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Madison High School

Q: Is Madison High School a good school?

Madison High School ranks 288 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

288^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 56% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Madison High School in Marshall, NC, is a comprehensive public high school serving 377 students in grades 9–12 as part of Madison County Schools. The school has earned a 3-star rating and ranks in the 56th percentile of North Carolina high schools, a steady climb from the 38th percentile a few years ago. Serving a community with very high economic need — roughly 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — it sits mid-pack among nearby schools: ahead of Erwin High, comparable to Asheville High and North Buncombe High, though behind Madison Early College High and regional magnets like Nesbitt Discovery Academy.

Madison High School's standout features include an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 8.4 to 1 — the lowest among nearby traditional high schools — along with per-student spending of $13,733, well above most neighboring schools. This investment suggests a school designed to offer individualized attention. Academically, the school shines in advanced math: 86.1% of students scored proficient on the Math III exam, well above the state average of 68.9%. The graduation rate of 89.2% also edges out the state average and beats several nearby schools, including Erwin High (87.0%) and The Franklin School of Innovation (83.3%). Since 2021, the school has moved steadily upward in statewide rankings.

But there are significant challenges. Chronic absenteeism affects 32.3% of students — roughly one in three — well above the district's 26.9% and the state's 24.2%. While this is a major improvement from the 60.2% rate in 2021–2022, it remains a serious obstacle. Gifted and Talented students are particularly underserved, ranking near the bottom statewide in recent years. Math I proficiency also sits at just 42.7%, even though Math III results are strong — suggesting many students enter high school behind in algebra. The comparison with Madison Early College High, which serves a nearly identical high-poverty population just down the road, shows what's possible: that school posts significantly higher test scores and just 13.9% chronic absenteeism. For Madison High School, the path forward likely runs through attendance interventions and stronger support for advanced learners.

377

Students ?

8.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,733

Per pupil spending ?

97.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5740 US Hwy 25-70
Marshall, NC 28753-9107

(828) 649-2876

District: Madison County Schools

Feeder schools for Madison High School:

Elementary:	Brush Creek Elementary
	Hot Springs Elementary
	Mars Hill Elementary
Middle:	Madison Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.9%

Hispanic:

4.2%

Two or more races:

1.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Madison High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 46th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (56th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 24% North Carolina)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg67%

North Carolina avg60%

288^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

70^th of 246Madison 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	54.7	288 of 662	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.2	286 of 641	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	288 of 640	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.1	303 of 626	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.2	367 of 621	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.1	294 of 594	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.9	320 of 514	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	282 of 469	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.5	250 of 476	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.5	272 of 507	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.6	220 of 531	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	30.9	268 of 451	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	25.4	344 of 505	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	24.0	406 of 502	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	53.2	261 of 506	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	56.2	225 of 499	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	46.8	281 of 490	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.4	144 of 477	69.8%	★★★★☆
2007	68.4	86 of 453	81.0%	★★★★☆
2006	60.8	147 of 431	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	29.0	230 of 330	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.6	259 of 334	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	63.0	76 of 364	79.1%	★★★★☆
2018	52.5	114 of 349	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	283 of 629	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.4	285 of 610	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	276 of 602	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	262 of 588	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.8	329 of 594	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.3	184 of 475	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.3	302 of 475	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.9	213 of 449	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	395 of 412	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	52.6	251 of 403	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.6	375 of 403	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	62.4	173 of 398	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.1	253 of 337	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.2	266 of 325	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	320 of 620	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.3	365 of 606	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.2	264 of 613	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.7	228 of 597	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.3	261 of 544	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.8	120 of 432	72.2%	★★★★☆
2019	34.7	257 of 446	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.6	243 of 424	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.9	272 of 624	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.6	286 of 601	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	279 of 607	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.6	321 of 602	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	387 of 585	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.0	210 of 481	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.8	315 of 488	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.3	341 of 463	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	168 of 352	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	103 of 349	70.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.5	339 of 551	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.1	379 of 542	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.6	386 of 553	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	363 of 537	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.3	429 of 534	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.3	270 of 439	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.5	375 of 444	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	377 of 427	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)56th percentile~ school

Female (2026)55th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)52nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)48th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)38th percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)30th percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)4th percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III86%+17 vs state

