Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Johnston County Early College Academy

Public Grades 9-12

34^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 95% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Johnston County Early College Academy is a high-performing public high school in Smithfield, North Carolina, serving grades 9-13 and part of the Johnston County Public Schools district.

This exceptional school has consistently ranked among the top high schools in North Carolina, maintaining a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. Its academic performance is truly standout, with proficiency rates in End-of-Course exams significantly outpacing the district and state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school had 98.4% proficiency in English II and 100% proficiency in Math III, compared to just 61% and 62.3% for the district, respectively. The school's focus on college preparation is evident, as it provides students the opportunity to earn an associate's degree or up to two years of college credit while in high school.

Interestingly, Corinth Holders High, Clayton High, West Johnston High, South Johnston High, and North Johnston High, the nearby high schools in the district, significantly underperform Johnston County Early College Academy in terms of academic performance and statewide rankings. Additionally, the Johnston County Schools Career Technical program, located adjacent to the Early College Academy, also performs exceptionally well, ranking among the top high schools in the state.

251

Students ?

34.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,903

Per pupil spending ?

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 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (99% vs 63% meeting standards)

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

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

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 35 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school99%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg63%

34^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 2 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	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
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
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
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
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
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)

White (2024)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)98th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)98th percentile+4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)98th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)95th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)95th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III100%+34 vs state

English II98%+39 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Johnston County Early College Academy

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

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

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 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%)	94.1	34^th of 641 public high schools	94.7%		95.9	11^th of 640 public high schools	98.3%	23		98.4		100.0								$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%)	95.5	17^th of 641 public high schools	97.3%		95.8	13^th of 640 public high schools	98.0%	4	98.1	98.7	94.3	98.5								$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%)	27.3	479^th of 641 public high schools	25.3%		29.3	458^th of 640 public high schools	28.4%	21	41.5	45.6	19.2	50.8								$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%)	40	376^th of 641 public high schools	41.3%		38.2	383^rd of 640 public high schools	40.2%	7	33.3	58.6	45.1	57.7								$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%)	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
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%)	47.8	319^th of 641 public high schools	50.2%		48.5	307^th of 640 public high schools	52.0%	12	44.6	60.8	38.3	67.9	55.8	65.1	62.7	48.6	53.2	55.9	60.7	$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%)	39.4	382^nd of 641 public high schools	40.4%		30.6	446^th of 640 public high schools	30.3%	64	41.5	53.7	36.2	61.1								$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%)	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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnston County Early College Academy

Is Johnston County Early College Academy a good school?

Yes. Johnston County Early College Academy ranks in the top 5.3% of North Carolina high schools.

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.

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

Rate Johnston County Early College Academy!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina High School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Smithfield, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Johnston County Early College Academy!

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.