Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

South Rowan High

Public Grades 9-12

561^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 15% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

South Rowan High is a traditional public high school in China Grove, NC, serving 932 students in grades 9–12 within the Rowan-Salisbury Schools district, where the student body faces significant economic disadvantage, with nearly all students eligible for free or reduced lunch. The school’s state ranking has been in the bottom tier for years, currently placing in the 15th percentile, and its test proficiency rates are well below state averages in most subjects, with Math I being a particular concern—only about one in five students scored proficient in the most recent year.

Compared to nearby schools, the gaps are stark. Carson High, located just 3.7 miles away and operating in the same district with a similarly high-poverty population, posted dramatically better results, including a 63.7% Math I proficiency rate and a 91.5% Biology rate versus South Rowan’s 19.1% and 42.5%, respectively. Other district peers like East Rowan High and West Rowan High also outperform South Rowan on test scores and attendance, though South Rowan does show some recent improvement in Biology, English II, and Math III—off a very low base.

One genuine strength is graduation: South Rowan’s rate has consistently exceeded both district and state averages, reaching 91.0% in 2025–2026, higher than Salisbury High and comparable to Carson. Yet this success coexists with extreme chronic absenteeism—44.6% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, nearly double the state rate, and even worse the prior year. For parents, the takeaway is a school that helps students finish high school but faces serious underlying challenges in attendance and early math mastery, which likely limit how much learning occurs along the way.

932

Students ?

21.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,584

Per pupil spending ?

99.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1655 Patterson St
China Grove, NC 28023-5705

(704) 857-1161

District: Rowan-Salisbury Schools

Feeder schools for South Rowan High:

Elementary:	Landis Elementary
	Millbridge Elementary
Middle:	Corriher Lipe Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.2%

Hispanic:

24.7%

African American:

9.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare South Rowan High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 9th percentile in 2023 → 15th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 15th (2026) from a 9th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 24% North Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg42%

North Carolina avg60%

561^st of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7High Schools in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools

199^th of 246Rowan-Salisbury 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	19.0	561 of 662	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.2	552 of 641	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	578 of 640	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	570 of 626	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	529 of 621	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	499 of 594	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	399 of 514	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.4	316 of 469	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	24.1	345 of 476	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.0	384 of 507	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.1	374 of 531	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.7	343 of 451	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.1	334 of 505	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.4	366 of 502	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	49.6	291 of 506	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.0	281 of 499	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	57.3	195 of 490	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.4	95 of 477	80.1%	★★★★☆
2007	56.2	181 of 453	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	50.4	230 of 431	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.5	442 of 450	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.3	355 of 440	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	416 of 437	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	375 of 434	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	397 of 430	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	300 of 369	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	270 of 359	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	25.9	291 of 364	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	273 of 349	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.0	281 of 289	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.4	272 of 273	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	241 of 262	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	210 of 226	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	153 of 156	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	37.6	74 of 124	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.6	161 of 173	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	81.2	17 of 147	88.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.5	524 of 629	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.7	548 of 610	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	548 of 602	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	530 of 588	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	500 of 594	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	380 of 475	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	381 of 475	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	353 of 449	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.5	260 of 407	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	5.6	404 of 412	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	397 of 403	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	348 of 403	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.8	362 of 398	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.8	259 of 337	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	59.2	136 of 325	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	438 of 474	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.5	454 of 462	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.6	442 of 454	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	442 of 449	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	423 of 436	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	349 of 370	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.3	348 of 354	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	293 of 340	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	573 of 620	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.3	544 of 606	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	582 of 613	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	557 of 597	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	483 of 544	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.9	366 of 432	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	370 of 446	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.7	289 of 424	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.9	557 of 624	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.2	527 of 601	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	565 of 607	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	566 of 602	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	529 of 585	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.0	420 of 481	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.7	406 of 488	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.8	311 of 463	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.5	248 of 265	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.6	227 of 253	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.0	259 of 261	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.5	247 of 249	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.1	357 of 372	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	30.6	254 of 352	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	299 of 349	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.9	499 of 551	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.0	520 of 542	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.5	535 of 553	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.4	523 of 537	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.9	506 of 534	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.0	415 of 439	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	406 of 444	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	375 of 427	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)36th percentile+21 vs school

Disabled (2019)20th percentile~ school

Female (2026)17th percentile~ school

Male (2026)11th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)8th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)6th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)3rd percentile-12 vs school

African American (2026)2nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III50%-19 vs state

English II45%-20 vs state

Biology42%-16 vs state

Math I19%-23 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate South Rowan High and help other families decide.

