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Franklin High

Q: Is Franklin High a good school?

Franklin High ranks 369 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

369^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 44% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Franklin High serves 996 students in grades 9–12 and is the largest traditional high school in Macon County Schools, located in Franklin, NC, alongside several smaller mountain-region high schools and early colleges within about 20 miles. The school has genuine strengths: a 94.8% graduation rate and a 12.4% chronic absenteeism rate that are far better than district and state averages. However, its statewide academic rank has declined steadily over several years, falling from the 70th percentile in 2017–2018 to the 44th percentile in 2025–2026, when it dropped from a 3-star to a 2-star rating. Academically, Math III and English II proficiency are solid and generally match or exceed state averages, but Math I proficiency (36.5%) trails both the district and the state — a weak entry point for incoming high school students.

How Franklin serves different groups is uneven. The school ranks in the 94th percentile statewide for Gifted and Talented students, a remarkable 5-star result that suggests advanced learners are exceptionally well supported. By contrast, the school has seen sharp recent declines in its effectiveness serving Hispanic students (from the 71st to the 22nd percentile since 2023–2024) and English Learner students (from the 85th to the 15th percentile over the same period). These dramatic shifts point to an equity concern that deserves close attention from parents and school leadership alike.

Compared with other schools in the region, Franklin looks strong next to Bartram Academy, Swain Academy, and Jackson Community School — all of which post far lower proficiency and graduation rates. Its statewide rank is nearly identical to Smoky Mountain High School, yet Franklin posts better English II scores, a stronger graduation rate, and much lower chronic absenteeism. It also holds a sizable Math I advantage over Swain County High School. Notably, Franklin has the lowest poverty rate among neighboring high schools (46.3% free/reduced lunch), while early-college options like Macon Early College High School and Jackson County Early College serve far higher-poverty populations yet achieve much stronger academic results. Franklin's attendance, graduation, and advanced-student outcomes demonstrate the school's potential; the central challenge is translating those strengths into more consistent academic growth for the full student body before its ranking slide becomes permanent.

996

Students ?

21.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

46.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

100 Panther Drive
Franklin, NC 28734-2785

(828) 524-6467

District: Macon County Schools

Feeder schools for Franklin High:

Elementary:	Cartoogechaye Elementary
	East Franklin Elementary
	Iotla Valley Elementary
	South Macon Elementary
Middle:	Macon Middle School
	Mountain View Intermediate

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.8%

Hispanic:

26.1%

Two or more races:

3.4%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Franklin High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

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

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg60%

369^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

131^st of 246Macon County 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	44.8	369 of 662	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.6	313 of 641	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.7	283 of 640	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	271 of 626	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.6	210 of 621	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.2	228 of 594	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.5	161 of 514	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.4	142 of 469	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.9	193 of 476	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	40.6	228 of 507	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	36.1	285 of 531	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.0	197 of 451	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	44.3	191 of 505	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	51.2	218 of 502	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	50.1	284 of 506	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.2	279 of 499	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.8	241 of 490	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	50.9	240 of 477	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.8	164 of 453	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	57.0	170 of 431	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	59.8	78 of 330	76.4%	★★★★☆
2021	44.5	147 of 334	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.1	72 of 364	80.2%	★★★★☆
2018	53.4	109 of 349	68.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.4	246 of 289	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.6	168 of 273	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	67.9	40 of 262	84.7%	★★★★☆
2023	35.9	124 of 226	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.7	33 of 173	80.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	406 of 629	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.0	330 of 610	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	313 of 602	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.9	252 of 588	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.4	183 of 594	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.3	177 of 475	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.5	144 of 475	69.7%	★★★★☆
2018	59.1	168 of 449	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.6	24 of 407	94.1%	★★★★★
2025	62.7	181 of 412	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.2	117 of 403	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	47.1	270 of 403	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	64.9	153 of 398	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.8	194 of 337	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.2	130 of 325	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	20.2	92 of 100	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	368 of 474	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.0	259 of 462	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.4	131 of 454	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	48.5	195 of 449	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.5	103 of 436	76.4%	★★★★☆
2021	61.0	60 of 370	83.8%	★★★★☆
2019	48.0	127 of 354	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.9	239 of 340	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	305 of 620	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.4	198 of 606	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.6	187 of 613	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.1	185 of 597	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.3	149 of 544	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	71.2	30 of 432	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	62.1	72 of 446	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.2	69 of 424	83.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	322 of 624	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.7	289 of 601	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.4	235 of 607	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.0	277 of 602	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.4	202 of 585	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.3	132 of 481	72.6%	★★★★☆
2019	52.7	182 of 488	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.0	140 of 463	69.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	85.4	24 of 253	90.5%	★★★★★
2022	34.6	150 of 226	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	228 of 372	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.5	84 of 352	76.1%	★★★★☆
2024	33.3	229 of 349	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.5	361 of 551	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.0	336 of 542	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.3	350 of 553	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.5	303 of 537	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.7	260 of 534	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.8	211 of 439	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.4	218 of 444	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.6	196 of 427	54.1%	★★★☆☆

