John M Morehead High

John M Morehead High in Eden, NC, is a 9–12 public high school serving 771 students and is part of Rockingham County Schools, a district ranked in the lower third of North Carolina districts. The school currently ranks in the 26th percentile statewide, placing it in the lower quarter of high schools, but it is not the lowest-performing school in its immediate area—it clearly outpaces Reidsville High in every tested subject, including a large advantage in Math I (43.5% vs. 23.2% proficient).

The biggest challenge at Morehead is chronic absenteeism: 61.4% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25, a rate two-and-a-half times the state average and nearly double that of Rockingham County High (33.9%). Even nearby high-poverty schools like Dalton McMichael High (48.2%) and Reidsville High (53.9%) have lower rates. Academically, proficiency is below state averages in most subjects, but 2025-26 showed real improvement across the board—Math I proficiency jumped from 22.8% to 43.5%, now matching or exceeding the district and state, while English II and Biology also rose. Math III remains a weak spot at 53.2% proficiency, trailing the district by 12 points and the state by 15.

Despite low test scores, Morehead’s graduation rate is a genuine bright spot at 89.5%, above the state average (88.8%) and higher than every same-district high school with reported data, including Dalton McMichael (80.0%) and Rockingham County High (88.4%). The graduation rate has climbed steadily for three years. While the student-teacher ratio rose to 20.1 in 2024-25 and the student body is almost entirely economically disadvantaged, the school is not static—its recent gains in math and graduation are positive signals. Reducing chronic absenteeism, the clearest barrier to further progress, will be key to sustaining that momentum.