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Montgomery County Early College

Public Grades 9-12

64^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 90% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Montgomery County Early College is a small public high school in Troy, NC, serving 282 students in grades 9–12, and it has earned a five-star rating for six consecutive years, ranking in the 90th percentile statewide. MCEC is part of Montgomery County Schools, a district ranked 195th out of 246 in North Carolina, yet the school itself is in the top 10% of all NC high schools, peaking at the 98th percentile in 2022–2023. That record is especially striking given that roughly 98.6% of MCEC students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

MCEC's test scores dwarf those of nearby schools. In the latest testing year, Math I proficiency reached 97.5% and Math III hit a perfect 100%. Just 0.21 miles away stands Montgomery Central High, which serves a similarly high-poverty student body but produced only 16.8% proficiency in Math I and 36.5% in Math III. MCEC outperforms its district by 29 to 67 percentage points per subject, and it also beats schools in better-ranked districts, including North Moore High. Among comparable early-college programs, Stanly STEM Early College posts similarly elite results, ranking 41st statewide versus MCEC's 64th.

Attendance and engagement appear to support MCEC's academic success. Chronic absenteeism was just 12.4% in 2024–2025, about half the district rate of 24.8%; nearby comprehensive high schools range much higher, including Montgomery Central High at 26.5%, North Stanly High at 34.9%, and Albemarle High at 35.5%. MCEC also produces strong results across student subgroups: Hispanic students rank in the 95th percentile statewide and low-income students in the 89th percentile. The school achieves these outcomes with an unusually high student-teacher ratio of 28.2 to 1 and comparatively low per-student spending. While MCEC's ranking has eased slightly from its 98th-percentile peak, it remains one of the strongest public high schools in the region and a powerful example of high achievement in a high-poverty community.

282

Students ?

28.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1011 Page St
Troy, NC 27371

(910) 898-9690

District: Montgomery County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.4%

Hispanic:

37.6%

African American:

15.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Montgomery County Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2021 → 90th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (94% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2021

!Large classes — about 28 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school94%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg60%

64^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 5 pts since 2021

From top 5% (2021) to top 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

195^th of 246Montgomery 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	91.3	64 of 662	90.3%	★★★★★
2025	92.9	52 of 641	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	95.6	19 of 640	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	11 of 626	98.2%	★★★★★
2022	95.1	28 of 621	95.5%	★★★★★
2021	95.2	29 of 594	95.1%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	88.6	49 of 440	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	98.9	11 of 437	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	97.2	20 of 430	95.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.4	49 of 629	92.2%	★★★★★
2025	90.6	60 of 610	90.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.2	7 of 602	98.8%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	24 of 588	95.9%	★★★★★
2022	93.6	28 of 594	95.3%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.5	29 of 412	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	78.4	48 of 403	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	81.2	32 of 403	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	82.7	12 of 398	97.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	96.1	23 of 474	95.1%	★★★★★
2025	96.9	19 of 462	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	97.2	23 of 454	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	12 of 449	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	97.0	21 of 436	95.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.6	69 of 620	88.9%	★★★★☆
2025	96.0	41 of 606	93.2%	★★★★★
2024	98.1	12 of 613	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	98.0	13 of 597	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	98.3	23 of 544	95.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	90.5	79 of 624	87.3%	★★★★☆
2025	93.7	48 of 601	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	94.5	44 of 607	92.8%	★★★★★
2023	96.9	6 of 602	99.0%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	27 of 585	95.4%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.7	20 of 551	96.4%	★★★★★
2025	89.7	49 of 542	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.0	6 of 553	98.9%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	31 of 537	94.2%	★★★★★
2022	94.4	19 of 534	96.4%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)96th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)95th percentile+5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)89th percentile~ school

African American (2025)89th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)87th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III100%+31 vs state

Math I98%+55 vs state

English II92%+28 vs state

Biology87%+29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Montgomery County Early College

