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Rutherford Opportunity Center

Q: How many students attend Rutherford Opportunity Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 82 students attended Rutherford Opportunity Center.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Rutherford Opportunity Center?

Students at Rutherford Opportunity Center are 71% White, 15% African American, 9% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

Public Grades 6-12

Summary

Rutherford Opportunity Center is a public high school serving grades 6-12 in Forest City, North Carolina, with a small student population of 98. Despite being part of the Rutherford County Schools district, which is ranked 73 out of 242 districts in the state, Rutherford Opportunity Center consistently ranks among the lowest-performing high schools in North Carolina, receiving 0 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger for its overall performance.

The school's academic performance is particularly low for specific student subgroups, with rankings in the bottom 10% of high schools in the state for male students, white students, and students of low socioeconomic status. Proficiency rates on state assessments are significantly below the district and state averages across all subject areas and grade levels, with only 14.3% of 6th-grade students proficient in math and reading, compared to 57.9% and 49.4% for the district, respectively. Despite a relatively high per-student spending of $26,764, which is significantly higher than the other high schools in the district, these increased resources do not appear to translate to improved academic outcomes.

Comparing Rutherford Opportunity Center to its higher-performing counterparts within the Rutherford County Schools district, such as R-S Central High School, Chase High School, and East Rutherford High School, highlights the need for targeted interventions and support to improve educational outcomes for the students at Rutherford Opportunity Center. One notable exception is Rutherford Early College High School, which consistently ranks among the top high schools in the state.

Students ?

8.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,764

Per pupil spending ?

96.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

140 Old Caroleen Road
Forest City, NC 28043

(828) 248-5294

District: Rutherford County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.7%

African American:

14.6%

Two or more races:

8.5%

See top rated North Carolina public schools

Compare Rutherford Opportunity Center to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 11th percentile in 2011 → 2nd in 2024

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (13% vs 57% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (73% vs 88%)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2011

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg57%

765^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

73^rd of 242Rutherford 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	1.3	765 of 773	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.5	785 of 793	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.5	766 of 784	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.5	775 of 786	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.6	681 of 694	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.5	657 of 692	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.8	703 of 705	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.2	629 of 673	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.5	638 of 662	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	2.2	622 of 648	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	6.1	603 of 640	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	2.2	605 of 630	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	11.8	564 of 620	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	10.7	562 of 606	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.6	570 of 598	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	4.0	719 of 729	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	3.2	724 of 733	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.7	748 of 751	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	0.2	652 of 652	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	2.3	630 of 640	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.7	610 of 626	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.1	585 of 594	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.1	494 of 514	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	445 of 469	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.8	439 of 476	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	4.3	463 of 507	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.5	508 of 531	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	36.4	335 of 502	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	10.0	450 of 506	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	5.6	460 of 499	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.4	431 of 490	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	10.1	429 of 477	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	15.9	402 of 453	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	11.9	396 of 431	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	1.8	591 of 594	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	4.0	611 of 613	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.1	585 of 597	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.4	432 of 432	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	428 of 446	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.3	408 of 424	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	3.3	600 of 607	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.2	595 of 602	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.7	473 of 481	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.1	474 of 488	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.3	409 of 463	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	0.3	552 of 553	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.0	534 of 537	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	0.8	438 of 439	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.0	434 of 444	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.6	419 of 427	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

White (2024)<1st percentile~ school

High school

Male (2024)1st percentile~ school

Female (2022)1st percentile

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)<1st percentile~ school

White (2024)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science18%-42 vs state

Mathematics14%-43 vs state

Reading14%-39 vs state

English II8%-52 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rutherford Opportunity Center

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)		EOG Reading (2025)		EOG Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rutherford Opportunity Center	Public	6-12	140 Old Caroleen Road	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 248-5294	82	10	8.2	96.3%	58 (70.7%)	12 (14.6%)	5 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (8.5%)								(n/a)		8.0			14.3		14.3	13.6	18.2	$26,764	$1,648	$25,116
East Rutherford High School	Public	9-12	331 East High Rd	Bostic	28018	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%)	44.8	341^st of 641 public high schools	46.8%		49.2	303^rd of 640 public high schools	52.7%	38	41.3	55.2	41.7	66.7						$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%)	85.9	104^th of 641 public high schools	83.8%		91.2	65^th of 640 public high schools	89.8%	39	68.8	88.2	58.8	96.3						$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%)	62	220^th of 641 public high schools	65.7%		49.1	304^th of 640 public high schools	52.5%	84	34.6	67.4	57.1	85.9						$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%)	38.1	391^st of 641 public high schools	39.0%		41.9	359^th of 640 public high schools	43.9%	32	37.9	56.5	20.1	68.1						$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%)	42.2	361^st of 641 public high schools	43.7%		66.2	199^th of 640 public high schools	68.9%	162	42.8	50.7	37.7	67.9						$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%)								(n/a)						5.6		29.4	29.4	$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%)	15.5	557^th of 641 public high schools	13.1%		21.3	505^th of 640 public high schools	21.1%	52	32.5	39.2	17.2	27.6						$9,492	$690	$8,802
Polk County Early College	Public	9-12	1545 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2698	52	3	18.9	94.2%	46 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	90.8	70^th of 641 public high schools	89.1%		94.8	29^th of 640 public high schools	95.5%	41		100.0		91.7						$9,557	$127	$9,430
Polk County High School	Public	9-12	1681 East NC 108 Hwy	Columbus	28722	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2525	596	32	18.5	99.5%	433 (72.7%)	42 (7.0%)	93 (15.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.5%)	52	280^th of 641 public high schools	56.3%		50.8	292^nd of 640 public high schools	54.4%	12	48.2	66.9	34.2	70.7						$12,130	$897	$11,232

Frequently Asked Questions about Rutherford Opportunity Center

What district is Rutherford Opportunity Center in?

Rutherford County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Rutherford Opportunity Center?

Students at Rutherford Opportunity Center are 71% White, 15% African American, 9% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

How many students attend Rutherford Opportunity Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 82 students attended Rutherford Opportunity Center.

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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.