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Harding University High School

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

610^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 8% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Harding University High School is a large, traditional high school in west Charlotte serving roughly 1,204 students in grades 9–12 as part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. By almost every statewide academic ranking, Harding is very low-performing: it sits at 610th of 662 North Carolina high schools (8th percentile) with a 0-star rating, and it has ranked in the bottom 10 percent for several consecutive years. The student body is deeply economically disadvantaged — 99.75 percent qualify for free/reduced lunch — and chronic absenteeism is 52.7 percent, more than double the state rate. Academic proficiency trails district and state averages in every tested subject; the most alarming gap is in Math I, where only 11.2 percent of Harding students are proficient versus 42 percent statewide.

Harding's challenges stand out because it is surrounded by far stronger options within a few miles. Phillip O Berry Academy of Technology, just 0.64 miles away, ranks at the 64th percentile, while Central Piedmont Early College (89th), Northwest School of the Arts (86th), and Williams Secondary Montessori (82nd) are all nearby. Even the other large neighborhood high schools outperform Harding: West Charlotte High School ranks at the 33rd percentile and West Mecklenburg High School at the 16th. These schools serve similarly high-poverty populations, suggesting concentrated poverty alone does not explain the outcome gap — attendance and school-level factors likely play a major role.

There are some signs of progress. Harding's graduation rate has climbed from 67.9 percent in 2022–23 to 81.2 percent in 2025–26, approaching the state average. Biology and English II proficiency also improved sharply in the most recent year. However, math proficiency has remained essentially flat, and chronic absenteeism has held between 47 and 60 percent for five straight years. Reducing absenteeism toward the district average of 26.8 percent would likely be the most important lever for improving academic outcomes at Harding.

1,204

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,138

Per pupil spending ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

2001 Alleghany St
Charlotte, NC 28208-3734

(980) 343-6007

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Feeder schools for Harding University High School:

Elementary:	Charles H. Parker Academic Center
	Nations Ford Elementary
	Pinewood Elementary
	Reid Park Academy
	More...
	Westerly Hills Academy
Middle:	Wilson STEM Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

66.4%

Hispanic:

26.2%

Asian:

3.2%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Harding University High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (28% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (81% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg60%

610^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 21% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 16High Schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

105^th of 246Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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	8.6	610 of 662	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.2	601 of 641	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	589 of 640	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	562 of 626	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.8	578 of 621	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.1	560 of 594	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	453 of 514	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.6	417 of 469	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.9	422 of 476	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.9	403 of 507	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.6	446 of 531	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	14.7	382 of 451	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.8	389 of 505	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	21.9	414 of 502	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	80.3	25 of 506	95.1%	★★★★★
2010	66.7	109 of 499	78.2%	★★★★☆
2009	44.6	298 of 490	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.5	227 of 477	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	52.0	209 of 453	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	27.4	355 of 431	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	402 of 450	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	396 of 440	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	376 of 437	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	351 of 434	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	380 of 430	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.9	281 of 364	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	293 of 369	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.0	254 of 359	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	8.5	95 of 101	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	89 of 98	9.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.1	83 of 91	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.0	80 of 83	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.4	65 of 89	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	68 of 77	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	20.5	306 of 334	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	292 of 364	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	257 of 349	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.3	270 of 289	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	38.0	163 of 273	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	178 of 262	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	181 of 226	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	152 of 156	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.2	103 of 173	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.7	128 of 147	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.8	596 of 629	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.2	583 of 610	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	582 of 602	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	554 of 588	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.8	568 of 594	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.2	449 of 475	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.3	444 of 475	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	419 of 449	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	50.7	269 of 403	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	81.3	28 of 403	93.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.7	446 of 474	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.6	430 of 462	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	413 of 454	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	403 of 449	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	416 of 436	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.5	351 of 370	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.1	328 of 354	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	330 of 340	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.0	16 of 47	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	22.3	33 of 39	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.6	21 of 47	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.1	36 of 45	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.0	30 of 34	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	78.5	1 of 9	88.9%	★★★★★
2019	39.6	28 of 44	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.0	6 of 17	64.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.7	567 of 620	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.2	564 of 606	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	556 of 613	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	522 of 597	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	484 of 544	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	364 of 432	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	368 of 446	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.1	341 of 424	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	8.3	584 of 624	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.0	574 of 601	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	547 of 607	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	541 of 602	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	546 of 585	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	463 of 481	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	440 of 488	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.8	422 of 463	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.1	352 of 372	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.7	310 of 352	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	335 of 349	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2026)66th percentile+58 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)33rd percentile+25 vs school

African American (2026)11th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)9th percentile~ school

Disabled (2021)8th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)7th percentile~ school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

Asian (2024)6th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)6th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)5th percentile~ school

Female (2026)5th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II39%-26 vs state

Math III32%-37 vs state

Biology31%-28 vs state

Math I11%-31 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, November 1, 2010

This school as a whole is great. There is nothing about this school that I do not like. If Peter Gorman wants to close down a school it should be E.E. Waddell. Harding University is a school that has a graduating rank of 87% and E.E. Waddell has a graduating rank of a sadly 52%. Now that is a school that needs to be closed down. And if I worked with someone who's dead husbands name was on the school I wouldn't close it down either. But Harding University High School is a school with A LOT of history. And can Peter Gorman tell me why he is not closing any other magnet school. Is it because this school is a mostly African American school.

