Polk County High School

Q: Is Polk County High School a good school?

Polk County High School ranks 220 th of 626 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public 9-12

1681 East NC 108 Hwy
Columbus, NC 28722-9757

(828) 894-2525

District: Polk County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
220^th of 626 North Carolina High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,130

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

Student/teacher ratio: 14.4

Number of students: 579

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.6%

Hispanic:

15.7%

African American:

5.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 52%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Polk County High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Polk County High School ranks better than 64.9% of high schools in North Carolina. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.8. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (73.6%), Hispanic (15.7%), African American (5.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 52% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Polk County High School is 14.4. (See more...)

Compare Polk County High School employs 40 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Polk County High School is $12,130.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Polk County High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Polk County High School 220^th of 626 North Carolina public high schools. (See Polk County High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Gifted and Talented students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Polk County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Polk County Schools 25^th of 243 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Polk County High School

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Rank History for all students at Polk County High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2006	60.70	148^th	431	65.7%
2007	72.30	60^th	453	86.8%
2008	64.07	117^th	477	75.5%
2009	66.32	107^th	490	78.2%
2010	68.12	94^th	499	81.2%
2011	66.70	116^th	506	77.1%
2012	65.68	97^th	502	80.7%
2013	58.54	85^th	505	83.2%
2014	62.21	106^th	451	76.5%
2015	62.44	110^th	531	79.3%
2016	71.19	68^th	507	86.6%
2017	62.02	125^th	476	73.7%
2018	76.10	75^th	469	84.0%
2019	55.28	175^th	514	66.0%
2021	60.12	206^th	594	65.3%
2022	69.82	170^th	621	72.6%
2023	60.80	220^th	626	64.9%

See the entire list of North Carolina High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Polk County High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	79.73	38^th	424	91.0%
2019	62.49	69^th	446	84.5%
2021	60.99	63^rd	432	85.4%
2022	71.88	116^th	544	78.7%
2023	65.61	157^th	597	73.7%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Polk County High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	76.54	72^nd	449	84.0%
2019	64.29	122^nd	475	74.3%
2021	72.87	73^rd	475	84.6%
2022	67.60	176^th	594	70.4%
2023	63.18	206^th	588	65.0%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Polk County High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	56.80	100^th	349	71.3%
2019	35.04	234^th	364	35.7%
2021	33.24	219^th	334	34.4%
2022	66.63	56^th	330	83.0%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Polk County High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2019	73.82	55^th	325	83.1%
2021	74.35	52^nd	337	84.6%
2022	70.39	110^th	398	72.4%
2023	63.93	162^nd	403	59.8%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Polk County High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	74.63	75^th	463	83.8%
2019	46.32	218^th	488	55.3%
2021	47.61	192^nd	481	60.1%
2022	70.89	159^th	585	72.8%
2023	57.97	233^rd	602	61.3%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Polk County High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	42.98	172^nd	340	49.4%
2019	47.73	131^st	354	63.0%
2021	48.32	120^th	370	67.6%
2022	75.56	88^th	436	79.8%
2023	79.13	78^th	449	82.6%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Polk County High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	71.74	96^th	427	77.5%
2019	46.24	211^th	444	52.5%
2021	54.36	158^th	439	64.0%
2022	59.59	206^th	534	61.4%
2023	48.40	270^th	537	49.7%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Polk County High School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1993	458	73	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	535
1994	476	67	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	548
1995	499	55	0	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	563
1996	499	55	0	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	563
1997	498	56	0	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	566
1998	495	54	2	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	567
1999	511	51	2	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	580
2000	515	60	2	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	593
2001	549	60	4	21	1	n/a	n/a	0	635
2002	567	53	6	28	1	n/a	n/a	0	655
2003	567	53	6	28	1	n/a	n/a	0	655
2004	592	55	6	29	1	n/a	n/a	0	683
2005	626	56	3	38	2	n/a	n/a	0	725
2006	627	70	2	33	0	n/a	n/a	0	732
2007	629	63	3	36	0	n/a	n/a	15	746
2008	581	61	5	36	0	n/a	n/a	15	698
2009	605	80	4	46	1	n/a	n/a	0	736
2010	605	75	3	46	0	n/a	n/a	0	729
2011	603	46	1	53	1	0	18	0	722
2012	585	46	3	66	1	0	14	0	715
2013	577	46	3	59	2	0	11	0	698
2014	533	46	4	59	2	0	20	0	664
2015	545	39	1	63	3	0	18	0	669
2016	515	41	0	52	4	0	25	0	637
2017	510	38	0	64	3	0	27	0	642
2018	503	31	0	66	0	0	24	0	624
2019	480	32	0	72	0	0	29	0	613
2020	456	29	1	78	0	0	53	0	617
2021	488	31	3	73	0	0	24	0	619
2022	441	27	3	76	0	0	23	0	570
2023	426	32	3	91	0	0	27	0	579