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)94th percentile+50 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)91st percentile+39 vs school

Disabled (2022)76th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)48th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2026)39th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)35th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)34th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)22nd percentile-22 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)15th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III74%+5 vs state

English II63%~ state avg

Biology54%-4 vs state

Math I36%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Franklin 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)	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/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	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th 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
Franklin High	Public	9-12	100 Panther Drive	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 524-6467	996	47	21.2	46.3%	685 (68.8%)	8 (0.8%)	260 (26.1%)	6 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (3.4%)	44.8	369^th of 662 public high schools	44.3%		48.6	313^th of 641 public high schools	51.2%	56	54.0	62.6	36.5	74.2						$9,457	$662	$8,795
Macon Early College High School	Public	9-12	77 Siler Farm Road	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 524-2002	154	2	74.3	—	98 (63.6%)	1 (0.6%)	45 (29.2%)	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)	79.5	142^nd of 662 public high schools	78.5%		74.6	158^th of 641 public high schools	75.4%	16	73.5	97.1	88.9	76.7						$5,764	$103	$5,661
Bartram Academy	Public	9-12	158 Union School Rd	Franklin	28734	Macon County	Macon County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 369-1277	102	3	34.6	91.2%	77 (75.5%)	5 (4.9%)	15 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.9%)	1.4	655^th of 662 public high schools	1.1%					(n/a)	7.1	16.7	536.9							$11,469	$453	$11,015
Blue Ridge Early College	Public	7-12	95 Bobcat Dr	Cashiers	28717	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 743-2646	127	8	16.3	97.6%	59 (46.5%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (51.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	40.2	403^rd of 662 public high schools	39.1%		27.4	477^th of 641 public high schools	25.6%	74	35.7	23.5	48.0	85.0	60.0	36.4	50.0	36.4	45.5	$11,670	$875	$10,794
Jackson County Early College	Public	9-12	404 College Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 339-4499	113	2	47.0	97.3%	74 (65.5%)	2 (1.8%)	18 (15.9%)	4 (3.5%)	6 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.0%)	87.5	95^th of 662 public high schools	85.6%		80.7	133^rd of 641 public high schools	79.3%	38	93.8	87.1	100.0	88.6						$7,254	$111	$7,144
Smoky Mountain High School	Public	9-12	100 Smoky Mountain Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 586-2177	881	42	21.1	97.7%	585 (66.4%)	8 (0.9%)	185 (21.0%)	6 (0.7%)	49 (5.6%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (5.3%)	44.7	370^th of 662 public high schools	44.1%		47.2	327^th of 641 public high schools	49.0%	43	55.9	55.6	37.2	77.7						$11,017	$880	$10,137
Swain Academy	Public	9-12	1417 Fontana Rd	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 488-3120	32	3	9.7	84.4%	17 (53.1%)	2 (6.3%)	2 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (9.4%)	2.2	648^th of 662 public high schools	2.1%					(n/a)	15.0	13.3		540.3
Swain County High School	Public	9-12	1415 Fontana Road	Bryson City	28713	Swain County	Swain County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 488-2152	536	28	19.3	—	361 (67.4%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (6.5%)	3 (0.6%)	97 (18.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.1%)	39.1	408^th of 662 public high schools	38.4%		30.3	442^nd of 641 public high schools	31.0%	34	51.1	62.9	20.5	70.5						$12,889	$1,251	$11,638
Jackson Community School	Public	9-12	3770 Skyland Drive	Sylva	28779	Jackson County	Jackson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 586-4328	50	4	14.0	88.0%	38 (76.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.0%)	1.9	652^nd of 662 public high schools	1.5%		4.1	625^th of 641 public high schools	2.5%	27	13.6	14.3	539.3							$26,010	$1,858	$24,152

Frequently Asked Questions about Franklin High

What schools feed into Franklin High?

Franklin High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cartoogechaye Elementary
Elementary : East Franklin Elementary
Elementary : Iotla Valley Elementary
Elementary : South Macon Elementary
Middle : Macon Middle School
Middle : Mountain View Intermediate

What is the racial makeup of Franklin High?

Students at Franklin High are 69% White, 26% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Is Franklin High a good school?

Franklin High ranks 369^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Franklin High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 996 students attended Franklin High.

What district is Franklin High in?

Macon County 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.