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Polk County High School

Q: Is Polk County High School a good school?

Polk County High School ranks 280 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

280^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 56% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Polk County High School is a public high school located in Columbus, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 593 students. The school is part of the Polk County Schools district, which is ranked 41 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Polk County High School has shown strong academic performance, with its students consistently outperforming the state and district averages in End-of-Course (EOC) exams. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had a higher percentage of students proficient or better in EOC/English II (66.9%) compared to the Polk County Schools district (69.1%) and the state of North Carolina (59.6%). The school has also maintained high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 84.2% to 87.7% over the past few years, which are comparable to or higher than the state and district averages.

Interestingly, Polk County High School's performance is generally stronger than the nearby schools in the Rutherford County Schools district, such as Rutherford Opportunity Center, Chase High School, and R-S Central High School, which have lower academic performance, higher percentages of free and reduced lunch recipients, and lower graduation rates. However, the school's proximity to the exceptional Polk County Early College provides an interesting point of comparison and potential opportunities for collaboration or resource sharing.

596

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,130

Per pupil spending ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1681 East NC 108 Hwy
Columbus, NC 28722-9757

(828) 894-2525

District: Polk County Schools

Feeder schools for Polk County High School:

Elementary:	Polk Central Elementary School
	Saluda Elementary School
	Sunny View Elementary School
	Tryon Elementary School
Middle:	Polk County Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.7%

Hispanic:

15.6%

African American:

7.0%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Polk County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2015 → 56th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg53%

280^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From top 21% (2015) to top 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

41^st of 242Polk 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
2025	52.0	280 of 641	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	292 of 640	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	220 of 626	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.8	170 of 621	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	60.1	206 of 594	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.3	175 of 514	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.1	75 of 469	84.0%	★★★★☆
2017	62.0	125 of 476	73.7%	★★★★☆
2016	71.2	68 of 507	86.6%	★★★★☆
2015	62.4	110 of 531	79.3%	★★★★☆
2014	62.2	106 of 451	76.5%	★★★★☆
2013	58.5	85 of 505	83.2%	★★★★☆
2012	65.7	97 of 502	80.7%	★★★★☆
2011	66.7	116 of 506	77.1%	★★★★☆
2010	68.1	94 of 499	81.2%	★★★★☆
2009	66.3	107 of 490	78.2%	★★★★☆
2008	64.1	117 of 477	75.5%	★★★★☆
2007	72.3	60 of 453	86.8%	★★★★☆
2006	60.7	148 of 431	65.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	190 of 440	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.4	261 of 437	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	66.6	56 of 330	83.0%	★★★★☆
2021	33.2	219 of 334	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	234 of 364	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.8	100 of 349	71.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	49.8	93 of 262	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.6	284 of 610	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.0	316 of 602	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.2	206 of 588	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.6	176 of 594	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	72.9	73 of 475	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	64.3	122 of 475	74.3%	★★★★☆
2018	76.5	72 of 449	84.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.0	274 of 412	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.2	285 of 403	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	63.9	162 of 403	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.4	110 of 398	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	74.4	52 of 337	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	73.8	55 of 325	83.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	65.7	122 of 462	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	64.8	116 of 454	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.1	78 of 449	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	75.6	88 of 436	79.8%	★★★★☆
2021	48.3	120 of 370	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.7	131 of 354	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.0	172 of 340	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	238 of 606	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.0	265 of 613	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.6	157 of 597	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	71.9	116 of 544	78.7%	★★★★☆
2021	61.0	63 of 432	85.4%	★★★★☆
2019	62.5	69 of 446	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.7	38 of 424	91.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	278 of 601	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.3	245 of 607	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.0	233 of 602	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.9	159 of 585	72.8%	★★★★☆
2021	47.6	192 of 481	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	218 of 488	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.6	75 of 463	83.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	31.4	195 of 261	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	273 of 352	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	39.0	347 of 542	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.2	352 of 553	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.4	270 of 537	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.6	206 of 534	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.4	158 of 439	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.2	211 of 444	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.7	96 of 427	77.5%	★★★★☆

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)83rd percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)74th percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)65th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile+4 vs school

African American (2025)57th percentile~ school

Male (2025)54th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)53rd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)36th percentile-20 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)33rd percentile-23 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)25th percentile-29 vs school

Special Education (2025)22nd percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III71%+4 vs state