English II67%~ state avg

Biology59%~ state avg

Math I43%~ state avg

1.0

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Schools Near Madison High School

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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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Madison High School	Public	9-12	5740 US Hwy 25-70	Marshall	28753	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 649-2876	377	45	8.4	97.9%	354 (93.9%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	54.7	288^th of 662 public high schools	56.5%		51.2	286^th of 641 public high schools	55.4%	2	58.9	67.1	42.7	86.1	$13,733	$1,107	$12,625
Madison Velocity Learning Center	Public	9-12	5740 US Hwy 25/70	Marshall	28753	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 649-2876	19	0		84.2%	19 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Madison Early College High	Public	9-12	5734 US 25/70 Hwy	Marshall	28753	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 649-0319	270	10	27.0	98.9%	231 (85.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.4%)	3 (1.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	79.8	140^th of 662 public high schools	78.9%		76.9	146^th of 641 public high schools	77.2%	6	82.8	84.5	64.0	85.4	$6,768	$164	$6,604
North Buncombe High	Public	9-12	890 Clarks Chapel Road	Weaverville	28787	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 645-4221	896	54	16.5	99.0%	689 (76.9%)	9 (1.0%)	153 (17.1%)	7 (0.8%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.5%)	52.9	309^th of 662 public high schools	53.3%		58.3	238^th of 641 public high schools	62.9%	71	66.2	68.9	49.4	64.0	$9,935	$695	$9,241
Erwin High	Public	9-12	60 Lees Creek Road	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4251	1,013	69	14.6	99.7%	481 (47.5%)	94 (9.3%)	359 (35.4%)	4 (0.4%)	5 (0.5%)	23 (2.3%)	47 (4.6%)	15.4	582^nd of 662 public high schools	12.1%		17.7	541^st of 641 public high schools	15.6%	41	35.7	40.7	23.4	46.8	$10,603	$744	$9,859
Nesbitt Discovery Academy	Public	9-12	175 Bingham Rd Ste 10	Asheville	28806	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 271-4521	372	17	21.8	98.7%	307 (82.5%)	4 (1.1%)	31 (8.3%)	16 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.2%)	94.4	12^th of 662 public high schools	98.2%					(n/a)	98.8	100.0	88.9	99.9	$7,222	$451	$6,771
Asheville High	Public	9-12	419 McDowell Street	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-2500	1,221	89	13.7	41.3%	804 (65.8%)	173 (14.2%)	121 (9.9%)	12 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	19 (1.6%)	90 (7.4%)	57.2	272^nd of 662 public high schools	58.9%		53.4	270^th of 641 public high schools	57.9%	2	65.5	78.3	29.5	71.1	$14,811	$688	$14,123
Silsa	Public	9-12	419 McDowell Street	Asheville	28803	Buncombe County	Asheville City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 350-2700	332	14	23.9	39.2%	214 (64.5%)	64 (19.3%)	35 (10.5%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.2%)	67.2	204^th of 662 public high schools	69.2%		76.9	145^th of 641 public high schools	77.4%	59	69.4	86.2	47.5	76.7	$7,028	$199	$6,830
Early College	Public	9-12	340 Victoria Road	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4123	271	11	24.8	98.9%	138 (50.9%)	10 (3.7%)	110 (40.6%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	7 (2.6%)	89.2	83^rd of 662 public high schools	87.5%		90.6	71^st of 641 public high schools	88.9%	12	91.7	88.2	74.2	100.0	$7,736	$216	$7,520
Center for Career Innovation	Public	9-12	340 Victoria Road	Asheville	28801	Buncombe County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 232-4123	41	4	10.2	43.9%	27 (65.9%)	3 (7.3%)	9 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.9%)								(n/a)					$10,465	$251	$10,214

Frequently Asked Questions about Madison High School

What district is Madison High School in?

Madison County Schools

Is Madison High School a good school?

Madison High School ranks 288^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Madison High School?

Madison High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Brush Creek Elementary
Elementary : Hot Springs Elementary
Elementary : Mars Hill Elementary
Middle : Madison Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Madison High School?

Students at Madison High School are 94% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Madison High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 377 students attended Madison High School.

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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.