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Tar River Academy

Q: Is Tar River Academy a good school?

Tar River Academy ranks in the bottom 3.3% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Tar River Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 74 students attended Tar River Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Tar River Academy?

Students at Tar River Academy are 58% African American, 20% Hispanic, 14% White, 8% Two or more races.

Public Grades 6-12

640^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 3% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Tar River Academy is a very small alternative school in Rocky Mount, NC, serving just 74 students in grades 6 through 12 as part of Nash County Public Schools. Around 96% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school has ranked near the very bottom of North Carolina’s high schools for over a decade—currently 640th out of 662 schools with a 0-star rating.

Chronic absenteeism is the single biggest red flag at Tar River Academy. In 2024-2025, 76.1% of students were chronically absent—meaning roughly three out of every four missed a significant number of school days. The district average was 25.9%, and the state average was 24.2%. Even Rocky Mount High, a lower-ranked traditional school, was at 39.0%, while CITI High School, another small alternative program in the district, was at just 8.0%. This absenteeism problem has persisted for years and is tightly connected to very low academic results. Only 6.3% of students scored proficient in Math I, for instance, compared with 42.5% across the district, and reading, science, Biology, and English II proficiency rates are similarly far behind district and state averages.

The issue is not a lack of resources. Tar River Academy spent about $22,339 per student in the most recent year reported—roughly twice what nearby comprehensive high schools spend—and its 12.3-to-1 student-teacher ratio allows for small classes. Yet outcomes remain dramatically lower than Nash Early College High School, just a few miles away, which serves a similarly high-poverty population and ranks among the top 5% of the state. It is worth noting that Nash Early College uses selective admissions, while Tar River Academy serves students who often enter with greater academic and behavioral challenges, so the schools are not a direct comparison. Even so, every student group at Tar River Academy performs in the bottom 6% of the state, and recent gains in graduation rate and a few test subjects, while encouraging, are improvements from an extraordinarily low baseline.

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,339

Per pupil spending ?

95.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

906 Hammond Street
Rocky Mount, NC 27804

(252) 451-2875

District: Nash County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

58.1%

Hispanic:

20.3%

White:

13.5%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Tar River Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2009 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (21% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (76% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg54%

North Carolina avg60%

640^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 3%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Nash County Public Schools

158^th of 246Nash County Public 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	45.3	421 of 786	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	1.2	685 of 692	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.4	690 of 705	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.9	643 of 673	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.5	637 of 662	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	0.1	646 of 648	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.2	635 of 640	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.8	620 of 630	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	15.0	550 of 620	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	7.0	574 of 606	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.3	584 of 598	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	47.5	244 of 550	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	47.7	370 of 733	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	47.1	332 of 689	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	42.4	432 of 748	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	34.0	451 of 658	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.6	640 of 662	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.7	634 of 641	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.3	621 of 626	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	1.3	498 of 507	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.1	518 of 531	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.1	495 of 505	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.0	502 of 502	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	10.5	447 of 506	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	1.8	483 of 499	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.3	459 of 490	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.1	449 of 477	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.4	436 of 453	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.0	406 of 431	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	8.6	433 of 450	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.3	433 of 440	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	431 of 434	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.1	615 of 629	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.0	601 of 610	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.0	604 of 620	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.8	597 of 606	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.0	596 of 597	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.9	536 of 544	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	2.5	616 of 624	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.2	599 of 601	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.1	601 of 602	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.8	330 of 352	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2022)41st percentile+22 vs school

Female (2022)31st percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2022)13th percentile-6 vs school

Middle school

African American (2022)56th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)52nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2022)50th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2022)42nd percentile-4 vs school

White (2022)31st percentile-15 vs school

High school

Special Education (2025)6th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2026)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Reading29%-27 vs state