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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/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	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
Montgomery County Early College	Public	9-12	1011 Page St	Troy	27371	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 898-9690	282	10	28.2	98.6%	111 (39.4%)	44 (15.6%)	106 (37.6%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	14 (5.0%)	91.3	64^th of 662 public high schools	90.3%		92.9	52^nd of 641 public high schools	91.9%	12	87.3	92.5	97.5	100.0						$8,152	$202	$7,950
Montgomery Central High	Public	9-12	770 Timberwolf Drive	Troy	27371	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 556-5500	846	46	18.3	99.3%	327 (38.7%)	165 (19.5%)	306 (36.2%)	12 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.3%)	20.5	549^th of 662 public high schools	17.1%		16.8	549^th of 641 public high schools	14.4%		49.7	53.1	16.8	36.5
Montgomery Learning Academy	Public	6-12	310 S Main	Troy	27371	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 572-1161	54	7	7.7	94.4%	19 (35.2%)	13 (24.1%)	19 (35.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.6%)								(n/a)				7.1						$21,924	$12	$21,912
Southwestern Randolph High School	Public	9-12	1641 Hopewell Friends Rd	Asheboro	27205	Randolph County	Randolph County School System	No	No	No	No	(336) 628-8324	801	47	16.9	55.9%	523 (65.3%)	22 (2.7%)	222 (27.7%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (3.6%)	22.7	537^th of 662 public high schools	18.9%		20.1	524^th of 641 public high schools	18.3%	13	41.4	56.9	20.0	44.9						$8,889	$722	$8,167
Albemarle High	Public	9-12	311 Park Ridge Road	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-4200	414	30	13.5	99.0%	86 (20.8%)	218 (52.7%)	65 (15.7%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (8.7%)	21.1	545^th of 662 public high schools	17.7%		14	571^st of 641 public high schools	10.9%	26	17.6	34.5	24.1	71.4						$10,302	$1,146	$9,156
Stanly STEM Early College	Public	9-12	311 Park Ridge Road	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-4900	189	6	31.5	98.4%	87 (46.0%)	24 (12.7%)	35 (18.5%)	29 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.4%)	92.6	41^st of 662 public high schools	93.8%		90.3	75^th of 641 public high schools	88.3%	34	98.0	97.2	96.5	92.3
Uwharrie Charter Remote Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	207 Eagle Ln	Asheboro	27205	Randolph County	Uwharrie Charter Academy	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(336) 610-0818	112				101 (90.2%)	3 (2.7%)	5 (4.5%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	7.1	617^th of 662 public high schools	6.8%					(n/a)	29.4	41.7	7.7	11.8	26.7	22.2	53.3	55.6	50.0
South Stanly High	Public	9-12	40488 S Stanly School Rd	Norwood	28128	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-4100	442	27	16.2	99.3%	306 (69.2%)	59 (13.3%)	35 (7.9%)	14 (3.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.7%)	37.4	423^rd of 662 public high schools	36.1%		33.5	422^nd of 641 public high schools	34.2%	1	63.7	58.9	25.0	61.5						$9,199	$565	$8,634
North Moore High	Public	9-12	1504 North Moore Rd	Robbins	27325	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 464-3105	605	29	20.8	99.3%	353 (58.3%)	34 (5.6%)	197 (32.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.0%)	46.2	354^th of 662 public high schools	46.5%		38.4	389^th of 641 public high schools	39.3%	35	73.5	58.0	47.1	60.5						$11,514	$738	$10,776
Stanly Academy Learning Center	Public	6-12	1121 Austin St	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-4500	13	1	14.4	76.9%	6 (46.2%)	6 (46.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)								(n/a)										$23,336	$986	$22,350

Frequently Asked Questions about Montgomery County Early College

How many students attend Montgomery County Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 282 students attended Montgomery County Early College.

Is Montgomery County Early College a good school?

Yes. Montgomery County Early College ranks in the top 9.7% of North Carolina high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Montgomery County Early College?

Students at Montgomery County Early College are 39% White, 38% Hispanic, 16% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Montgomery County Early College in?

Montgomery County Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.