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Polk County Early College

Q: Is Polk County Early College a good school?

Polk County Early College ranks 70 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

70^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 89% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Polk County Early College is a public high school in Columbus, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 55 students. This school stands out for its exceptional academic performance, consistently outpacing the Polk County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in end-of-course (EOC) test scores across various subjects.

For instance, in the 2024-2025 school year, Polk County Early College had a 100% proficiency rate in EOC English II, compared to 69.1% for the Polk County Schools district and 59.6% for the state. This strong academic performance is reflected in the school's high statewide rankings, reaching as high as 29th out of 640 North Carolina high schools in the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, Polk County Early College has maintained consistently high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 85.3% to 95.0% over the past few years, outperforming the state and district averages.

Interestingly, Polk County Early College's academic performance and rankings are significantly higher than the nearby Polk County High School, which is also part of the Polk County Schools district. When compared to other nearby schools in the Rutherford County Schools and Henderson County Schools districts, Polk County Early College consistently outperforms them in EOC test scores and statewide rankings, despite serving a high-needs student population with a high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients.

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,557

Per pupil spending ?

94.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1545 East NC 108 Hwy
Columbus, NC 28722

(828) 894-2698

District: Polk County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.5%

Hispanic:

9.6%

Two or more races:

1.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Polk County Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 78th percentile in 2021 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (95% vs 63% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of North Carolina high schools

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school95%

District avg71%

North Carolina avg63%

70^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 11 pts since 2021

From top 22% (2021) to top 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	90.8	70 of 641	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	94.8	29 of 640	95.5%	★★★★★
2023	85.2	104 of 626	83.4%	★★★★☆
2022	83.3	116 of 621	81.3%	★★★★☆
2021	75.2	128 of 594	78.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	83.2	97 of 594	83.7%	★★★★☆
2019	74.3	77 of 475	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	79.4	59 of 449	86.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	87.2	100 of 602	83.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	86.3	79 of 542	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	90.4	53 of 553	90.4%	★★★★★
2023	80.0	110 of 537	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	89.1	57 of 534	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	72.0	75 of 439	82.9%	★★★★☆
2019	85.9	30 of 444	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	79.0	63 of 427	85.2%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)85th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2022)84th percentile~ school

Male (2023)83rd percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II100%+40 vs state

Math III92%+25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Polk County Early College

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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 (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 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
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
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 Early College

Is Polk County Early College a good school?

Polk County Early College ranks 70^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Polk County Early College?

Students at Polk County Early College are 88% White, 10% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Polk County Early College in?

Polk County Schools

How many students attend Polk County Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 52 students attended Polk County Early College.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

2023–24 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 4, 2024

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.