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South Johnston High

Q: Is South Johnston High a good school?

South Johnston High ranks 414 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

414^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 37% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

South Johnston High is a comprehensive public high school in Four Oaks, NC, serving about 1,355 students in grades 9–12 as part of Johnston County Public Schools. The school currently ranks 414th out of 662 North Carolina high schools (37th percentile), placing it in the lower-middle tier of the state. The broader story, though, is one of steady improvement: South Johnston fell to the 16th percentile in 2018–2019 but has climbed each year since, from the 19th percentile in 2020–2021 to its current 37th percentile and a stable 2-star rating.

The school's standout strength is its graduation rate. South Johnston graduated 94.2% of its students in 2024–2025, well above the 87.7% state average and the 92.5% district average. That puts it on par with Clayton High and West Johnston High (both 95.0%) and clearly ahead of nearby Triton High (88.0%), Smithfield-Selma High (89.3%), and Harnett Central High (93.5%). Math is another encouraging area. Math III proficiency has climbed from 50.0% to 70.2% over the past three years, now exceeding both district and state averages and outperforming several neighboring schools. Math I proficiency has also risen to near the state average at 41.6%.

Biology is the clearest academic weakness. Only 41.7% of students scored proficient on the Biology End-of-Course exam, roughly 17 points behind the district (56.6%) and state (58.5%) averages. Nearby schools such as Cleveland High (51.2%), Smithfield-Selma High (50.6%), West Johnston (61.7%), and Clayton High (59.8%) all perform better; only Triton High (42.7%) is comparable. Chronic absenteeism has improved to 24.6% from 30.6% two years ago, matching the state average, though it remains slightly above the district rate of 21.8%. It is also worth noting that South Johnston's Gifted and Talented students rank in the 86th percentile statewide—a remarkably strong result showing the school serves some high-performing learners very well.

1,355

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

10381 US Hwy 301 S
Four Oaks, NC 27524-9803

(919) 894-3146

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Feeder schools for South Johnston High:

Elementary:	Benson Elementary
	Four Oaks Elementary
	Meadow School
Middle:	Benson Middle
	Four Oaks Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.4%

Hispanic:

35.8%

African American:

12.3%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare South Johnston High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 16th percentile in 2019 → 37th in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (88%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 37th (2026) from a 16th-percentile low (2019)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (54% vs 60% meeting standards)

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

!Biology scores 17 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg60%

414^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

98^th of 246Johnston 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
2026	38.4	414 of 662	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.4	382 of 641	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.6	446 of 640	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	448 of 626	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.0	459 of 621	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	484 of 594	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	430 of 514	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	367 of 469	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.4	361 of 476	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	40.8	226 of 507	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	43.1	242 of 531	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	33.5	250 of 451	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	23.9	353 of 505	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.6	253 of 502	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	63.4	143 of 506	71.7%	★★★★☆
2010	65.8	120 of 499	76.0%	★★★★☆
2009	64.1	125 of 490	74.5%	★★★★☆
2008	60.1	147 of 477	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	53.3	200 of 453	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	63.1	132 of 431	69.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	273 of 450	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.5	305 of 440	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.9	269 of 437	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.0	312 of 434	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.2	273 of 430	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.2	239 of 364	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	8.0	359 of 369	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	351 of 359	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	19.7	305 of 330	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.7	278 of 334	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	324 of 364	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	227 of 349	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	129 of 289	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.6	183 of 273	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.4	162 of 262	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.0	167 of 226	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.4	36 of 124	71.0%	★★★★☆
2019	34.2	117 of 173	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.8	117 of 147	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.7	411 of 629	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.5	414 of 610	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.6	440 of 602	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	417 of 588	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	433 of 594	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	409 of 475	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	424 of 475	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	361 of 449	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.3	56 of 407	86.2%	★★★★☆
2025	54.6	242 of 412	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.4	149 of 403	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.6	153 of 403	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.7	145 of 398	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.1	210 of 337	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.7	279 of 325	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	62.6	33 of 100	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.5	305 of 474	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.6	251 of 462	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	308 of 454	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.2	326 of 449	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	365 of 436	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	338 of 370	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	345 of 354	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	319 of 340	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	362 of 620	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.4	310 of 606	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.8	382 of 613	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	397 of 597	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	376 of 544	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.1	328 of 432	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.1	404 of 446	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.9	364 of 424	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.1	404 of 624	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.8	336 of 601	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.0	416 of 607	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	449 of 602	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.4	455 of 585	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	369 of 481	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	422 of 488	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	387 of 463	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	216 of 265	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.7	163 of 253	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.7	110 of 261	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.8	169 of 249	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.1	211 of 226	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	173 of 199	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	179 of 195	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.1	193 of 372	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.7	181 of 352	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.3	276 of 349	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	353 of 551	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.5	332 of 542	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.9	441 of 553	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	459 of 537	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	444 of 534	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.7	396 of 439	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	409 of 444	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	383 of 427	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)86th percentile+49 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)55th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)42nd percentile+4 vs school

