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Rowan County Early College

Q: Is Rowan County Early College a good school?

Rowan County Early College ranks 123 rd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Rowan County Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 235 students attended Rowan County Early College.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Rowan County Early College?

Students at Rowan County Early College are 40% White, 39% Hispanic, 13% African American, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

Public Grades 9-12

123^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 81% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Rowan County Early College is a small, high-performing public high school in Salisbury, North Carolina, serving 235 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Rowan-Salisbury Schools district. While Rowan-Salisbury Schools overall holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the bottom fifth of North Carolina districts, Rowan County Early College is a clear outlier: it ranked 123rd of 662 high schools statewide in 2025–2026, placing it in the 81st percentile with a 4-star rating. Over the past decade, the school has regularly finished in the top 20–25% of high schools in the state, including a 5-star performance in 2017–2018 when it ranked 22nd statewide.

The contrast with nearby traditional high schools is stark. In 2025–2026, 85.7% of Rowan County Early College students scored proficient on the English II End-of-Course exam, compared with just 41.8% at Salisbury High and 47.4% districtwide. In Math III, 98.3% of students were proficient — essentially universal mastery — versus 24.6% at Salisbury High and 47.2% across the district. Even Carson High, the next strongest school in the district at the 55th percentile, trails far behind in English II (56.7%) and Math III (65.5%). The school serves a student population that is 98.7% economically disadvantaged, yet its low-income students rank in the 84th percentile statewide — strong evidence that high poverty does not have to limit achievement.

Attendance helps explain the results. Only 9.3% of Rowan County Early College students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, versus 34.2% for the district, 24.2% statewide, and rates above 50% at nearby North Rowan High and Salisbury High. The school also rebounded well after pandemic disruption, climbing back to the low-to-mid 80s percentile by 2022–2023 after a temporary dip. For parents, Rowan County Early College shows what is possible when a school combines an early-college model, a strong attendance culture, and high expectations — even in a district where most high schools rank in the bottom quarter of the state.

235

Students ?

32.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1333 Jake Alexander Blvd S
Salisbury, NC 28145

(704) 216-3873

District: Rowan-Salisbury Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.6%

Hispanic:

38.7%

African American:

13.2%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Rowan County Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 81st percentile in 2016 → 81st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (84% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 33 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school84%

District avg42%

North Carolina avg60%

123^rd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	83.1	123 of 662	81.4%	★★★★☆
2025	88.0	91 of 641	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	82.8	121 of 640	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	83.5	111 of 626	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	59.6	236 of 621	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.7	214 of 594	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.2	57 of 514	88.9%	★★★★☆
2018	88.8	22 of 469	95.3%	★★★★★
2017	77.6	58 of 476	87.8%	★★★★☆
2016	63.0	97 of 507	80.9%	★★★★☆
2015	68.9	82 of 531	84.6%	★★★★☆
2014	67.7	78 of 451	82.7%	★★★★☆
2013	75.1	33 of 505	93.5%	★★★★★
2012	75.4	44 of 502	91.2%	★★★★★
2011	75.2	52 of 506	89.7%	★★★★☆
2010	64.7	139 of 499	72.1%	★★★★☆
2009	63.0	136 of 490	72.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	96.6	21 of 450	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.7	37 of 434	91.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.1	151 of 629	76.0%	★★★★☆
2025	75.1	140 of 610	77.0%	★★★★☆
2024	74.6	159 of 602	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	138 of 588	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	50.9	279 of 594	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.9	179 of 475	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.6	70 of 475	85.3%	★★★★☆
2018	85.8	36 of 449	92.0%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.3	68 of 407	83.3%	★★★★☆
2025	70.6	135 of 412	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.8	98 of 403	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	81.7	4 of 403	99.0%	★★★★★
2022	66.8	139 of 398	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.5	129 of 337	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.7	240 of 325	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.5	103 of 474	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	90.9	56 of 462	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	90.3	57 of 454	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	78.2	82 of 449	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	54.7	149 of 436	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.8	94 of 370	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	79.5	29 of 354	91.8%	★★★★★
2018	86.0	22 of 340	93.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.0	99 of 620	84.0%	★★★★☆
2025	94.0	59 of 606	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	84.0	105 of 613	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	81.9	99 of 597	83.4%	★★★★☆
2022	66.8	137 of 544	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	57.0	82 of 432	81.0%	★★★★☆
2019	84.3	23 of 446	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	94.9	9 of 424	97.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.2	67 of 624	89.3%	★★★★☆
2025	94.4	39 of 601	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	91.5	71 of 607	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	91.7	67 of 602	88.9%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	136 of 585	76.8%	★★★★☆
2021	68.4	88 of 481	81.7%	★★★★☆
2019	80.0	45 of 488	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.8	21 of 463	95.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.0	103 of 551	81.3%	★★★★☆
2025	79.7	115 of 542	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	79.1	121 of 553	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	85.4	84 of 537	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	73.9	144 of 534	73.0%	★★★★☆
2021	64.7	109 of 439	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	81.2	42 of 444	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	89.5	22 of 427	94.8%	★★★★★

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 (2026)95th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)89th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)83rd percentile~ school

White (2026)81st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)78th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)76th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III98%+29 vs state

English II86%+21 vs state

Biology79%+21 vs state

Math I65%+23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rowan 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)	EOG Reading (2026)	EOG Science (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	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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
Henderson High	Public	6-12	1215 North Main St	Salisbury	28144	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3134	71	7	10.2	95.8%	15 (21.1%)	38 (53.5%)	7 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (15.5%)	0.9	658^th of 662 public high schools	0.6%					(n/a)	7.1	5.3	536.1		< 5%	6.7	7.7	$25,678	$1,458	$24,220
East Rowan High	Public	9-12	175 St Luke's Church Rd	Salisbury	28146	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 279-5232	986	49	20.0	98.4%	703 (71.3%)	121 (12.3%)	97 (9.8%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (6.2%)	31.7	468^th of 662 public high schools	29.3%		32.3	431^st of 641 public high schools	32.8%	37	49.2	49.8	27.7	66.3				$9,575	$985	$8,590
North Rowan High	Public	9-12	300 North Whitehead Ave	Spencer	28159	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 636-4420	555	28	20.0	0.5%	117 (21.1%)	214 (38.6%)	177 (31.9%)	9 (1.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.3%)	4.7	631^st of 662 public high schools	4.7%		5.9	617^th of 641 public high schools	3.7%	14	21.0	30.4	10.0	23.5				$12,425	$1,166	$11,259
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
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
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
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
West Davidson High	Public	9-12	200 Dragon Drive	Lexington	27295	Davidson County	Davidson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 853-8082	740	42	17.6	56.6%	585 (79.1%)	33 (4.5%)	88 (11.9%)	4 (0.5%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.2%)	44.1	375^th of 662 public high schools	43.4%		42.5	356^th of 641 public high schools	44.5%	19	61.3	55.2	28.9	77.0				$8,366	$319	$8,047

Frequently Asked Questions about Rowan County Early College

Is Rowan County Early College a good school?

Rowan County Early College ranks 123^rd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Rowan County Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 235 students attended Rowan County Early College.

What is the racial makeup of Rowan County Early College?

Students at Rowan County Early College are 40% White, 39% Hispanic, 13% African American, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Rowan County Early College in?

Rowan-Salisbury Schools

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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.