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JCPS Virtual Academy

Q: Is JCPS Virtual Academy a good school?

JCPS Virtual Academy ranks 709 th of 1490 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend JCPS Virtual Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 203 students attended JCPS Virtual Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of JCPS Virtual Academy?

Students at JCPS Virtual Academy are 43% White, 27% African American, 22% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

Public, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

709^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Alternative Schools

Better than 52% of North Carolina alternative schools

Summary

JCPS Virtual Academy is an alternative public virtual school serving grades K-12 in Smithfield, North Carolina, with 333 students enrolled. The school is part of the Johnston County Public Schools district, which is ranked 94 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

JCPS Virtual Academy has had strong 4-year graduation rates, ranging from 86.9% to 92.5% over the past few years, which are higher than the district and state averages. However, the school's test scores are generally lower than the district and state averages across various subjects and grade levels, with proficiency rates in Math and Reading 10-40 percentage points below the district and state in 2024-2025. The school has also seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 30.34% in 2021-2022 to 97.6% in 2023-2024, suggesting it serves a high-need population.

When compared to nearby schools, JCPS Virtual Academy generally outperforms Choice Plus Academy in test scores but underperforms American Leadership Academy - Johnston, a public charter school. The school's test scores have also declined over the past few years, and the fluctuations in the student-teacher ratio suggest it may be facing staffing challenges, which could impact the quality of instruction and support provided to students.

203

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

98%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1455 Buffalo Rd
Smithfield, NC 27577

(984) 285-3700

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.9%

African American:

26.6%

Hispanic:

21.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare JCPS Virtual Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2022 → 25th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2022

✓Above the North Carolina median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (43% vs 55% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (74% vs 88%)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg57%

North Carolina avg55%

Elementary school

709^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 29 pts since 2022

From bottom 24% (2022) to top 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

564^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 4 pts since 2022

From bottom 31% (2022) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

478^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 9 pts since 2022

From bottom 16% (2022) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.1	709 of 1490	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.7	1127 of 1505	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.8	992 of 1502	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.2	1152 of 1514	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	51.6	416 of 933	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.3	633 of 927	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	32.6	425 of 634	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	29.9	1081 of 1459	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	1175 of 1458	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	26.6	750 of 893	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	26.5	1147 of 1437	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.7	1179 of 1366	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	46.4	811 of 1461	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	1071 of 1464	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.7	111 of 133	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	39.4	773 of 1183	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.5	1019 of 1194	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	564 of 773	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.0	359 of 793	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.9	439 of 784	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.7	542 of 786	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	50.5	226 of 559	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.0	277 of 550	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	52.5	140 of 449	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	46.2	399 of 738	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	513 of 731	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	571 of 733	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	46.4	319 of 450	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	41.8	320 of 541	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	30.8	537 of 735	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	412 of 689	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	76.9	147 of 751	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	51.2	340 of 747	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.0	463 of 748	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	60.6	239 of 652	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.7	433 of 656	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.8	545 of 658	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	478 of 641	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	472 of 640	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	574 of 626	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	522 of 621	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	18.4	389 of 434	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	354 of 430	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	46.2	131 of 330	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	395 of 610	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.6	462 of 602	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.7	565 of 588	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	523 of 594	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	5.9	452 of 454	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	432 of 449	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	388 of 436	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.9	463 of 606	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.2	355 of 613	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.4	515 of 597	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	507 of 544	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	22.5	485 of 601	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	434 of 607	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	524 of 602	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	471 of 585	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	383 of 542	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	460 of 553	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.7	518 of 537	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	497 of 534	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2023)55th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2023)44th percentile+11 vs school

White (2023)35th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)33rd percentile+9 vs school

Female (2023)26th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)20th percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)17th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2022)16th percentile-8 vs school

Middle school

Male (2024)80th percentile+26 vs school

Disabled (2022)69th percentile+38 vs school

White (2024)63rd percentile+9 vs school

African American (2023)60th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2024)46th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2022)41st percentile+10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2022)29th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)27th percentile-17 vs school

High school

Disabled (2022)60th percentile+44 vs school

Female (2025)35th percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)29th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile~ school

Male (2025)19th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2023)10th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)<1st percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II58%~ state avg

Reading53%~ state avg

Science50%-11 vs state

Biology38%-10 vs state

Mathematics37%-18 vs state

Math III34%-32 vs state

Math I17%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near JCPS Virtual 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 ()				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	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 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Total
JCPS Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	1455 Buffalo Rd	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(984) 285-3700	203	16	12.9	98.0%	87 (42.9%)	54 (26.6%)	44 (21.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.4%)								(n/a)	37.9	57.9	17.4	34.5		53.8	58.3	53.3	14.3	12.5		53.8	66.7	46.7	57.1	43.8	66.7	37.5
Neuse Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	909 M. Durwood Stephenson Park	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Neuse Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 626-2300	925	53	17.4		586 (63.4%)	109 (11.8%)	140 (15.1%)	7 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (8.6%)								(n/a)	67.3	74.1	56.4	89.3	50.0	53.8	49.2	58.8	60.3	51.5	45.6	64.1	57.1	67.5	79.5	74.2	57.1	74.2
Choice Plus Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	211 East Rose Street	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(984) 230-0500	97	11	8.6	96.9%	14 (14.4%)	49 (50.5%)	31 (32.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.1%)								(n/a)		13.2		13.2				10.0						18.2	12.5	10.3		7.7
American Leadership Academy - Johnston	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	3770 US-70 Bus	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	American Leadership Academy - Johnston	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(984) 302-3630	2,082	92	22.7	41.7%	1,081 (51.9%)	343 (16.5%)	427 (20.5%)	34 (1.6%)	11 (0.5%)	1 (0.0%)	185 (8.9%)								(n/a)	37.8	70.3	38.0	59.0	61.7	72.0	60.3	59.8	53.1	36.6	47.3	68.8	57.1	53.4	52.5	63.9	69.2	67.8

Frequently Asked Questions about JCPS Virtual Academy

What is the racial makeup of JCPS Virtual Academy?

Students at JCPS Virtual Academy are 43% White, 27% African American, 22% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

How many students attend JCPS Virtual Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 203 students attended JCPS Virtual Academy.

Is JCPS Virtual Academy a good school?

JCPS Virtual Academy ranks 709^th of 1490 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is JCPS Virtual Academy in?

Johnston County Public Schools

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Schools in Smithfield, NC

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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.