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East Rutherford High School

Q: Is East Rutherford High School a good school?

East Rutherford High School ranks 490 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

490^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 26% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

East Rutherford High School in Bostic, NC, is a traditional public high school serving 623 students in grades 9–12 as part of Rutherford County Schools, where 98.4% of students come from low-income households in a rural community setting. Despite these challenges, the school posts a consistently strong graduation rate near 95%, well above the state average of 87.7% and on par with nearby R-S Central High School (94.2%).

However, academic performance has declined sharply in recent years. East Rutherford's state ranking fell from the 60th percentile in 2021–22 to just the 26th percentile in 2025–26, even while the district overall holds a stable 4-star rating. The most dramatic drop came in Math I, where proficiency fell from 41.7% to 21.3% in a single year—well below the state average of 42.1%. What makes this especially notable is the comparison with CHASE High School, located just 6.4 miles away and serving a nearly identical student population (98.7% low-income). CHASE outperforms East Rutherford in every core subject, including Biology (60.3% vs. 42.4%), English II (65.1% vs. 52.0%), and Math I (62.7% vs. 21.3%). This sizable gap suggests school-specific factors are at play, not simply poverty or community-wide challenges.

There are some positive signs worth noting. East Rutherford's chronic absenteeism rate of 34.4% is significantly better than district peers CHASE High School (66.0%) and R-S Central High School (67.1%), meaning attendance is not the primary driver of the academic slide. Additionally, students who reach upper-level math perform well, with Math III proficiency at 65.7%, nearly matching the state average of 68.9%. For parents, this paints a picture of a school that graduates students at high rates and keeps them coming to class, but one where foundational course mastery—especially in Math I—has become a serious concern that the district's successful CHASE model may offer lessons to address.

623

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

331 East High Rd
Bostic, NC 28043

(828) 245-6424

District: Rutherford County Schools

Feeder schools for East Rutherford High School:

Elementary:	Ellenboro Elementary School
	Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School
	Sunshine Elementary School
Middle:	East Rutherford Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.0%

African American:

14.3%

Hispanic:

11.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare East Rutherford High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2016 → 26th in 2026

Strengths

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

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (47% vs 60% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg60%

490^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 25 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

71^st of 246Rutherford 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	28.3	490 of 662	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.8	341 of 641	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.2	303 of 640	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.7	274 of 626	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	247 of 621	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.3	431 of 594	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.0	224 of 514	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.0	164 of 469	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	43.8	221 of 476	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	37.3	250 of 507	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	28.2	348 of 531	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	26.6	305 of 451	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	24.2	348 of 505	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	61.1	140 of 502	72.1%	★★★★☆
2011	40.4	357 of 506	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.5	367 of 499	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	41.8	325 of 490	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	32.2	366 of 477	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.4	334 of 453	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	41.3	298 of 431	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	326 of 450	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.4	265 of 440	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.7	125 of 437	71.4%	★★★★☆
2023	53.4	146 of 434	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.7	112 of 430	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	40.9	152 of 364	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.9	152 of 369	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.7	83 of 359	76.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	62.7	69 of 330	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	67.1	61 of 364	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	68.9	65 of 349	81.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	449 of 629	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.5	303 of 610	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	289 of 602	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.5	247 of 588	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	236 of 594	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.5	322 of 475	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.1	215 of 475	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.9	212 of 449	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	295 of 407	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	374 of 412	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	35.0	328 of 403	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.8	360 of 403	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.9	330 of 398	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.6	320 of 337	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	272 of 325	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.5	451 of 474	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	36.8	276 of 462	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.5	294 of 454	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.6	154 of 449	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.4	183 of 436	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.0	307 of 370	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.3	106 of 354	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	55.3	114 of 340	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	482 of 620	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.2	288 of 606	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	221 of 613	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.7	248 of 597	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	184 of 544	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.0	251 of 432	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.3	169 of 446	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	131 of 424	69.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.3	504 of 624	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.1	358 of 601	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.5	302 of 607	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.4	289 of 602	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	226 of 585	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.9	348 of 481	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.3	241 of 488	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.5	155 of 463	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.5	236 of 265	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.3	159 of 253	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.7	228 of 261	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	86.8	22 of 249	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	46.7	106 of 226	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	16.4	184 of 199	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	53.7	86 of 195	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.4	91 of 185	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.3	325 of 372	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.1	311 of 352	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.7	147 of 349	57.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	425 of 551	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.2	335 of 542	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	300 of 553	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.3	314 of 537	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.6	266 of 534	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	15.4	390 of 439	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.4	274 of 444	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.4	220 of 427	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)79th percentile+19 vs school

