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Richmond Early College High

Public Grades 9-12

14^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 98% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Richmond Early College High is a small public high school in Hamlet, North Carolina, serving about 294 students in grades 9 through 12 within the Richmond County Schools district, and it is one of the top-performing high schools in the entire state. In the 2025–2026 school year, the school ranked 14th out of 662 North Carolina high schools, putting it in the 98th percentile with a five-star rating. This success is not a one-year fluke—Richmond Early College has consistently ranked among the top 30 high schools in North Carolina for the past five years.

What makes these results especially remarkable is the student population. Roughly 99% of students at Richmond Early College qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the school achieves proficiency rates that are dramatically higher than both district and state averages. On recent end-of-course tests, 100% of students were proficient in English II, while proficiency ranged from 94% to over 99% in Biology, Math I, and Math III. By comparison, the Richmond County district averages range from roughly 39% to 56% proficient in the same subjects. The school also earns outstanding results for student subgroups that are often underserved elsewhere. In 2023–2024, African American students ranked 2nd out of 437 North Carolina high schools, and low-income students currently rank 16th out of 620 schools statewide.

The contrast with nearby schools is striking. Richmond Senior High, located just three miles away in the same district, ranks 554th out of 662 schools and shows much lower proficiency in every subject. Meanwhile, Scotland Early College High, a similar early-college program in neighboring Scotland County Schools, also ranks in the top 30 statewide—suggesting the early-college model is succeeding repeatedly in this rural region. Notably, Richmond Early College achieves these impressive outcomes while spending about $6,338 per student, far less than nearby traditional high schools. For parents, this school demonstrates that high poverty rates do not have to limit academic excellence.

294

Students ?

37.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1042 W Hamlet Ave
Hamlet, NC 28345

(910) 410-1922

District: Richmond County Schools

Feeder schools for Richmond Early College High:

Elementary:	East Rockingham Elementary
	Fairview Heights Elementary
	L J Bell Elementary
	Mineral Springs Elementary
	More...
	Monroe Avenue Elementary
	Washington Street Elementary
	West Rockingham Elementary
Middle:	Cordova Middle
	Ellerbe Middle
	Hamlet Middle
	Rockingham Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.1%

Hispanic:

21.1%

African American:

12.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Richmond Early College High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 87th percentile in 2021 → 98th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (99% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of North Carolina high schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2021

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 38 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school99%

District avg47%

North Carolina avg60%

14^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 11 pts since 2021

From top 13% (2021) to top 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

188^th of 246Richmond 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	94.0	14 of 662	97.9%	★★★★★
2025	94.7	28 of 641	95.6%	★★★★★
2024	95.3	26 of 640	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	95.9	14 of 626	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	21 of 621	96.6%	★★★★★
2021	88.3	79 of 594	86.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	99.3	2 of 437	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	99.2	6 of 434	98.6%	★★★★★
2022	99.1	12 of 430	97.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.5	16 of 629	97.5%	★★★★★
2025	92.8	45 of 610	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	94.8	20 of 602	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	95.1	13 of 588	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	94.6	18 of 594	97.0%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.5	100 of 407	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	80.3	33 of 412	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	81.1	46 of 403	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	82.5	24 of 398	94.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	96.6	14 of 474	97.0%	★★★★★
2025	91.2	53 of 462	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	96.8	26 of 454	94.3%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	14 of 449	96.9%	★★★★★
2022	98.6	8 of 436	98.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	96.5	16 of 620	97.4%	★★★★★
2025	97.1	21 of 606	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	97.5	22 of 613	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	98.1	11 of 597	98.2%	★★★★★
2022	98.6	21 of 544	96.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	95.3	3 of 624	99.5%	★★★★★
2025	95.9	13 of 601	97.8%	★★★★★
2024	93.0	59 of 607	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	95.9	26 of 602	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	12 of 585	97.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.8	14 of 551	97.5%	★★★★★
2025	92.5	27 of 542	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	90.4	52 of 553	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.6	42 of 537	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	93.3	30 of 534	94.4%	★★★★★