Math III24%-45 vs state

English II23%-42 vs state

Science21%-47 vs state

Biology21%-37 vs state

Math I6%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Tar River Academy

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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 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th 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
Tar River Academy	Public	6-12	906 Hammond Street	Rocky Mount	27804	Nash County	Nash County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 451-2875	74	6	12.3	95.9%	10 (13.5%)	43 (58.1%)	15 (20.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (8.1%)	3.6	640^th of 662 public high schools	3.3%		2.7	634^th of 641 public high schools	1.1%	6	21.3	22.7	6.3	23.6			< 5%			28.6	21.4	$22,339	$2,188	$20,151
EDGE Academy of Health Sciences	Public	9-12	225 Tarboro Street	Rocky Mount	27801	Edgecombe County	Edgecombe County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(252) 618-6826	75	4	19.9	96.0%	10 (13.3%)	52 (69.3%)	9 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.0%)	84.3	113^th of 662 public high schools	82.9%					(n/a)	77.8	92.0		92.3
Nash Everywhere Digital Academy (NEDA)	Public, Virtual	6-12	801 Williford St	Rocky Mount	27803	Nash County	Nash County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(252) 462-2855	259	11	24.1	74.1%	62 (23.9%)	145 (56.0%)	32 (12.4%)	5 (1.9%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.0%)	16.1	577^th of 662 public high schools	12.8%		14.7	565^th of 641 public high schools	11.9%	12	38.5	50.0	6.7	42.9	53.3	30.8	37.5	66.7	53.8	50.0	41.7
Rocky Mount High	Public	9-12	1400 Bethlehem Road	Rocky Mount	27803	Nash County	Nash County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 937-9050	1,023	43	23.9	97.7%	78 (7.6%)	791 (77.3%)	98 (9.6%)	17 (1.7%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (3.4%)	13.3	591^st of 662 public high schools	10.7%		16.4	551^st of 641 public high schools	14.0%	40	35.4	42.6	16.4	40.9								$9,474	$733	$8,740
Nash Central High	Public	9-12	4279 Nash Central High Road	Rocky Mount	27804	Nash County	Nash County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 451-2860	703	32	21.8	—	240 (34.1%)	351 (49.9%)	73 (10.4%)	6 (0.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.3%)	56.7	275^th of 662 public high schools	58.5%		50.8	290^th of 641 public high schools	54.8%	15	56.6	64.9	62.6	75.9								$9,453	$925	$8,529
Nash Early College High School	Public	9-12	530 North Old Carriage Road	Rocky Mount	27804	Nash County	Nash County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 451-2890	376	12	30.4	—	124 (33.0%)	132 (35.1%)	86 (22.9%)	14 (3.7%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.3%)	93.3	26^th of 662 public high schools	96.1%		93.8	42^nd of 641 public high schools	93.4%	16	93.7	99.0	90.0	99.9								$6,841	$367	$6,474
CITI High School	Public	9-12	530-A North Old Carriage Rd	Rocky Mount	27804	Nash County	Nash County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 462-2842	87	5	15.9	96.6%	20 (23.0%)	39 (44.8%)	22 (25.3%)	3 (3.4%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.3%)	66.5	207^th of 662 public high schools	68.7%		80.3	134^th of 641 public high schools	79.1%	73	84.2	40.9	86.7	100.0								$14,539	$900	$13,639
Northern Nash High	Public	9-12	4230 Green Hills Road	Rocky Mount	27804	Nash County	Nash County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 937-9040	1,035	42	24.7	—	308 (29.8%)	564 (54.5%)	93 (9.0%)	15 (1.4%)	15 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (3.9%)	38.8	411^th of 662 public high schools	37.9%		49.4	306^th of 641 public high schools	52.3%	105	45.0	56.4	34.3	74.9								$9,163	$811	$8,352
SouthWest Edgecombe High	Public	9-12	5912 NC 43 North	Pinetops	27864	Edgecombe County	Edgecombe County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 827-5016	798	36	22.0	—	208 (26.1%)	449 (56.3%)	101 (12.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (4.5%)	9.3	605^th of 662 public high schools	8.6%		9	602^nd of 641 public high schools	6.1%	3	20.9	36.1	13.8	44.3								$9,044	$1,025	$8,019
North Edgecombe High	Public	9-12	7589 Nc 33-Nw	Tarboro	27886	Edgecombe County	Edgecombe County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 823-3562	358	21	17.0	—	20 (5.6%)	272 (76.0%)	51 (14.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	4.8	630^th of 662 public high schools	4.8%		6	616^th of 641 public high schools	3.9%	14	17.5	26.8	11.6	28.6								$16,211	$2,225	$13,986

Frequently Asked Questions about Tar River Academy

Is Tar River Academy a good school?

Tar River Academy ranks in the bottom 3.3% of North Carolina high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Tar River Academy?

Students at Tar River Academy are 58% African American, 20% Hispanic, 14% White, 8% Two or more races.

How many students attend Tar River Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 74 students attended Tar River Academy.

What district is Tar River Academy in?

Nash County Public Schools

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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.