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Clayton High

Q: Is Clayton High a good school?

Clayton High ranks 347 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

347^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 46% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Clayton High is a public high school located in Clayton, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,942 students. It is part of the Johnston County Public Schools district, which is ranked 94 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Over the past 10 years, Clayton High's statewide ranking has fluctuated, ranging from 122 out of 476 high schools in 2016-2017 (rated 4 stars) to 444 out of 621 high schools in 2021-2022 (rated 1 star). Its current ranking for 2024-2025 is 347 out of 641 high schools, with a 2-star rating. The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, performing relatively well for African American, Multi-racial, English Language Learner, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students, but struggling with Hispanic and Gifted and Talented student performance.

Compared to nearby schools in the Johnston County Public Schools district, such as West Johnston High, Corinth Holders High, and Cleveland High, Clayton High performs on par or slightly below. However, when compared to schools in the Wake County Schools district, such as Knightdale High and East Wake High, Clayton High performs significantly better, especially in subjects like Math I and Math III.

1,929

Students ?

23.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,541

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

600 S Fayetteville St
Clayton, NC 27520-2548

(919) 553-4064

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Clayton High:

Elementary:	Cooper Academy
	East Clayton Elementary
	Powhatan Elementary
	West Clayton Elementary
Middle:	Riverwood Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

37.4%

African American:

29.4%

Hispanic:

26.0%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Clayton High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 29th percentile in 2022 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (88%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 46th (2025) from a 29th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Biology scores 14 pts below the North Carolina average

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg53%

North Carolina avg53%

347^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 21 pts since 2015

From top 34% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 10High Schools in the Johnston County Public Schools

94^th of 242Johnston 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	43.4	347 of 641	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	339 of 640	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	411 of 626	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	444 of 621	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.5	397 of 594	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	285 of 514	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.5	238 of 469	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	62.2	122 of 476	74.4%	★★★★☆
2016	50.4	161 of 507	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.1	178 of 531	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	47.6	174 of 451	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	43.0	208 of 505	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.1	201 of 502	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.4	109 of 506	78.5%	★★★★☆
2010	69.7	84 of 499	83.2%	★★★★☆
2009	70.9	65 of 490	86.7%	★★★★☆
2008	67.7	87 of 477	81.8%	★★★★☆
2007	66.1	97 of 453	78.6%	★★★★☆
2006	67.7	88 of 431	79.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.1	149 of 440	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.1	165 of 437	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.6	271 of 434	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	238 of 430	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.3	209 of 364	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.3	241 of 369	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.6	235 of 359	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	57.2	41 of 89	53.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	44.6	145 of 330	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.6	223 of 334	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.0	261 of 364	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	241 of 349	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.9	106 of 273	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.8	30 of 262	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	35.8	127 of 226	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.8	121 of 156	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.7	76 of 124	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.1	88 of 173	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.4	66 of 147	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.1	368 of 610	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	317 of 602	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.5	405 of 588	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	448 of 594	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	289 of 475	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.7	298 of 475	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	252 of 449	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.5	150 of 412	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.5	288 of 403	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.2	263 of 403	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.9	267 of 398	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.6	142 of 337	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.8	236 of 325	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.4	249 of 462	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	245 of 454	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	348 of 449	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	375 of 436	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	278 of 370	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.0	237 of 354	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.9	234 of 340	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	299 of 606	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.2	291 of 613	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	26.7	446 of 597	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.4	421 of 544	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	314 of 432	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	330 of 446	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	328 of 424	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.9	310 of 601	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.5	340 of 607	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	399 of 602	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.6	409 of 585	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.9	319 of 481	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.1	284 of 488	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.1	245 of 463	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	76.4	9 of 47	80.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	118 of 253	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.3	117 of 261	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.9	164 of 249	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	114 of 226	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.0	101 of 199	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.3	147 of 195	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.5	110 of 185	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.9	132 of 352	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	122 of 349	65.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.6	289 of 542	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.3	271 of 553	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.6	323 of 537	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	390 of 534	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.3	292 of 439	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.7	247 of 444	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.1	200 of 427	53.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Military Connected (2022)81st percentile+52 vs school

African American (2025)66th percentile+20 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)64th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2025)62nd percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)61st percentile+15 vs school

Disabled (2022)56th percentile+28 vs school

Asian (2019)54th percentile+9 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)53rd percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)51st percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)48th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)47th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile~ school

Female (2025)40th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II66%+7 vs state

