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Jackson County Early College

Q: Is Jackson County Early College a good school?

Jackson County Early College ranks 133 rd of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

133^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 79% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Jackson County Early College is a public high school located in Sylva, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 109 students. It is part of the Jackson County Public Schools district, which is ranked 172 out of 242 districts in the state.

Jackson County Early College consistently ranks among the top high schools in North Carolina, ranking as high as 13th out of 594 schools in the 2020-2021 school year. The school's students perform exceptionally well on end-of-course (EOC) exams, with proficiency rates significantly higher than the district and state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school had a 96.5% proficiency rate in EOC English II, compared to 57.9% for the district and 59.6% for the state. The school's performance is particularly strong in Math III, with proficiency rates ranging from 92.6% to 96.8% over the past few years, compared to the district's 41.1% to 70.4% and the state's 53.4% to 66.4%.

Jackson County Early College excels in supporting different student subgroups, ranking 33rd out of 602 high schools in North Carolina for female students and 101st out of 607 high schools for male students in 2023-2024. The school also performs exceptionally well for low socioeconomic status students, ranking 16th out of 613 high schools in the state in 2023-2024. While the school has a relatively low spending per student of $7,254 in 2018-2019, it significantly outperforms the other nearby schools, including Blue Ridge Early College, Jackson Community School, and Smoky Mountain High School, on academic measures such as EOC exam proficiency rates.

113

Students ?

47.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,254

Per pupil spending ?

97.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

404 College Drive
Sylva, NC 28779

(828) 339-4499

District: Jackson County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Jackson County Early College:

Elementary:	Blue Ridge School
	Cullowhee Valley School
	Fairview School
	Scotts Creek School
	More...
	Smokey Mountain Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.5%

Hispanic:

15.9%

Two or more races:

8.0%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Jackson County Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 98th percentile in 2021 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (78% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of North Carolina high schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Jackson County Public Schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2021

!Large classes — about 47 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg53%

133^rd of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 19 pts since 2021

From top 2% (2021) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4High Schools in the Jackson County Public Schools

172^nd of 242Jackson 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.7	133 of 641	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	87.0	103 of 640	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	90.3	64 of 626	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	89.9	77 of 621	87.6%	★★★★☆
2021	97.2	13 of 594	97.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	87.5	82 of 610	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	93.8	33 of 602	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	80.5	112 of 588	81.0%	★★★★☆
2022	92.6	35 of 594	94.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.5	118 of 606	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	97.9	16 of 613	97.4%	★★★★★
2023	89.6	77 of 597	87.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	72.7	161 of 601	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	87.8	101 of 607	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	94.1	49 of 602	91.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	74.3	148 of 542	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.8	69 of 553	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	85.5	83 of 537	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	92.0	39 of 534	92.7%	★★★★★

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)

Female (2025)87th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)81st percentile~ school

Male (2025)73rd percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)73rd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II96%+37 vs state

Math III94%+27 vs state

Math I64%+30 vs state

Biology56%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jackson County Early College

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)		EOG Reading (2025)		EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
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%)	80.7	133^rd of 641 public high schools	79.3%		87	103^rd of 640 public high schools	83.9%	30	56.4	96.5	64.3	93.8						$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%)	47.2	327^th of 641 public high schools	49.0%		39.8	372^nd of 640 public high schools	41.9%	45	43.1	56.3	38.5	71.8						$11,017	$880	$10,137
Jackson Community School	Public	5-12	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%)	4.1	625^th of 641 public high schools	2.5%		4.3	623^rd of 640 public high schools	2.7%	2		7.1	5.6							$26,010	$1,858	$24,152
Cherokee Central High School	Public	6-12	200 Ravensford Drive	Cherokee	28719	Swain County	Cherokee Central High School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(828) 554-5030	693	91	7.6	99.6%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	693 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Central Haywood High	Public	9-12	62 Joy Lane	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 627-9944	63	7	8.5	93.7%	48 (76.2%)	2 (3.2%)	10 (15.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.2%)	4.6	622^nd of 641 public high schools	3.0%					(n/a)	18.8	13.0		25.0						$18,725	$2,409	$16,316
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%)	48.6	313^th of 641 public high schools	51.2%		52.7	283^rd of 640 public high schools	55.8%	30	50.7	60.9	25.8	72.1						$9,457	$662	$8,795
Swain Academy	Public	9-12	1417 Fontana Rd	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 488-3120	32	3	9.7	84.4%	17 (53.1%)	2 (6.3%)	2 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (9.4%)								(n/a)	14.3	21.4		8.7
Swain County High School	Public	9-12	1415 Fontana Road	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 488-2152	536	28	19.3	98.1%	361 (67.4%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (6.5%)	3 (0.6%)	97 (18.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.1%)	30.3	442^nd of 641 public high schools	31.0%		24.9	486^th of 640 public high schools	24.1%	44	35.6	53.4	35.2	45.6						$12,889	$1,251	$11,638
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%)	27.4	477^th of 641 public high schools	25.6%		24.2	489^th of 640 public high schools	23.6%	12	43.5	55.0	20.0	17.6	43.5	24.0	43.5	24.0	36.0	$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	98.1%	98 (63.6%)	1 (0.6%)	45 (29.2%)	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)	74.6	158^th of 641 public high schools	75.4%		81.7	127^th of 640 public high schools	80.2%	31	61.0	92.5	66.7	67.6						$5,764	$103	$5,661

Frequently Asked Questions about Jackson County Early College

What district is Jackson County Early College in?

Jackson County Public Schools

What schools feed into Jackson County Early College?

Jackson County Early College is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Blue Ridge School
Elementary : Cullowhee Valley School
Elementary : Fairview School
Elementary : Scotts Creek School
Elementary : Smokey Mountain Elementary

How many students attend Jackson County Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 113 students attended Jackson County Early College.

What is the racial makeup of Jackson County Early College?

Students at Jackson County Early College are 65% White, 16% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 5% American Indian, 4% Asian, 2% African American.

Is Jackson County Early College a good school?

Jackson County Early College ranks 133^rd of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Jackson County Early College!

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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.