Rate South Rowan High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near South Rowan High

Load more schools when map is moved

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
South Rowan High	Public	9-12	1655 Patterson St	China Grove	28023	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 857-1161	932	43	21.5	99.7%	552 (59.2%)	85 (9.1%)	230 (24.7%)	9 (1.0%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (5.4%)	19	561^st of 662 public high schools	15.3%		16.2	552^nd of 641 public high schools	13.9%	9	42.5	44.8	19.1	50.0	$9,584	$1,002	$8,582
Carson High	Public	9-12	290 Kress Venture Dr	China Grove	28023	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 855-7297	1,063	46	22.9	99.7%	677 (63.7%)	67 (6.3%)	253 (23.8%)	12 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (5.1%)	53.7	298^th of 662 public high schools	55.0%		44.2	343^rd of 641 public high schools	46.5%	45	91.5	56.7	63.7	65.5	$8,570	$767	$7,803
A L Brown High	Public	9-12	415 Martin Luther King Jr Ave	Kannapolis	28083	Cabarrus County	Kannapolis City Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 932-6125	1,753	94	18.6	99.8%	422 (24.1%)	497 (28.4%)	702 (40.0%)	10 (0.6%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (6.7%)	9.2	606^th of 662 public high schools	8.5%		11.4	591^st of 641 public high schools	7.8%	15	26.5	42.0	7.7	36.4	$9,314	$705	$8,609
Rowan County Early College	Public	9-12	1333 Jake Alexander Blvd S	Salisbury	28145	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 216-3873	235	7	32.9	98.7%	93 (39.6%)	31 (13.2%)	91 (38.7%)	10 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.3%)	83.1	123^rd of 662 public high schools	81.4%		88	91^st of 641 public high schools	85.8%	32	79.4	85.7	64.9	98.3	$7,268	$298	$6,970
West Rowan High	Public	9-12	8050 NC 801 Hwy	Mount Ulla	28125	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 278-9233	988	46	21.6	99.7%	497 (50.3%)	180 (18.2%)	221 (22.4%)	11 (1.1%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	74 (7.5%)	21.3	543^rd of 662 public high schools	18.0%		11.8	588^th of 641 public high schools	8.3%	45	46.4	51.5	25.1	40.2	$9,333	$909	$8,424
Northwest Cabarrus High	Public	9-12	5130 NW Cabarrus Drive	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-6720	1,142	68	16.9	35.4%	518 (45.4%)	285 (25.0%)	179 (15.7%)	83 (7.3%)	5 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	70 (6.1%)	65.3	220^th of 662 public high schools	66.8%		56.7	251^st of 641 public high schools	60.8%	31	67.8	71.6	65.9	74.8	$9,034	$555	$8,479
Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute	Public	9-12	421 Medical Park Dr NE	Concord	28025	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(704) 260-6860	159	6	25.1	30.2%	47 (29.6%)	28 (17.6%)	31 (19.5%)	38 (23.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (8.8%)	91.7	60^th of 662 public high schools	90.9%					(n/a)	92.5	100.0	80.0	96.5
Salisbury High	Public	9-12	500 Lincolnton Rd	Salisbury	28144	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 636-1221	930	47	19.5	99.7%	139 (14.9%)	401 (43.1%)	320 (34.4%)	12 (1.3%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (5.6%)	10.9	599^th of 662 public high schools	9.5%		11.9	586^th of 641 public high schools	8.6%	13	36.5	41.8	18.4	24.6	$11,029	$745	$10,284
Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early Coll	Public	9-12	1531 Trinity Church Rd	Concord	28027	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 260-6780	234	10	24.2	35.5%	87 (37.2%)	67 (28.6%)	49 (20.9%)	22 (9.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	91	66^th of 662 public high schools	90.0%		92.5	57^th of 641 public high schools	91.1%	9	84.7	95.0	93.3	96.4	$7,514	$205	$7,309
Concord High	Public, Magnet	9-12	481 Burrage Road NE	Concord	28025	Cabarrus County	Cabarrus County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(704) 260-6000	1,128	71	15.9	99.1%	312 (27.7%)	355 (31.5%)	389 (34.5%)	9 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (5.6%)	37.8	421^st of 662 public high schools	36.4%		38.8	386^th of 641 public high schools	39.8%	35	46.5	51.9	45.3	69.6	$9,116	$520	$8,595

Frequently Asked Questions about South Rowan High

What is the racial makeup of South Rowan High?

Students at South Rowan High are 59% White, 25% Hispanic, 9% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What district is South Rowan High in?

Rowan-Salisbury Schools

Is South Rowan High a good school?

South Rowan High ranks in the bottom 15.3% of North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend South Rowan High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 932 students attended South Rowan High.

What schools feed into South Rowan High?

South Rowan High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Landis Elementary
Elementary : Millbridge Elementary
Middle : Corriher Lipe Middle

Rate South Rowan High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina High School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in China Grove, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for South Rowan High!

Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 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.