Math III58%-8 vs state

Math I40%+6 vs state

Biology34%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Clayton High

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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clayton High	Public	9-12	600 S Fayetteville St	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-4064	1,929	82	23.4	99.6%	722 (37.4%)	568 (29.4%)	502 (26.0%)	25 (1.3%)	5 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	106 (5.5%)	43.4	347^th of 641 public high schools	45.9%		44.3	339^th of 640 public high schools	47.0%	8	34.3	66.2	40.2	58.5	$7,541	$374	$7,166
South Garner High	Public	9-12	8228 Hebron Church Rd	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-7711	1,835	105	17.4	61.5%	230 (12.5%)	872 (47.5%)	620 (33.8%)	54 (2.9%)	2 (0.1%)	5 (0.3%)	52 (2.8%)	47.9	317^th of 641 public high schools	50.5%		49	305^th of 640 public high schools	52.3%	12	38.3	51.1	47.7	76.7	$10,505	$368	$10,137
Cleveland High	Public	9-12	1892 Polenta Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-2455	1,889	80	23.5	98.7%	933 (49.4%)	369 (19.5%)	464 (24.6%)	28 (1.5%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	91 (4.8%)	52.4	277^th of 641 public high schools	56.8%		49.7	300^th of 640 public high schools	53.1%	23	46.1	62.0	46.9	69.1	$7,646	$466	$7,180
Corinth Holders High	Public	9-12	6875 Applewhite Rd	Wendell	27591	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 365-4306	2,187	94	23.2	99.0%	1,198 (54.8%)	366 (16.7%)	491 (22.5%)	32 (1.5%)	9 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	89 (4.1%)	55.3	260^th of 641 public high schools	59.4%		57.6	247^th of 640 public high schools	61.4%	13	53.0	64.0	37.7	71.5	$7,404	$393	$7,011
West Johnston High	Public	9-12	5935 Raleigh Road	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-7333	1,563	66	23.6	99.2%	797 (51.0%)	209 (13.4%)	458 (29.3%)	13 (0.8%)	10 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (4.9%)	41.7	365^th of 641 public high schools	43.1%		41.4	363^rd of 640 public high schools	43.3%	2	45.6	64.7	27.4	53.7	$8,533	$535	$7,999
Southeast Raleigh High	Public, Magnet	9-12	2600 Rock Quarry Road	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 856-2800	1,438	103	13.9	99.8%	72 (5.0%)	767 (53.3%)	516 (35.9%)	24 (1.7%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (3.8%)	12.7	581^st of 641 public high schools	9.4%		14.7	553^rd of 640 public high schools	13.6%	28	20.8	37.4	14.5	37.6	$10,076	$731	$9,346
Garner High	Public, Magnet	9-12	2101 Spring Drive	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 662-2379	1,670	107	15.5	54.7%	473 (28.3%)	551 (33.0%)	559 (33.5%)	23 (1.4%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (3.7%)	38.9	384^th of 641 public high schools	40.1%		32.2	428^th of 640 public high schools	33.1%	44	41.6	55.1	20.2	69.5	$8,960	$511	$8,449
Knightdale High	Public	9-12	100 Bryan Chalk Lane	Knightdale	27545	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 217-5350	1,695	105	16.1	66.9%	173 (10.2%)	763 (45.0%)	649 (38.3%)	54 (3.2%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (3.1%)	18.1	536^th of 641 public high schools	16.4%		13.3	565^th of 640 public high schools	11.7%	29	29.8	42.1	15.7	43.0	$9,100	$534	$8,566
Central Wake High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1425 Rock Quarry Road	Raleigh	27610	Wake County	Central Wake Charter High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 521-5067	293	8	37.4		24 (8.2%)	130 (44.4%)	129 (44.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.4%)	6.8	612^th of 641 public high schools	4.5%		14.2	557^th of 640 public high schools	13.0%	55		26.0		31.3
East Wake High	Public	9-12	5101 Rolesville Rd	Wendell	27591	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 365-2625	1,777	99	17.9	63.5%	289 (16.3%)	762 (42.9%)	624 (35.1%)	25 (1.4%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (4.2%)	29.6	458^th of 641 public high schools	28.5%		38.4	380^th of 640 public high schools	40.6%	78	32.1	48.9	18.3	63.8	$11,170	$530	$10,640

Frequently Asked Questions about Clayton High

What district is Clayton High in?

Johnston County Public Schools

Is Clayton High a good school?

Clayton High ranks 347^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Clayton High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,929 students attended Clayton High.

What schools feed into Clayton High?

Clayton High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cooper Academy
Elementary : East Clayton Elementary
Elementary : Powhatan Elementary
Elementary : West Clayton Elementary
Middle : Riverwood Middle

What is the racial makeup of Clayton High?

Students at Clayton High are 37% White, 29% African American, 26% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.