The school also spends less per pupil ($7,590 in 2018–2019) than every neighboring high school while producing stronger outcomes. Its reported 31.5-to-1 student-teacher ratio likely reflects the early-college model, since many courses are taught by college faculty who are not counted in the K-12 ratio. One caveat worth asking about: the gifted-student subgroup ranked at the 40th percentile in 2024–2025 after several years in the top 40 statewide, which may simply reflect the small cohort size.

197

Students ?

31.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

50.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 East Campus Drive
Flat Rock, NC 28731

(828) 697-4561

District: Henderson County Schools

Feeder schools for Henderson County Early College:

Elementary:	Atkinson Elementary
	Bruce Drysdale Elementary
	Clear Creek Elementary
	Dana Elementary
	More...
	Edneyville Elementary
	Etowah Elementary
	Fletcher Elementary
	Glenn C Marlow Elementary
	Hendersonville Elementary
	Hillandale Elementary
	Mills River Elementary
	Sugarloaf Elementary
	Upward Elementary
Middle:	Apple Valley Middle
	Flat Rock Middle
	Hendersonville Middle
	Rugby Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.4%

Hispanic:

33.0%

Two or more races:

5.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Henderson County Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2021 → 99th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (96% vs 60% meeting standards)

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

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 32 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school96%

District avg70%

North Carolina avg60%

9^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 1%▬ steady since 2021

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

74^th of 246Henderson 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	94.7	9 of 662	98.6%	★★★★★
2025	95.6	13 of 641	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	96.7	5 of 640	99.2%	★★★★★
2023	94.7	30 of 626	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	6 of 621	99.0%	★★★★★
2021	97.9	8 of 594	98.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.9	22 of 629	96.5%	★★★★★
2025	94.6	17 of 610	97.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.4	4 of 602	99.3%	★★★★★
2023	92.1	44 of 588	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	96.8	8 of 594	98.7%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	247 of 412	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	81.5	12 of 403	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	81.6	36 of 398	91.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.2	42 of 474	91.1%	★★★★★
2025	96.0	30 of 462	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	98.8	5 of 454	98.9%	★★★★★
2023	92.1	45 of 449	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	98.9	4 of 436	99.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	96.0	30 of 620	95.2%	★★★★★
2025	97.2	19 of 606	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	98.2	10 of 613	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	38 of 597	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	99.1	9 of 544	98.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	95.0	8 of 624	98.7%	★★★★★
2025	95.4	23 of 601	96.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.4	16 of 607	97.4%	★★★★★
2023	96.4	16 of 602	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	7 of 585	98.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.5	10 of 551	98.2%	★★★★★
2025	93.9	9 of 542	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.8	12 of 553	97.8%	★★★★★
2023	94.2	18 of 537	96.6%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	4 of 534	99.3%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2026)99th percentile~ school

White (2026)98th percentile~ school

Female (2026)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)95th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)91st percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)40th percentile-58 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II100%+35 vs state

Biology95%+36 vs state

Math I93%+51 vs state

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by a parent
Monday, August 28, 2017

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Schools Near Henderson County Early College

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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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Henderson County Career Academy	Public	9-12	300 East Campus Drive	Flat Rock	28731	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4629	114	18	6.4	97.4%	71 (62.3%)	3 (2.6%)	33 (28.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.3%)	19	560^th of 662 public high schools	15.4%		17.7	540^th of 641 public high schools	15.8%	20	37.9	30.0	40.0	48.6	$18,459	$955	$17,504
Henderson County Early College	Public	9-12	300 East Campus Drive	Flat Rock	28731	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4561	197	6	31.5	50.3%	113 (57.4%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (33.0%)	8 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.1%)	94.7	9^th of 662 public high schools	98.6%		95.6	13^th of 641 public high schools	98.0%	4	94.9	100.0	92.9	564.7	$7,590	$759	$6,832
East Henderson High	Public	9-12	150 Eagle Pride Drive	East Flat Rock	28726	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4768	932	61	15.2	62.7%	472 (50.6%)	18 (1.9%)	378 (40.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.9%)	43 (4.6%)	49.5	335^th of 662 public high schools	49.4%		49.3	307^th of 641 public high schools	52.1%	28	64.6	57.8	54.1	64.3	$9,768	$724	$9,044
Hendersonville High	Public	9-12	1 Bearcat Boulevard	Hendersonville	28791	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4802	794	47	16.9	44.3%	471 (59.3%)	69 (8.7%)	189 (23.8%)	13 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.6%)	46 (5.8%)	61.5	245^th of 662 public high schools	63.0%		54.9	265^th of 641 public high schools	58.7%	20	69.5	80.7	43.8	73.1	$8,966	$700	$8,266
North Henderson High	Public	9-12	35 Fruitland Road	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4500	1,052	69	15.3	60.6%	493 (46.9%)	34 (3.2%)	458 (43.5%)	15 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	48 (4.6%)	71.8	178^th of 662 public high schools	73.1%		66.3	194^th of 641 public high schools	69.7%	16	63.9	74.6	72.1	89.8	$8,718	$586	$8,132
West Henderson High	Public	9-12	3600 Haywood Road	Hendersonville	28791	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 891-6571	1,053	66	15.9	36.3%	800 (76.0%)	26 (2.5%)	162 (15.4%)	18 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	42 (4.0%)	71.8	179^th of 662 public high schools	73.0%		63.6	210^th of 641 public high schools	67.2%	31	71.2	76.7	63.6	82.8	$8,614	$457	$8,157
Polk County High School	Public	9-12	1681 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2525	596	32	18.5	99.5%	433 (72.7%)	42 (7.0%)	93 (15.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.5%)	50.6	324^th of 662 public high schools	51.1%		52	280^th of 641 public high schools	56.3%	44	51.2	66.9	46.4	75.7	$12,130	$897	$11,232
Polk County Early College	Public	9-12	1545 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2698	52	3	18.9	94.2%	46 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	89.1	84^th of 662 public high schools	87.3%		90.8	70^th of 641 public high schools	89.1%	14	100.0	90.5		92.9	$9,557	$127	$9,430
Roberson High	Public	9-12	250 Overlook Road	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 654-1765	1,479	86	17.2	99.7%	756 (51.1%)	179 (12.1%)	382 (25.8%)	43 (2.9%)	4 (0.3%)	8 (0.5%)	107 (7.2%)	60.3	252^nd of 662 public high schools	61.9%		56.2	255^th of 641 public high schools	60.2%	3	64.3	72.7	51.0	75.8	$10,511	$1,345	$9,166
Davidson River School	Public	6-12	970 Ecusta Rd	Brevard	28712	Transylvania County	Transylvania County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 884-9567	61	9	6.7	91.8%	44 (72.1%)	2 (3.3%)	6 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (14.8%)								(n/a)	342.0	540.5	537.8		$16,825	$1,735	$15,090

Frequently Asked Questions about Henderson County Early College

How many students attend Henderson County Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 197 students attended Henderson County Early College.

What district is Henderson County Early College in?

Henderson County Schools

What schools feed into Henderson County Early College?

What is the racial makeup of Henderson County Early College?

Students at Henderson County Early College are 57% White, 33% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Is Henderson County Early College a good school?

Yes! Henderson County Early College is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 9^th of 662 North Carolina high schools.

Rate Henderson County Early College!

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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.