Summary
Person High is the large, traditional public high school in Roxboro, NC, serving roughly 1,165 students in grades 9–12, with nearly all students (99.7%) qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. The school is part of Person County Schools, and its recent performance has been uneven but is showing signs of a genuine turnaround. After dropping to the 18th percentile statewide in 2024–2025, Person High rebounded to the 33rd percentile in the latest data, earning 2 stars. Its graduation rate has climbed steadily from 81% a few years ago to 89.0%, which essentially matches the state average of 88.8% — an impressive outcome given the school’s high-poverty profile.
Academically, Person High shows strong recent improvement but remains uneven by subject. On the latest End-of-Course exams, the school posted a Math I proficiency rate of 55.1% — well above the state average of 42.1% — while Biology (47.7%), English II (50.5%), and Math III (49.5%) all trail state averages. The most striking news is the size of the jump from the prior year: Biology proficiency more than doubled from 21.8% to 47.7%, and Math I jumped from 27.9% to 55.1%. English II also improved from 42.7% to 50.5%, suggesting that the school’s recent gains are real rather than a one-year fluke.
The biggest challenge remains chronic absenteeism. While Person High’s rate has improved sharply from a peak of 53.8% in 2021–2022, it still sits at 34.1% — far above the district (24.9%) and state (24.2%). Nearby Roxboro Community School (9.9%) and Person Early College Innovation & Leadership (7.6%) have dramatically lower rates, though those schools serve smaller, more self-selected student bodies. Person High compares more favorably to Bartlett Yancey High, a similarly high-poverty school in a neighboring county where Person High outperforms it in Biology, English II, and Math I. There are notable bright spots: English Learner students rank in the 83rd percentile statewide, earning 4 stars, while gifted and special education students remain areas of concern. With a student-teacher ratio of 25.8, up from 18.5 a few years ago, the school faces real resource pressures, yet its recent trajectory suggests the improvements may be sustainable.
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