Female (2026)29th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)28th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)28th percentile~ school

White (2026)23rd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)19th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)13th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)11th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2026)5th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III66%-3 vs state

English II52%-13 vs state

Biology42%-16 vs state

Math I21%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near East Rutherford High School

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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 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Rutherford High School	Public	9-12	331 East High Rd	Bostic	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 245-6424	623	33	18.9	98.4%	411 (66.0%)	89 (14.3%)	74 (11.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (7.4%)	28.3	490^th of 662 public high schools	26.0%		44.8	341^st of 641 public high schools	46.8%	149	42.4	52.0	21.3	65.7						$10,163	$1,106	$9,057
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%)	84.6	108^th of 662 public high schools	83.7%		85.9	104^th of 641 public high schools	83.8%	4	80.4	96.3	46.7	95.7						$6,973	$327	$6,646
Chase High School	Public	9-12	1603 Chase High Rd	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 245-5883	596	29	20.7	98.7%	431 (72.3%)	37 (6.2%)	88 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.4%)	61.8	243^rd of 662 public high schools	63.3%		62	220^th of 641 public high schools	65.7%	23	60.3	65.1	62.7	83.9						$10,771	$989	$9,782
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%)	44.9	368^th of 662 public high schools	44.4%		38.1	391^st of 641 public high schools	39.0%	23	56.2	64.0	22.0	75.2						$10,966	$1,171	$9,795
Crest High	Public	9-12	800 Old Boiling Springs Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8331	1,098	58	18.8	99.7%	671 (61.1%)	254 (23.1%)	91 (8.3%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	76 (6.9%)	64.2	226^th of 662 public high schools	65.9%		42.2	361^st of 641 public high schools	43.7%	135	70.9	62.3	64.5	80.5						$8,650	$808	$7,842
Turning Point Academy	Public	6-12	409 West Sumter Street	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8399	142	12	11.8	97.9%	65 (45.8%)	59 (41.5%)	7 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.7%)	0.4	662^nd of 662 public high schools	0.0%					(n/a)	339.0	10.3	537.0	5.4	10.0	7.7	20.0	15.4	15.4	$21,288	$1,682	$19,606
Shelby High	Public	9-12	230 E Dixon Boulevard	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8325	792	51	15.4	99.6%	231 (29.2%)	417 (52.7%)	79 (10.0%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (6.8%)	31.7	467^th of 662 public high schools	29.5%		15.5	557^th of 641 public high schools	13.1%	90	52.4	54.0	31.0	57.9						$9,492	$690	$8,802
Burns High	Public	9-12	307 E Stagecoach Trail	Lawndale	28090	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8335	928	58	15.9	99.5%	626 (67.5%)	156 (16.8%)	95 (10.2%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (5.0%)	62.3	239^th of 662 public high schools	63.9%		38.3	390^th of 641 public high schools	39.2%	151	91.1	64.1	58.3	75.7						$9,886	$976	$8,911
Cleveland ECHS	Public	9-12	1800 E Marion St	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8232	225	11	20.2	98.7%	128 (56.9%)	35 (15.6%)	45 (20.0%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	91.9	55^th of 662 public high schools	91.7%		90.8	69^th of 641 public high schools	89.2%	14	94.3	96.2	91.4	94.9						$7,781	$522	$7,258

Frequently Asked Questions about East Rutherford High School

Is East Rutherford High School a good school?

East Rutherford High School ranks 490^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is East Rutherford High School in?

Rutherford County Schools

What schools feed into East Rutherford High School?

East Rutherford High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ellenboro Elementary School
Elementary : Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School
Elementary : Sunshine Elementary School
Middle : East Rutherford Middle School

What is the racial makeup of East Rutherford High School?

Students at East Rutherford High School are 66% White, 14% African American, 12% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

How many students attend East Rutherford High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 623 students attended East Rutherford High School.

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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.