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Blue Ridge Early College

Q: Is Blue Ridge Early College a good school?

Blue Ridge Early College ranks 403 rd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Blue Ridge Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 127 students attended Blue Ridge Early College.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Blue Ridge Early College?

Students at Blue Ridge Early College are 51% Hispanic, 46% White, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What schools feed into Blue Ridge Early College?

Blue Ridge Early College is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Blue Ridge School

Public Grades 7-12

403^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 39% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Blue Ridge Early College is a very small public school in Cashiers, NC, serving 127 students in grades 7-12 as part of Jackson County Public Schools. In 2025-2026 it ranked 403rd out of 662 high schools statewide — a real improvement from the prior year (#477), but still a mid-tier result in western North Carolina. The school serves a high-poverty population (97.6% free/reduced lunch), and per-pupil spending is notably higher than at several neighboring early colleges, so funding does not appear to explain its performance gap.

The clearest academic bright spot is 7th-grade math: 60% proficiency in 2025-2026, above both the district (46.8%) and state (56.2%) — a dramatic climb from 15.8% four years earlier. But the picture shifts sharply by 8th grade, where math, reading, and science proficiency all trail the state by roughly 17-23 points. High-school results are just as inconsistent: Math III proficiency soared to 85% (well above the state's 68.9%), yet English II came in at just 23.5% — a 41-point deficit — and Biology is also weak (35.7% vs. 58.5% statewide). These swings partly reflect very small cohorts, but the English II gap relative to peer schools is large enough to warrant attention.

Graduation has declined from 89.3% to 84.2% over two reported cycles, now below both district (86.6%) and state (88.8%) averages. Chronic absenteeism has improved substantially from its pandemic peak (51.8% down to 27.8%), yet it remains well above the state norm. The biggest concern for parents may be the comparison to nearby early colleges serving equally high-poverty student bodies: Jackson County Early College (95th statewide) and Macon Early College High School (142nd) both outperform Blue Ridge by a wide margin, placing Blue Ridge closer to traditional regional high schools like Franklin High or Smoky Mountain High School. The school is clearly improving, but the data raises a fair question about why its early-college model and spending levels are not producing outcomes comparable to peer institutions just a few miles away.

127

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,670

Per pupil spending ?

97.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

95 Bobcat Dr
Cashiers, NC 28717

(828) 743-2646

District: Jackson County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Blue Ridge Early College:

Elementary:

Blue Ridge School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.2%

White:

46.5%

Two or more races:

2.4%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Blue Ridge Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2021 → 39th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2021

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (47% vs 59% meeting standards)

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

!English II scores 41 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg59%

Middle school

566^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 39 pts since 2021

From top 34% (2021) to bottom 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

403^rd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 39%▲ up 27 pts since 2021

From bottom 12% (2021) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3High Schools in the Jackson County Public Schools

184^th of 246Jackson County Public 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.3	566 of 778	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	647 of 773	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	626 of 793	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	608 of 784	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.1	607 of 786	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	61.8	249 of 741	66.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.7	556 of 731	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.7	705 of 733	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	518 of 731	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	564 of 733	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.4	512 of 566	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.9	455 of 562	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.1	531 of 564	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.3	500 of 725	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.0	279 of 729	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	25.8	585 of 735	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.7	452 of 689	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.4	497 of 736	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.3	455 of 733	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	511 of 751	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.5	598 of 747	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	581 of 748	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	2.6	646 of 649	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	524 of 656	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	587 of 658	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.2	403 of 662	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.4	477 of 641	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	489 of 640	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	413 of 626	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.7	407 of 621	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	14.2	521 of 594	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	346 of 629	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.3	424 of 610	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	411 of 602	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.6	443 of 588	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.8	367 of 594	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	253 of 474	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	18.3	414 of 462	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	432 of 454	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	49.8	185 of 449	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	31.6	419 of 613	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.1	300 of 597	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.6	343 of 544	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	367 of 624	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.7	497 of 607	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	395 of 602	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.3	293 of 585	49.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	387 of 542	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	464 of 553	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	458 of 537	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	446 of 534	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Male (2026)32nd percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)31st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)24th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)10th percentile-18 vs school

