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Johnston County Early College Academy

Public Grades 9-12

33^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 95% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Johnston County Early College Academy is a small public high school in Smithfield, NC, serving just 251 students in grades 9–12 on the campus of a community college. As part of Johnston County Public Schools, this school is a standout exception to the district's mid-tier profile, earning a 5-star state rating every year and ranking 33rd out of 662 high schools in North Carolina for 2025–26. Student proficiency on end-of-course exams is nearly universal, with Biology, English II, and Math III scores often between 96% and 100%, far exceeding district averages of 57–69%.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the student body: in 2024–25, 98.8% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, yet students from low socio-economic backgrounds rank in the 95th percentile statewide. Every student subgroup at this academy performs at elite levels, earning 5-star ratings across categories. The school does this with a high student-teacher ratio of 34.9 and per-pupil spending of roughly $6,900 per year—lower than nearby schools such as North Johnston High or Corinth Holders High, which spend $7,400–$11,000 yet achieve far lower outcomes.

The contrast with Smithfield-Selma High, just two miles away, is sharp: that traditional school carries a 1-star rating and proficiency rates in the 40s and 50s, while Johnston County Early College Academy has no reported chronic absenteeism. Alongside the neighboring Johnston County Schools Career Technical program, another 5-star magnet, this academy demonstrates how an early college model can produce outstanding results for a motivated, primarily low-income student body. For parents weighing their options in Johnston County Public Schools, this small school offers a rigorous, cost-effective path to near-universal academic success.

251

Students ?

34.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

245 College Rd
Smithfield, NC 27577

(919) 464-2314

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.6%

Hispanic:

28.7%

African American:

8.8%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Johnston County Early College Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 93rd percentile in 2021 → 95th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (99% vs 64% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 35 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school99%

District avg63%

North Carolina avg64%

33^rd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 2 pts since 2021

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	93.0	33 of 662	95.0%	★★★★★
2025	94.1	34 of 641	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	95.9	11 of 640	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	18 of 626	97.1%	★★★★★
2022	95.8	19 of 621	96.9%	★★★★★
2021	93.6	43 of 594	92.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.5	28 of 629	95.5%	★★★★★
2025	93.8	28 of 610	95.4%	★★★★★
2024	94.8	19 of 602	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	95.0	14 of 588	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	95.4	14 of 594	97.6%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.5	31 of 407	92.4%	★★★★★
2025	81.5	10 of 412	97.6%	★★★★★
2023	81.4	17 of 403	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	80.3	41 of 398	89.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	95.0	32 of 474	93.2%	★★★★★
2025	97.7	7 of 462	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	98.0	15 of 454	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	16 of 449	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.4	20 of 436	95.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	96.0	28 of 620	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	97.1	30 of 613	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	96.9	29 of 597	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	98.9	15 of 544	97.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	96.3	10 of 601	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.9	23 of 607	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	94.6	44 of 602	92.7%	★★★★★
2022	95.8	31 of 585	94.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.4	26 of 551	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.1	3 of 553	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	40 of 537	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	94.0	24 of 534	95.5%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2025)98th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)96th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)95th percentile~ school

White (2026)95th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)92nd percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Biology100%+42 vs state

English II100%+35 vs state

Math III96%+28 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, July 21, 2014

I attend this school and I love it! The teachers are very dedicated and aren't afraid to give their students a challenge. It's an amazing opportunity and I feel blessed to attend it. Close Quote

Schools Near Johnston County Early College Academy

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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/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	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th 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
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	98.8%	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	98.8%	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	99.8%	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
North Johnston High	Public	9-12	5915 US Hwy 301 N	Kenly	27542	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 284-2031	788	40	19.8	98.2%	376 (47.7%)	75 (9.5%)	316 (40.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.7%)	43.3	380^th of 662 public high schools	42.6%		40	376^th of 641 public high schools	41.3%	4	47.9	62.2	41.4	74.6								$10,995	$811	$10,184
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%)	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
Princeton High	Public	6-12	101 Dr Donnie H Jones Jr Blvd	Princeton	27569	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 936-5011	988	52	19.1	99.2%	626 (63.4%)	90 (9.1%)	223 (22.6%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (4.6%)	44.6	372^nd of 662 public high schools	43.8%		47.8	319^th of 641 public high schools	50.2%	53	50.9	53.6	53.0	71.9	65.8	61.9	60.0	57.0	55.1	54.8	71.1	$9,669	$525	$9,144
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	99.8%	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	99.2%	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
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%)	47.5	345^th of 662 public high schools	47.9%		43.4	347^th of 641 public high schools	45.9%	2	59.8	65.2	45.2	64.3								$7,541	$374	$7,166
Corinth Holders High	Public	9-12	6875 Applewhite Rd	Wendell	27591	Wake 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%)	58.7	263^rd of 662 public high schools	60.3%		55.3	260^th of 641 public high schools	59.4%	3	69.6	69.6	43.1	74.1								$7,404	$393	$7,011

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnston County Early College Academy

What is the racial makeup of Johnston County Early College Academy?

Students at Johnston County Early College Academy are 57% White, 29% Hispanic, 9% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian.

Is Johnston County Early College Academy a good school?

Yes! Johnston County Early College Academy is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 33^rd of 662 North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend Johnston County Early College Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 251 students attended Johnston County Early College Academy.

What district is Johnston County Early College Academy in?

Johnston 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.