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)

African American (2024)100th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)100th percentile~ school

White (2026)97th percentile~ school

Female (2026)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)97th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)97th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)75th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II100%+35 vs state

Math III100%+31 vs state

Biology99%+40 vs state

Math I94%+52 vs state

★

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Schools Near Richmond Early College 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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
Richmond Early College High	Public	9-12	1042 W Hamlet Ave	Hamlet	28345	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 410-1922	294	8	37.8	99.0%	168 (57.1%)	38 (12.9%)	62 (21.1%)	6 (2.0%)	6 (2.0%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (4.4%)	94	14^th of 662 public high schools	97.9%		94.7	28^th of 641 public high schools	95.6%	14	98.6	100.0	94.1	99.9	$6,338	$528	$5,810
Richmond Senior High	Public	9-12	838 US 1 North	Rockingham	28379	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 997-9812	1,365	78	17.5	99.4%	518 (37.9%)	501 (36.7%)	218 (16.0%)	12 (0.9%)	43 (3.2%)	3 (0.2%)	70 (5.1%)	19.7	554^th of 662 public high schools	16.3%		13.9	575^th of 641 public high schools	10.3%	21	32.5	39.3	38.4	50.1	$10,456	$1,519	$8,936
Ashley Chapel Educational Center	Public	6-12	377 Mizpah Road	Rockingham	28379	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 997-9800	59	10	6.1	94.9%	12 (20.3%)	34 (57.6%)	6 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (10.2%)	0.6	661^st of 662 public high schools	0.2%					(n/a)		10.0		12.5	$31,523	$4,238	$27,285
Scotland High School	Public	9-12	1000 West Church St	Laurinburg	28352	Scotland County	Scotland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 384-0675	1,294	84	15.4	99.8%	303 (23.4%)	659 (50.9%)	60 (4.6%)	5 (0.4%)	188 (14.5%)	1 (0.1%)	78 (6.0%)	20	551^st of 662 public high schools	16.8%		18.3	532^nd of 641 public high schools	17.0%	19	34.2	44.5	27.0	56.5	$11,796	$1,003	$10,793
Scotland Early College High	Public	9-12	615 W. Covington Street	Laurinburg	28352	Scotland County	Scotland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 410-1945	238	11	21.2	98.7%	106 (44.5%)	56 (23.5%)	13 (5.5%)	11 (4.6%)	33 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (8.0%)	93.3	27^th of 662 public high schools	95.9%		93.2	49^th of 641 public high schools	92.4%	22	96.7	95.2	100.0	100.0	$10,574	$1,020	$9,554
Shaw Academy	Public	6-12	18700 Old Wire Road	Laurinburg	28352	Scotland County	Scotland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 276-0611	122	12	10.6	97.5%	15 (12.3%)	92 (75.4%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.5%)								(n/a)					$39,039	$1,552	$37,486

Frequently Asked Questions about Richmond Early College High

What district is Richmond Early College High in?

Richmond County Schools

Is Richmond Early College High a good school?

Yes! Richmond Early College High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 14^th of 662 North Carolina high schools.

What schools feed into Richmond Early College High?

Richmond Early College High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : East Rockingham Elementary
Elementary : Fairview Heights Elementary
Elementary : L J Bell Elementary
Elementary : Mineral Springs Elementary
Elementary : Monroe Avenue Elementary
Elementary : Washington Street Elementary
Elementary : West Rockingham Elementary
Middle : Cordova Middle
Middle : Ellerbe Middle
Middle : Hamlet Middle
Middle : Rockingham Middle

What is the racial makeup of Richmond Early College High?

Students at Richmond Early College High are 57% White, 21% Hispanic, 13% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Richmond Early College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 294 students attended Richmond Early College High.

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NCNorth Carolina High School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Hamlet, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.