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Cedar Ridge High

Q: Is Cedar Ridge High a good school?

Cedar Ridge High ranks 327 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

327^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 51% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Cedar Ridge High is a comprehensive public high school in Hillsborough, NC, serving about 1,148 students in grades 9 through 12 in Orange County Schools. Rated 3 stars and ranked at the 51st percentile statewide, this is the school's lowest position in its available history after consistently earning 4-star ratings from 2016-17 through 2018-19. The most relevant comparison is Orange High, the district's other traditional high school, located about three miles away with similar enrollment and poverty levels. Orange High ranks at the 58th percentile and posts a higher graduation rate (88.0% vs. 81.3%), lower chronic absenteeism, and stronger math proficiency—evidence that Cedar Ridge has room to improve.

Subject results vary widely. English II proficiency (70.9%) exceeds district and state averages, and Biology (60.7%) is just above the state figure. Math is the weak spot: only 34.3% of students are proficient in Math I, far below Orange High's 42.9%, while Math III (69.6%) trails its district by nearly five points. The larger concern is graduation: just 81.3% of Cedar Ridge students finish within four years versus 88.8% statewide, and the rate has swung between roughly 79% and 90% over the last five years. Chronic absenteeism runs near 32% against a district average of 25.3%, and a student-to-teacher ratio of 24.2 is the highest among nearby traditional high schools.

Interestingly, Carrboro High earned nearly identical end-of-course scores in 2025-26 yet graduates 92.7% of its students. Carrboro has a somewhat lower poverty rate and a much lower student-to-teacher ratio, suggesting Cedar Ridge's difficulties are less about academics than about attendance and keeping students on track. Cedar Ridge also serves some groups notably better than others: outcomes are strong for White students and comparatively solid for African American students, but much weaker for Hispanic students, English learners, low-income students, special education students, and even gifted students. Families considering Cedar Ridge should ask about math supports, absenteeism, and how the school addresses the needs of specific student populations.

1,148

Students ?

24.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,912

Per pupil spending ?

47.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1125 New Grady Brown Sch Rd
Hillsborough, NC 27278

(919) 245-4000

District: Orange County Schools

Feeder schools for Cedar Ridge High:

Elementary:	Grady Brown Elementary
	New Hope Elementary
Middle:	A L Stanback Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.0%

Hispanic:

35.8%

African American:

10.2%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Cedar Ridge High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 69th percentile in 2016 → 51st in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (51st percentile)

Worth a look

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

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg60%

327^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From top 31% (2016) to top 49% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Orange County Schools

69^th of 246Orange 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	50.2	327 of 662	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.2	268 of 641	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	273 of 640	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.1	234 of 626	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.8	215 of 621	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.9	255 of 594	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.9	136 of 514	73.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.3	103 of 469	78.0%	★★★★☆
2017	62.9	120 of 476	74.8%	★★★★☆
2016	50.9	157 of 507	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.2	176 of 531	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	48.3	167 of 451	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.0	102 of 505	79.8%	★★★★☆
2012	48.6	241 of 502	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.1	112 of 506	77.9%	★★★★☆
2010	70.8	70 of 499	86.0%	★★★★☆
2009	65.9	111 of 490	77.3%	★★★★☆
2008	72.4	55 of 477	88.5%	★★★★☆
2007	71.6	66 of 453	85.4%	★★★★☆
2006	77.0	34 of 431	92.1%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	150 of 450	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.9	86 of 440	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	41.8	220 of 437	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.8	113 of 434	74.0%	★★★★☆
2022	63.4	109 of 430	74.7%	★★★★☆
2021	49.2	118 of 364	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.2	127 of 369	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.9	110 of 359	69.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	60.8	74 of 330	77.6%	★★★★☆
2021	27.9	253 of 334	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.0	70 of 364	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	66.0	66 of 349	81.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.8	228 of 289	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.0	192 of 273	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.2	208 of 262	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	187 of 226	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	103 of 156	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.7	90 of 173	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.1	121 of 147	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.3	306 of 629	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.2	267 of 610	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	267 of 602	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.5	190 of 588	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.0	180 of 594	69.7%	★★★★☆
2021	58.5	139 of 475	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	56.7	160 of 475	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.5	112 of 449	75.1%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	316 of 407	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	59.2	209 of 412	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.3	218 of 403	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.0	209 of 403	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	65.5	146 of 398	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.5	196 of 337	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.1	126 of 325	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.7	407 of 474	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.1	382 of 462	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	311 of 454	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.4	261 of 449	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.9	212 of 436	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.3	229 of 370	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.3	155 of 354	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.8	179 of 340	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	468 of 620	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.9	339 of 606	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.3	387 of 613	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	306 of 597	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.7	182 of 544	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.2	226 of 432	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.9	178 of 446	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.4	152 of 424	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.1	341 of 624	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.3	254 of 601	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.3	262 of 607	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.3	265 of 602	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.1	219 of 585	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.7	202 of 481	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.9	122 of 488	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.2	95 of 463	79.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	129 of 265	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.2	92 of 253	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.2	59 of 261	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	36 of 249	85.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	37 of 226	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	65.6	57 of 199	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	81.8	26 of 195	86.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.7	264 of 372	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.2	258 of 352	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	72.1	46 of 349	86.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.1	158 of 551	71.3%	★★★★☆
2025	74.3	149 of 542	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	74.2	150 of 553	72.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.7	154 of 537	71.3%	★★★★☆
2022	75.0	141 of 534	73.6%	★★★★☆
2021	63.6	116 of 439	73.6%	★★★★☆
2019	76.6	60 of 444	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	81.3	53 of 427	87.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2022)78th percentile+12 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile+21 vs school