I WANT AN ANSWER PETER GORMAN.... WE ALL WANT AN ANSWER!!!!

-D.J. Williams Close Quote

Schools Near Harding University 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)	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
Harding University High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	2001 Alleghany St	Charlotte	28208	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6007	1,204	71	16.9	—	20 (1.7%)	799 (66.4%)	315 (26.2%)	38 (3.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	28 (2.3%)	8.6	610^th of 662 public high schools	7.9%		9.2	601^st of 641 public high schools	6.2%	9	30.6	38.7	11.2	32.4						$10,138	$983	$9,155
Phillip O Berry Academy of Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	1430 Alleghany St	Charlotte	28208	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5992	1,533	86	17.8	—	43 (2.8%)	945 (61.6%)	442 (28.8%)	58 (3.8%)	5 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (2.6%)	62	241^st of 662 public high schools	63.6%		55.7	259^th of 641 public high schools	59.6%	18	55.7	74.3	57.2	82.9						$8,885	$597	$8,288
Stewart Creek High	Public, Charter	9-12	2701-F Freedom Dr	Charlotte	28208	Mecklenburg County	Stewart Creek High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(980) 500-3731	342	12	29.6	—	8 (2.3%)	183 (53.5%)	134 (39.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.8%)	2.3	645^th of 662 public high schools	2.6%		14.8	562^nd of 641 public high schools	12.3%	83	10.8	21.4
West Mecklenburg High School	Public	9-12	7400 Tuckaseegee Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-6080	1,290	75	17.2	—	49 (3.8%)	643 (49.8%)	486 (37.7%)	70 (5.4%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (2.9%)	19.6	555^th of 662 public high schools	16.2%		13	579^th of 641 public high schools	9.7%	24	34.7	39.6	31.4	56.0						$11,533	$1,263	$10,270
Northwest School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	9-12	1415 Beatties Ford Rd	Charlotte	28216	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5500	993	62	15.9	38.1%	323 (32.5%)	432 (43.5%)	147 (14.8%)	12 (1.2%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (7.4%)	88.7	92^nd of 662 public high schools	86.1%		83.5	118^th of 641 public high schools	81.6%	26	85.0	94.7	81.0	94.1						$9,618	$478	$9,141
West Charlotte High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	2219 Senior Dr	Charlotte	28216	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6060	2,008	102	19.6	—	29 (1.4%)	1,499 (74.7%)	368 (18.3%)	60 (3.0%)	1 (0.0%)	1 (0.0%)	50 (2.5%)	34.5	442^nd of 662 public high schools	33.2%		25.1	495^th of 641 public high schools	22.8%	53	45.3	55.4	36.6	66.2						$12,290	$1,386	$10,904
Turning Point Academy	Public	9-12	8701 Moores Chapel Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5231	144	22	6.5	97.9%	4 (2.8%)	125 (86.8%)	7 (4.9%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.2%)								(n/a)	338.6	12.3	537.9	541.2						$30,170	$4,243	$25,927
Williams Secondary Montessori	Public, Magnet	7-12	2400 Carmine St	Charlotte	28206	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-0040	401	28	14.5	19.7%	238 (59.4%)	87 (21.7%)	44 (11.0%)	18 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (3.2%)	83.9	117^th of 662 public high schools	82.3%		82.3	126^th of 641 public high schools	80.3%	9	77.3	90.9	87.5	84.3	79.1	62.4	88.4	89.5	89.5	$13,612	$958	$12,654
Central Piedmont Early College	Public	9-12	1228 Elizabeth Avenue	Charlotte	28235	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-1118	278	10	27.8	41.4%	48 (17.3%)	114 (41.0%)	89 (32.0%)	15 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.3%)	90.4	72^nd of 662 public high schools	89.1%		88.5	88^th of 641 public high schools	86.3%	16	90.3	96.8	72.5	98.0						$18,854	$1,855	$16,999
Military and Global Leadership	Public, Magnet	9-12	1411 Hawthorne Lane Ste A	Charlotte	28205	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6011	71	9	7.8	95.8%	4 (5.6%)	27 (38.0%)	39 (54.9%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				35.7						$12,227	$794	$11,434

Frequently Asked Questions about Harding University High School

How many students attend Harding University High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,204 students attended Harding University High School.

What schools feed into Harding University High School?

Harding University High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Charles H. Parker Academic Center
Elementary : Nations Ford Elementary
Elementary : Pinewood Elementary
Elementary : Reid Park Academy
Elementary : Westerly Hills Academy
Middle : Wilson STEM Academy

What is the racial makeup of Harding University High School?

Students at Harding University High School are 66% African American, 26% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 2% White.

What district is Harding University High School in?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Is Harding University High School a good school?

Harding University High School ranks in the bottom 7.9% of North Carolina high schools.

Rate Harding University 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.