English II67%+7 vs state

Biology48%~ state avg

Math I34%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Polk County High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)	EOG Reading (2025)		EOG Science (2025)	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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Polk County High School	Public	9-12	1681 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2525	596	32	18.5	99.5%	433 (72.7%)	42 (7.0%)	93 (15.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.5%)	52	280^th of 641 public high schools	56.3%		50.8	292^nd of 640 public high schools	54.4%	12	48.2	66.9	34.2	70.7					$12,130	$897	$11,232
Polk County Early College	Public	9-12	1545 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2698	52	3	18.9	94.2%	46 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	90.8	70^th of 641 public high schools	89.1%		94.8	29^th of 640 public high schools	95.5%	41		100.0		91.7					$9,557	$127	$9,430
Henderson County Career Academy	Public	6-12	300 East Campus Drive	Flat Rock	28731	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4629	114	18	6.4	97.4%	71 (62.3%)	3 (2.6%)	33 (28.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.3%)	17.7	540^th of 641 public high schools	15.8%		11.1	584^th of 640 public high schools	8.8%	44	32.1	50.0	18.2	29.5					$18,459	$955	$17,504
Henderson County Early College	Public	9-12	300 East Campus Drive	Flat Rock	28731	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4561	197	6	31.5	50.3%	113 (57.4%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (33.0%)	8 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.1%)	95.6	13^th of 641 public high schools	98.0%		96.7	5^th of 640 public high schools	99.2%	8	88.2	95.5	95.6						$7,590	$759	$6,832
East Henderson High	Public	9-12	150 Eagle Pride Drive	East Flat Rock	28726	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4768	932	61	15.2	62.7%	472 (50.6%)	18 (1.9%)	378 (40.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.9%)	43 (4.6%)	49.3	307^th of 641 public high schools	52.1%		40.9	366^th of 640 public high schools	42.8%	59	49.8	57.9	52.3	57.2					$9,768	$724	$9,044
North Henderson High	Public	9-12	35 Fruitland Road	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4500	1,052	69	15.3	60.6%	493 (46.9%)	34 (3.2%)	458 (43.5%)	15 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	48 (4.6%)	66.3	194^th of 641 public high schools	69.7%		53.9	275^th of 640 public high schools	57.0%	81	50.7	68.7	52.7	82.7					$8,718	$586	$8,132
R-S Central High School	Public	9-12	641 Hwy 221 North	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 287-3304	763	36	21.2	98.2%	539 (70.6%)	99 (13.0%)	60 (7.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (8.1%)	38.1	391^st of 641 public high schools	39.0%		41.9	359^th of 640 public high schools	43.9%	32	37.9	56.5	20.1	68.1					$10,966	$1,171	$9,795
Rutherford Early College High School	Public	9-12	286 ICC Loop Road	Spindale	28160	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 288-2202	208	4	55.0	98.6%	149 (71.6%)	8 (3.8%)	29 (13.9%)	9 (4.3%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.8%)	85.9	104^th of 641 public high schools	83.8%		91.2	65^th of 640 public high schools	89.8%	39	68.8	88.2	58.8	96.3					$6,973	$327	$6,646
Hendersonville High	Public	9-12	1 Bearcat Boulevard	Hendersonville	28791	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4802	794	47	16.9	44.3%	471 (59.3%)	69 (8.7%)	189 (23.8%)	13 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.6%)	46 (5.8%)	54.9	265^th of 641 public high schools	58.7%		56.4	250^th of 640 public high schools	60.9%	15	52.0	74.6	33.3	66.5					$8,966	$700	$8,266
Rutherford Opportunity Center	Public	6-12	140 Old Caroleen Road	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 248-5294	82	10	8.2	96.3%	58 (70.7%)	12 (14.6%)	5 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (8.5%)								(n/a)		8.0			14.3	14.3	13.6	18.2	$26,764	$1,648	$25,116

Frequently Asked Questions about Polk County High School

What district is Polk County High School in?

Polk County Schools

Is Polk County High School a good school?

Polk County High School ranks 280^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Polk County High School?

Students at Polk County High School are 73% White, 16% Hispanic, 7% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Polk County High School?

Polk County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Polk Central Elementary School
Elementary : Saluda Elementary School
Elementary : Sunny View Elementary School
Elementary : Tryon Elementary School
Middle : Polk County Middle School

How many students attend Polk County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 596 students attended Polk County High School.

Rate Polk County High School!

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Schools in Columbus, NC

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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.