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McDowell Early College

Public Grades 9-12

48^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 93% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

McDowell Early College is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Marion, North Carolina, part of the McDowell County Schools district. This standout school has consistently ranked among the top 50 high schools in the state, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

McDowell Early College significantly outperforms the district and state averages on end-of-course exams, with 95.2% proficiency in English II and 100% proficiency in Math III, compared to 52% and 63% for the district, respectively. The school also excels in supporting the academic achievement of various student subgroups, ranking in the top 50 in the state for female, male, Hispanic, White, and low socioeconomic status students, as well as for gifted and talented students.

Despite spending less per student than the nearby McDowell High School, McDowell Early College achieves significantly better academic outcomes, highlighting the importance of factors beyond just funding, such as school culture, instructional practices, and student support. The high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at McDowell Early College suggests the school is effectively serving a high-need population and providing equitable educational opportunities.

241

Students ?

19.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,400

Per pupil spending ?

98.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

54 College Drive
Marion, NC 28752

(828) 659-0411

District: McDowell County Schools

Feeder schools for McDowell Early College:

Elementary:	Eastfield Global Magnet School
	Glenwood Elementary School
	Marion Elementary School
	Nebo Elementary School
	More...
	North Cove Elementary School
	Old Fort Elementary School
	Pleasant Gardens Elementary School
	West Marion Elementary School
Middle:	East McDowell Middle School
	West McDowell Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.3%

Hispanic:

16.6%

Two or more races:

3.3%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare McDowell Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2021 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (90% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of North Carolina high schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school90%

District avg48%

North Carolina avg53%

48^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 7%▼ down 2 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the McDowell County Schools

98^th of 242McDowell 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
2025	93.2	48 of 641	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	93.3	48 of 640	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	95.8	16 of 626	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	93.5	38 of 621	93.9%	★★★★★
2021	94.8	33 of 594	94.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	93.0	41 of 610	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	89.3	67 of 602	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	94.8	17 of 588	97.1%	★★★★★
2022	91.5	45 of 594	92.4%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	78.7	37 of 403	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	81.7	8 of 403	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	83.8	3 of 398	99.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	93.3	42 of 454	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	92.5	40 of 449	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	92.4	47 of 436	89.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	96.2	38 of 606	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	96.7	34 of 613	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	97.8	18 of 597	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	40 of 544	92.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	92.9	58 of 601	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	96.0	20 of 607	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.5	13 of 602	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	95.9	28 of 585	95.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	87.9	67 of 542	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	89.6	63 of 553	88.6%	★★★★☆
2023	94.8	8 of 537	98.5%	★★★★★
2022	92.9	32 of 534	94.0%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)94th percentile~ school

Female (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2024)91st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)91st percentile~ school

Male (2025)90th percentile~ school

White (2025)88th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III100%+34 vs state

English II95%+36 vs state

Math I84%+49 vs state

Biology78%+30 vs state

★

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Schools Near McDowell Early College

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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
McDowell Early College	Public	9-12	54 College Drive	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 659-0411	241	12	19.7	98.8%	184 (76.3%)	5 (2.1%)	40 (16.6%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.3%)	93.2	48^th of 641 public high schools	92.5%		93.3	48^th of 640 public high schools	92.5%		77.8	95.2	83.8	100.0	$7,400	$232	$7,168
McDowell Academy for Innovation	Public	9-12	54 College Drive	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 659-0411	158	7	22.5	98.1%	108 (68.4%)	5 (3.2%)	38 (24.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.8%)	92.8	53^rd of 641 public high schools	91.7%		96.4	7^th of 640 public high schools	98.9%	46	76.5	95.1	86.8	97.6	$24,717	$228	$24,489
The Summit Academy	Public	6-12	75 Crawford St	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 652-1266	23	4	5.7	87.0%	20 (87.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.3%)								(n/a)		12.5		6.7
McDowell High School	Public	9-12	600 McDowell High School Dr	Marion	28752	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 652-7920	1,379	88	15.6	98.8%	1,003 (72.7%)	50 (3.6%)	221 (16.0%)	13 (0.9%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (6.5%)	29	465^th of 641 public high schools	27.5%		32.1	429^th of 640 public high schools	33.0%	36	40.4	43.5	21.1	58.7	$9,698	$1,036	$8,662
Freedom High	Public	9-12	511 Independence Boulevard	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 433-1310	1,299	57	22.7	99.8%	595 (45.8%)	93 (7.2%)	459 (35.3%)	54 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98 (7.5%)	30.4	440^th of 641 public high schools	31.4%		37.9	388^th of 640 public high schools	39.4%	52	40.8	42.1	30.9	55.3	$8,511	$796	$7,716
Burke Middle College	Public	11-12	1001 Burkemont Ave	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 448-3175	130	3	43.3	97.7%	69 (53.1%)	2 (1.5%)	14 (10.8%)	40 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.8%)								(n/a)				87.1	$4,804	$268	$4,536
Patton High School	Public	9-12	701 Enola Road	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 433-3000	756	31	24.3	98.9%	530 (70.1%)	10 (1.3%)	165 (21.8%)	22 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.6%)	54.2	267^th of 641 public high schools	58.3%		66	200^th of 640 public high schools	68.8%	67	47.7	63.8	52.2	65.4	$9,266	$744	$8,523
R-S Central High School	Public	9-12	641 Hwy 221 North	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 287-3304	763	36	21.2	98.2%	539 (70.6%)	99 (13.0%)	60 (7.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (8.1%)	38.1	391^st of 641 public high schools	39.0%		41.9	359^th of 640 public high schools	43.9%	32	37.9	56.5	20.1	68.1	$10,966	$1,171	$9,795
Mayland Early College	Public	9-12	264 Mayland Dr	Spruce Pine	28777	Avery County	Mitchell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 766-2590	113	5	23.2	97.3%	91 (80.5%)	1 (0.9%)	11 (9.7%)	3 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.2%)	83.9	115^th of 641 public high schools	82.1%		84.6	113^th of 640 public high schools	82.3%	2	61.9	89.3	75.0	86.7	$7,370	$209	$7,160

Frequently Asked Questions about McDowell Early College

How many students attend McDowell Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 241 students attended McDowell Early College.

What schools feed into McDowell Early College?

McDowell Early College is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Eastfield Global Magnet School
Elementary : Glenwood Elementary School
Elementary : Marion Elementary School
Elementary : Nebo Elementary School
Elementary : North Cove Elementary School
Elementary : Old Fort Elementary School
Elementary : Pleasant Gardens Elementary School
Elementary : West Marion Elementary School
Middle : East McDowell Middle School
Middle : West McDowell Middle School

Is McDowell Early College a good school?

Yes. McDowell Early College ranks in the top 7.5% of North Carolina high schools.

What is the racial makeup of McDowell Early College?

Students at McDowell Early College are 76% White, 17% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

What district is McDowell Early College in?

McDowell County Schools

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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.