Macon Virtual Academy

Macon Virtual Academy is an alternative public virtual school located in Franklin, North Carolina, serving grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 34 students. The school is part of the Macon County Schools district, which is ranked 113 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Macon Virtual Academy has had relatively high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 81.8% to 90.6% over the past few years, which are generally higher than the Macon County Schools district average. However, the school's test scores are mixed compared to the district and state averages. While Macon Virtual Academy performs better than the district in some areas, such as 6th-grade math and reading, it lags behind in other subjects like 7th and 8th-grade math, as well as biology and English II end-of-course exams. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 32.93% in 2021-2022 to 67.65% in 2023-2024, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students.

When compared to nearby schools, Macon Virtual Academy's performance is mixed. The Nantahala School outperforms Macon Virtual Academy in several subject areas, such as end-of-course exams in Math III and Biology, while the Highlands School generally performs better than Macon Virtual Academy across a wide range of subjects and grade levels. As a virtual school, Macon Virtual Academy may face additional challenges in terms of student engagement, access to resources, and overall academic performance compared to traditional brick-and-mortar schools, as evidenced by the fluctuating student-teacher ratio.