African American (2026)39th percentile~ school

White (2026)36th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)36th percentile~ school

Male (2026)35th percentile~ school

Female (2026)35th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)18th percentile-19 vs school

Disabled (2022)8th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III70%~ state avg

English II62%-3 vs state

Biology42%-17 vs state

Math I42%~ state avg

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Schools Near South Johnston High

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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/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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Johnston High	Public	9-12	10381 US Hwy 301 S	Four Oaks	27524	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-3146	1,355	60	22.5	—	642 (47.4%)	167 (12.3%)	485 (35.8%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (3.8%)	38.4	414^th of 662 public high schools	37.5%		39.4	382^nd of 641 public high schools	40.4%	32	41.7	61.8	41.6	70.2	$9,204	$547	$8,657
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	—	797 (51.0%)	209 (13.4%)	458 (29.3%)	13 (0.8%)	10 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (4.9%)	46.7	351^st of 662 public high schools	47.0%		41.7	365^th of 641 public high schools	43.1%	14	61.7	66.7	35.7	65.4	$8,533	$535	$7,999
Harnett County Early College	Public	9-12	910 W. Harnett Street	Dunn	28334	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 814-3470	185	5	34.4	45.4%	62 (33.5%)	38 (20.5%)	65 (35.1%)	6 (3.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (7.0%)	92.2	46^th of 662 public high schools	93.1%		95.1	23^rd of 641 public high schools	96.4%	23	92.9	94.4	92.9	98.0	$8,448	$103	$8,345
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	—	933 (49.4%)	369 (19.5%)	464 (24.6%)	28 (1.5%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	91 (4.8%)	55.6	283^rd of 662 public high schools	57.3%		52.4	277^th of 641 public high schools	56.8%	6	51.2	66.6	65.7	78.0	$7,646	$466	$7,180
Triton High	Public	9-12	215 Maynard Lake Road	Erwin	28339	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 897-8121	1,274	58	22.0	—	463 (36.3%)	332 (26.1%)	408 (32.0%)	5 (0.4%)	9 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (4.4%)	24.1	526^th of 662 public high schools	20.5%		20.9	517^th of 641 public high schools	19.3%	9	42.7	54.4	27.0	50.5	$8,782	$698	$8,084
Johnston County Early College Academy	Public	9-12	245 College Rd	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 464-2314	251	7	34.9	—	142 (56.6%)	22 (8.8%)	72 (28.7%)	5 (2.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	93	33^rd of 662 public high schools	95.0%		94.1	34^th of 641 public high schools	94.7%	1	100.0	100.0		96.5	$6,903	$137	$6,766
Johnston County Schools Career Technical	Public	9-12	245 College Road	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 464-2303	241	6	41.1	—	101 (41.9%)	31 (12.9%)	98 (40.7%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.5%)	93.7	19^th of 662 public high schools	97.1%		95.5	17^th of 641 public high schools	97.3%	2	99.9	95.8		100.0	$7,440	$137	$7,303
Smithfield-Selma High	Public	9-12	700 M. Durwood Stephenson Park	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 934-5191	1,548	86	17.9	—	290 (18.7%)	398 (25.7%)	793 (51.2%)	13 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (3.2%)	31.6	469^th of 662 public high schools	29.2%		27.3	479^th of 641 public high schools	25.3%	10	50.6	45.7	42.4	58.5	$10,069	$868	$9,200
Harnett Central High	Public	9-12	2911 Harnett Central Rd	Angier	27501	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 639-6161	1,522	62	24.4	56.1%	626 (41.1%)	281 (18.5%)	506 (33.2%)	10 (0.7%)	8 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	90 (5.9%)	28.3	489^th of 662 public high schools	26.1%		23.4	503^rd of 641 public high schools	21.5%	14	52.0	52.2	32.3	50.8	$7,920	$580	$7,341
Midway High	Public	9-12	15274 Spiveys Corner Highway	Newton Grove	28366	Sampson County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 567-6664	726	36	20.2	—	353 (48.6%)	80 (11.0%)	260 (35.8%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (3.9%)	62.8	233^rd of 662 public high schools	64.8%		64.1	203^rd of 641 public high schools	68.3%	30	59.5	69.4	50.3	91.5	$8,712	$908	$7,804

Frequently Asked Questions about South Johnston High

Is South Johnston High a good school?

South Johnston High ranks 414^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Johnston High?

Students at South Johnston High are 47% White, 36% Hispanic, 12% African American, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend South Johnston High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,355 students attended South Johnston High.

What schools feed into South Johnston High?

South Johnston High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Benson Elementary
Elementary : Four Oaks Elementary
Elementary : Meadow School
Middle : Benson Middle
Middle : Four Oaks Middle

What district is South Johnston High in?

Johnston County Public Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.