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Polk County High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	535	47.0	11.4	24.5
1994	548	53.0	10.3	13.3
1995	563	49.0	11.5	9.9
1996	563	49.0	11.5	9.9
1997	566	48.0	11.8	7.1
1998	567	61.0	9.3	7.9
1999	580	59.0	9.8	12.9
2000	593	59.0	10.1	17.4
2001	635	59.0	10.8	19.8
2002	655	59.0	11.1	24.1
2003	655	59.0	11.1	24.1
2004	683	59.0	11.6	25.2
2005	725	59.0	12.3	30.3
2006	732	59.0	12.4	28.8
2007	746	58.4	12.8	30.8
2008	698	59.0	11.8	30.9
2009	736	60.4	12.2	32.1
2010	729	56.1	12.9	40.5
2011	722	49.6	14.5	39.8
2012	715	51.9	13.7	47
2013	698	52.5	13.2	45.1
2014	664	53.4	12.4	46.2
2015	669	54.0	12.3	42.8
2016	637	49.0	13.0	42.1
2017	642	51.3	12.5	43.1
2018	624	49.4	12.6	38.1
2019	613	46.2	13.2	40
2020	617	44.7	13.8	41
2021	619	41.6	14.8	34.1
2022	570	44.6	12.7	41.8
2023	579	40.0	14.4	52

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Polk County High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	535	47.0	11.4	24.5
1994	548	53.0	10.3	13.3
1995	563	49.0	11.5	9.9
1996	563	49.0	11.5	9.9
1997	566	48.0	11.8	7.1
1998	567	61.0	9.3	7.9
1999	580	59.0	9.8	12.9
2000	593	59.0	10.1	17.4
2001	635	59.0	10.8	19.8
2002	655	59.0	11.1	24.1
2003	655	59.0	11.1	24.1
2004	683	59.0	11.6	25.2
2005	725	59.0	12.3	30.3
2006	732	59.0	12.4	28.8
2007	746	58.4	12.8	30.8
2008	698	59.0	11.8	30.9
2009	736	60.4	12.2	32.1
2010	729	56.1	12.9	40.5
2011	722	49.6	14.5	39.8
2012	715	51.9	13.7	47
2013	698	52.5	13.2	45.1
2014	664	53.4	12.4	46.2
2015	669	54.0	12.3	42.8
2016	637	49.0	13.0	42.1
2017	642	51.3	12.5	43.1
2018	624	49.4	12.6	38.1
2019	613	46.2	13.2	40
2020	617	44.7	13.8	41
2021	619	41.6	14.8	34.1
2022	570	44.6	12.7	41.8
2023	579	40.0	14.4	52

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Polk County High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$897 (7.4%)	$11,232 (92.6%)	$12,130

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Polk County High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 175^th of 514 High schools	Ranks 220^th of 626 High schools	1.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
End of Course Biology (Polk County High School)	68.2	68.2
End of Course Biology (Polk County Schools)	70.3	68.3	2%
End of Course Biology (North Carolina)	59.6	54.1	5.5%
End of Course English II (Polk County High School)	64.8	67.7	2.9%
End of Course English II (Polk County Schools)	67.8	71.1	3.3%
End of Course English II (North Carolina)	59.7	58.5	1.2%
End of Course Math I (Polk County High School)	53.3	48.1	5.2%
End of Course Math I (Polk County Schools)	53.3	50	3.3%
End of Course Math I (North Carolina)	41.2	35.9	5.3%
End of Course Math III (Polk County High School)	38.3	56.6	18.3%
End of Course Math III (Polk County Schools)	41.1	60.6	19.5%
End of Course Math III (North Carolina)	46.8	58.3	11.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	613	579	5.5%
African American	32	32
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	3
Hispanic	72	91	26.4%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	480	426	11.3%
Two or More Races	29	27	6.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	40%	52%	12%

