Montgomery Central High

Montgomery Central High is a large public high school in the rural town of Troy, North Carolina, serving about 846 students in grades 9 through 12. It is part of Montgomery County Schools, a district that ranks in the bottom fifth of North Carolina districts, and nearly every student at the school — 99.3 percent in a recent year — comes from an economically disadvantaged home. The school's overall state ranking has been persistently low, hovering around the 13th to 19th percentile in recent years, and it currently ranks 549th out of 662 North Carolina high schools.

In terms of academics, math is the defining challenge. Only 16.8 percent of students passed the Math I end-of-course exam in the most recent year, compared with 42.1 percent statewide, and Math III proficiency was also far below average (36.5 percent vs. 68.9 percent). Biology and English II scores are closer to state averages, and both showed strong improvement from the previous year. The graduation rate, meanwhile, is a notable bright spot: 92.4 percent of students graduate, above the state average of 88.8 percent.

The contrast with Montgomery County Early College, located just over a fifth of a mile away, is striking. That school also serves a nearly 100 percent low-income student body, yet it ranks in the 90th percentile statewide and posts much higher proficiency rates. Montgomery Central High's overall ranking has barely moved despite recent test-score gains, and one notable strength is its special education program, which now ranks at the 51st percentile statewide, well above the school's overall 17th-percentile standing. Nearby alternatives include North Stanly High and South Stanly High, while Montgomery Learning Academy in the same district serves a much smaller alternative population and ranks near the bottom statewide.