African American (2026)67th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)51st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)51st percentile~ school

Male (2026)45th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)29th percentile-22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile-26 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)22nd percentile-28 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)21st percentile-29 vs school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II71%+6 vs state

Math III70%~ state avg

Biology61%~ state avg

Math I34%-8 vs state

4.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, October 2, 2014

I am the grandparent of two students in grades 10 and 11, and a former teacher. Teachers are caring and concerned about all students. Help is available and parent involvement is encouraged as appropriate. My only concern is the homework policy: some teachers collect homework and do not look at content; homework grade seems to be based entirely on whether the work came in. This means that there is a greater penalty for forgetting homework than for actually DOING the homework carefully and correctly. Students quickly come to understand this, and for some it it difficult to see the value of spending time on work that does not get the teacher's full attention. I hope this policy can be reviewed and changed. Close Quote

Schools Near Cedar Ridge High

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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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cedar Ridge High	Public	9-12	1125 New Grady Brown Sch Rd	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 245-4000	1,148	47	24.2	47.2%	528 (46.0%)	117 (10.2%)	411 (35.8%)	20 (1.7%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (5.9%)	50.2	327^th of 662 public high schools	50.6%		54.2	268^th of 641 public high schools	58.2%	59	60.7	70.9	34.3	69.6	$10,912	$399	$10,512
Partnership Academy	Public	9-12	920 Corporate Drive	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 245-4030	40	4	10.5	92.5%	16 (40.0%)	9 (22.5%)	6 (15.0%)	1 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (20.0%)								(n/a)	336.9	20.0	537.7		$22,657	$918	$21,740
Orange High	Public	9-12	500 Orange High Rd	Hillsborough	27278	Orange County	Orange County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 732-6133	1,161	59	19.6	46.3%	596 (51.3%)	193 (16.6%)	285 (24.5%)	15 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (6.0%)	56.4	277^th of 662 public high schools	58.2%		48	316^th of 641 public high schools	50.7%	39	62.0	67.2	42.9	80.8	$9,879	$469	$9,410
Chapel Hill High	Public	9-12	9217 Seawell School Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 929-2106	1,608	101	15.9	22.2%	821 (51.1%)	174 (10.8%)	316 (19.7%)	190 (11.8%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (6.5%)	71.7	180^th of 662 public high schools	72.8%		75.3	154^th of 641 public high schools	76.0%	26	83.7	83.0	46.2	75.7	$11,533	$502	$11,031
East Chapel Hill High	Public	9-12	500 Weaver Dairy Rd	Chapel Hill	27514	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 969-2482	1,419	87	16.3	22.2%	660 (46.5%)	158 (11.1%)	188 (13.2%)	294 (20.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	119 (8.4%)	70.5	185^th of 662 public high schools	72.1%		77.3	144^th of 641 public high schools	77.5%	41	76.4	83.2	29.9	82.2	$11,539	$386	$11,153
Riverside High	Public	9-12	3218 Rose of Sharon Road	Durham	27712	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 560-3965	1,900	94	20.3	—	490 (25.8%)	534 (28.1%)	728 (38.3%)	50 (2.6%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (5.0%)	28.6	485^th of 662 public high schools	26.7%		25.2	492^nd of 641 public high schools	23.2%	7	50.6	55.0	22.2	54.7	$10,389	$739	$9,651
Eastern Alamance High	Public	9-12	4040 Mebane Rogers	Mebane	27302	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 563-5991	952	57	16.7	—	337 (35.4%)	276 (29.0%)	254 (26.7%)	3 (0.3%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (8.0%)	36.1	432^nd of 662 public high schools	34.7%		35.5	408^th of 641 public high schools	36.3%	24	45.6	47.4	61.7	57.5	$7,777	$653	$7,124
Phoenix Academy High	Public	9-12	750 S Merritt Mill Rd	Chapel Hill	27516	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 918-2300	27	10	2.7	88.9%	8 (29.6%)	8 (29.6%)	8 (29.6%)	1 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (7.4%)	4.3	634^th of 662 public high schools	4.2%		14.5	567^th of 641 public high schools	11.5%	67	21.4	18.2	20.0	11.1	$46,250	$370	$45,881
Carrboro High	Public	9-12	201 Rock Haven Rd	Carrboro	27510	Orange County	Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 918-2200	885	64	13.7	30.4%	441 (49.8%)	82 (9.3%)	272 (30.7%)	43 (4.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (5.1%)	50.8	323^rd of 662 public high schools	51.2%		51.8	282^nd of 641 public high schools	56.0%	41	60.9	72.2	31.6	68.5	$13,304	$311	$12,993
Southeast Alamance High	Public	9-12	3400 S Hwy 119	Haw River	27258	Alamance County	Alamance-Burlington Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(336) 513-4780	1,079	55	19.4	54.9%	423 (39.2%)	244 (22.6%)	281 (26.0%)	40 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (8.3%)	58.6	265^th of 662 public high schools	60.0%		44.1	345^th of 641 public high schools	46.2%	80	63.9	70.1	53.8	73.1

Frequently Asked Questions about Cedar Ridge High

What is the racial makeup of Cedar Ridge High?

Students at Cedar Ridge High are 46% White, 36% Hispanic, 10% African American, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Cedar Ridge High a good school?

Cedar Ridge High ranks 327^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cedar Ridge High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,148 students attended Cedar Ridge High.

What district is Cedar Ridge High in?

Orange County Schools

What schools feed into Cedar Ridge High?

Cedar Ridge High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Grady Brown Elementary
Elementary : New Hope Elementary
Middle : A L Stanback Middle

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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.