Schools Near Polk County High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				EOC Biology (2023)	EOC English II (2023)	EOC Math I (2023)	EOC Math III (2023)	EOG Mathematics (2023)		EOG Reading (2023)		EOG Science (2023)	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 (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	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 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th 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
Polk County High School	Public	9-12	1681 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 894-2525	579	40	14.4	52.0%	426 (73.6%)	32 (5.5%)	91 (15.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.7%)	60.8	220^th of 626 public high schools	64.9%		69.8	170^th of 621 public high schools	72.6%	50	68.2	67.7	48.1	56.6						$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	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 894-2698	84	4	21.7	46.4%	68 (81.0%)	1 (1.2%)	11 (13.1%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.6%)	85.2	104^th of 626 public high schools	83.4%		83.3	116^th of 621 public high schools	81.3%	12	70.0	100.0	72.7	79.2						$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	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 697-4629	151	18	8.6	66.9%	84 (55.6%)	7 (4.6%)	47 (31.1%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.3%)	11.9	558^th of 626 public high schools	10.9%		9.2	581^st of 621 public high schools	6.4%	23	14.9	34.8	30.0	21.3						$18,459	$955	$17,504
Henderson County Early College	Public	9-13	300 East Campus Drive	Flat Rock	28731	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 697-4561	205	7	31.5	46.3%	117 (57.1%)	3 (1.5%)	65 (31.7%)	10 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.9%)	94.7	30^th of 626 public high schools	95.2%		97.1	6^th of 621 public high schools	99.0%	24	90.5	100.0	96.2	91.8						$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	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 697-4768	965	60	16.1	60.8%	509 (52.7%)	18 (1.9%)	374 (38.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (1.7%)	45 (4.7%)	45.8	317^th of 626 public high schools	49.4%		40.7	348^th of 621 public high schools	44.0%	31	56.5	55.5	37.0	56.3						$9,768	$724	$9,044
North Henderson High	Public	9-12	35 Fruitland Road	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 697-4500	1,146	67	17.0	61.4%	588 (51.3%)	37 (3.2%)	446 (38.9%)	18 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (4.9%)	59.5	231^st of 626 public high schools	63.1%		47.9	305^th of 621 public high schools	50.9%	74	62.9	69.5	38.6	70.9						$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	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 287-3304	758	54	14.0	99.6%	543 (71.6%)	90 (11.9%)	66 (8.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (7.4%)	50.3	287^th of 626 public high schools	54.2%		40.3	349^th of 621 public high schools	43.8%	62	69.0	58.5	37.0	51.4						$10,966	$1,171	$9,795
Rutherford Early College High School	Public	9-13	286 ICC Loop Road	Spindale	28160	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 288-2202	191	6	31.8	98.4%	139 (72.8%)	8 (4.2%)	22 (11.5%)	6 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.4%)	88.6	84^th of 626 public high schools	86.6%		87.9	91^st of 621 public high schools	85.3%	7	69.2	98.1	88.0	90.6						$6,973	$327	$6,646
Hendersonville High	Public	9-12	1 Bearcat Boulevard	Hendersonville	28791	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 697-4802	784	45	17.2	43.1%	495 (63.1%)	67 (8.5%)	159 (20.3%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.1%)	44 (5.6%)	62.3	213^th of 626 public high schools	66.0%		68.1	181^st of 621 public high schools	70.9%	32	65.8	72.7	46.7	59.9						$8,966	$700	$8,266
Rutherford Opportunity Center	Public	6-12	140 Old Caroleen Road	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(828) 248-5294	119	17	6.9	97.5%	76 (63.9%)	20 (16.8%)	9 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (11.8%)	3.7	610^th of 626 public high schools	2.6%					(n/a)	12.0	15.8	5.6		9.1	6.3	9.1	18.8	25.0	$26,764	$1,648	$25,116

Frequently Asked Questions about Polk County High School

Is Polk County High School a good school?

Polk County High School ranks 220^th of 626 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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

What district is Polk County High School in?

Polk County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Polk County High School?

Students at Polk County High School are 74% White, 16% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Polk County High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 579 students attended Polk County High School.

Rate Polk County High School!

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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.

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