White (2025)<1st percentile-16 vs school

High school

Hispanic (2026)47th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)45th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)41st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)32nd percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)29th percentile+3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III85%+16 vs state

Math I48%+6 vs state

Mathematics48%-7 vs state

Science46%-23 vs state

Reading43%-13 vs state

Biology36%-23 vs state

English II24%-41 vs state

★

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Schools Near Blue Ridge 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)	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 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th 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
Blue Ridge Early College	Public	7-12	95 Bobcat Dr	Cashiers	28717	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 743-2646	127	8	16.3	97.6%	59 (46.5%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (51.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	40.2	403^rd of 662 public high schools	39.1%		27.4	477^th of 641 public high schools	25.6%	74	35.7	23.5	48.0	85.0	60.0	36.4	50.0	36.4	45.5	$11,670	$875	$10,794
Macon Early College High School	Public	9-12	77 Siler Farm Road	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 524-2002	154	2	74.3	—	98 (63.6%)	1 (0.6%)	45 (29.2%)	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)	79.5	142^nd of 662 public high schools	78.5%		74.6	158^th of 641 public high schools	75.4%	16	73.5	97.1	88.9	76.7						$5,764	$103	$5,661
Franklin High	Public	9-12	100 Panther Drive	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 524-6467	996	47	21.2	46.3%	685 (68.8%)	8 (0.8%)	260 (26.1%)	6 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (3.4%)	44.8	369^th of 662 public high schools	44.3%		48.6	313^th of 641 public high schools	51.2%	56	54.0	62.6	36.5	74.2						$9,457	$662	$8,795
Bartram Academy	Public	9-12	158 Union School Rd	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 369-1277	102	3	34.6	91.2%	77 (75.5%)	5 (4.9%)	15 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.9%)	1.4	655^th of 662 public high schools	1.1%					(n/a)	7.1	16.7	536.9							$11,469	$453	$11,015
Jackson County Early College	Public	9-12	404 College Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 339-4499	113	2	47.0	97.3%	74 (65.5%)	2 (1.8%)	18 (15.9%)	4 (3.5%)	6 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.0%)	87.5	95^th of 662 public high schools	85.6%		80.7	133^rd of 641 public high schools	79.3%	38	93.8	87.1	100.0	88.6						$7,254	$111	$7,144
Smoky Mountain High School	Public	9-12	100 Smoky Mountain Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 586-2177	881	42	21.1	97.7%	585 (66.4%)	8 (0.9%)	185 (21.0%)	6 (0.7%)	49 (5.6%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (5.3%)	44.7	370^th of 662 public high schools	44.1%		47.2	327^th of 641 public high schools	49.0%	43	55.9	55.6	37.2	77.7						$11,017	$880	$10,137
Rosman High	Public	9-12	749 Pickens Hwy	Rosman	28772	Transylvania County	Transylvania County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 862-4284	254	25	10.3	—	226 (89.0%)	1 (0.4%)	17 (6.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	75.4	159^th of 662 public high schools	76.0%		56.6	252^nd of 641 public high schools	60.7%	93	84.2	75.4	57.8	89.2						$15,137	$1,599	$13,538
Jackson Community School	Public	9-12	3770 Skyland Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 586-4328	50	4	14.0	88.0%	38 (76.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.0%)	1.9	652^nd of 662 public high schools	1.5%		4.1	625^th of 641 public high schools	2.5%	27	13.6	14.3	539.3							$26,010	$1,858	$24,152

Frequently Asked Questions about Blue Ridge Early College

Is Blue Ridge Early College a good school?

Blue Ridge Early College ranks 403^rd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Blue Ridge Early College?

Students at Blue Ridge Early College are 51% Hispanic, 46% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Blue Ridge Early College?

Blue Ridge Early College is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Blue Ridge School

How many students attend Blue Ridge Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 127 students attended Blue Ridge Early College.

What district is Blue Ridge Early College in?

Jackson County Public 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.