Summary
Dixon High is a comprehensive public high school in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, serving roughly 1,085 students in grades 9–12 through Onslow County Schools. For the 2025–2026 school year, SchoolDigger ranks the school 214th out of 662 North Carolina high schools, placing it in the 68th percentile with a three-star rating. That makes Dixon the top-performing traditional high school in the county — well ahead of Jacksonville High (52nd percentile), Northside High (37th), White Oak High (32nd), and Southwest High (14th). Onslow Early College ranks higher at the 98th percentile, but it is a small early-college program, and nearby Topsail High sits at the 75th percentile.
Academically, Dixon beats both district and state averages in every tested End-of-Course subject. Biology proficiency is 77.8%, compared with 55.0% for the district and 58.5% statewide. Math III is 79.8%, versus 66.5% for the district, and English II is 74.5%, above the state's 64.6%. Even Math I — Dixon's lowest result at 46.2% — tops the state average of 42.1%. The graduation rate has climbed to 91.7%, above the district (91.5%) and state (88.8%). These gains are recent: since 2021–22, Dixon has risen from the 50th percentile to the 68th, lifted Biology proficiency by more than 20 points, and brought chronic absenteeism down substantially.
Dixon also stands out for how well it serves specific groups of students. Its special education students rank in the 87th percentile statewide — an unusually strong result for a large high school — and Hispanic students rank in the 81st percentile. The main area for parents to watch is chronic absenteeism: at 25.4%, it remains slightly above the district (22.7%) and state (24.2%) averages, though it has improved dramatically and is better than most comparable nearby high schools. Overall, Dixon offers Holly Ridge families a strong, steadily improving school with impressive test scores, effective support for a wide range of learners, and a graduation rate that now leads both the district and the state.
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