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South Stanly High

Q: Is South Stanly High a good school?

South Stanly High ranks 423 rd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

423^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 36% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Tucked away in the small town of Norwood, NC, South Stanly High School serves about 442 students in grades 9–12, making it one of the smaller comprehensive high schools in Stanly County Schools. As with other district high schools, virtually all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—a figure driven heavily by a district-wide meal eligibility change rather than a sudden shift in the area's economic conditions. The school currently ranks in the 36th percentile of North Carolina high schools, a meaningful recovery from a low point just two years ago.

What matters most to parents is how uneven the academic picture is. Algebra 1 (Math I) is the biggest concern: roughly 25% of students are proficient, well below the state average of 42%. Notably, Albemarle High, which struggles mightily in most other subjects, posts nearly the same Math I number—an indication this is a focused, subject-specific weakness rather than a schoolwide problem. Elsewhere, South Stanly genuinely shines. Biology proficiency reached 63.7%, above the state average, and its 90.4% graduation rate beats both the district and state. The most useful benchmark is West Stanly High, only about ten miles away, which serves nearly identical demographics yet achieves far stronger test scores—proof that meaningful improvement is within reach.

South Stanly is also trending in the right direction. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from a worrying 42.9% two years ago to 26.0% today, far closer to state averages than it once was. The school's graduation rate far exceeds Anson High School, an out-of-district school with similar poverty levels, and statewide rankings show female students performing well above male students—with African American student results improving sharply over the past two years. The biggest remaining hurdles are lifting Algebra 1 instruction toward the district average, closing that gender gap, and giving special education and gifted learners the same support driving recent gains in Biology and English II. With that momentum already building, South Stanly is a school worth watching.

442

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,199

Per pupil spending ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

40488 S Stanly School Rd
Norwood, NC 28128

(704) 961-4100

District: Stanly County Schools

Feeder schools for South Stanly High:

Elementary:	Aquadale Elementary
	Norwood Elementary
Middle:	South Stanly Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.2%

African American:

13.3%

Hispanic:

7.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare South Stanly High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 22nd percentile in 2024 → 36th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 36th (2026) from a 22nd-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (52% vs 60% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Math I scores 17 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg60%

423^rd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 17 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High Schools in the Stanly County Schools

100^th of 246Stanly 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	37.4	423 of 662	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.5	422 of 641	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.0	501 of 640	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	441 of 626	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.2	404 of 621	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.7	364 of 594	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.7	315 of 514	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.6	207 of 469	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	40.6	243 of 476	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.1	238 of 507	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	44.0	233 of 531	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	34.2	246 of 451	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.9	219 of 505	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.6	114 of 502	77.3%	★★★★☆
2011	61.2	165 of 506	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.0	133 of 499	73.3%	★★★★☆
2009	62.6	139 of 490	71.6%	★★★★☆
2008	71.9	56 of 477	88.3%	★★★★☆
2007	73.1	55 of 453	87.9%	★★★★☆
2006	69.0	80 of 431	81.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.1	295 of 450	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	21.7	372 of 440	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	379 of 437	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.7	291 of 434	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.3	290 of 430	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.0	279 of 364	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	315 of 369	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.1	193 of 359	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	29.8	223 of 330	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	70.4	51 of 334	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	41.5	198 of 364	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.7	59 of 349	83.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	339 of 629	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.6	378 of 610	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.6	466 of 602	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	485 of 588	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.4	436 of 594	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	327 of 475	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.3	244 of 475	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.1	208 of 449	53.7%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	329 of 407	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	339 of 403	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	1.5	398 of 403	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	372 of 398	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	38.6	245 of 337	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	67.9	83 of 325	74.5%	★★★★☆
2018	59.1	40 of 100	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	47.3	197 of 436	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.2	119 of 354	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.4	94 of 340	72.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	397 of 620	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.3	332 of 606	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.9	485 of 613	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	411 of 597	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.9	335 of 544	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.8	317 of 432	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.1	262 of 446	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.4	100 of 424	76.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	463 of 624	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.2	447 of 601	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	496 of 607	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	390 of 602	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	346 of 585	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.8	211 of 481	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.4	367 of 488	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.8	216 of 463	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	326 of 352	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	268 of 349	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	383 of 551	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.5	439 of 542	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	499 of 553	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	471 of 537	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.2	421 of 534	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	303 of 439	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.6	347 of 444	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.4	235 of 427	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2022)55th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2026)46th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)36th percentile~ school

African American (2026)34th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)32nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2026)26th percentile-10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)19th percentile-17 vs school

Special Education (2025)7th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Biology64%+5 vs state

Math III62%-7 vs state

English II59%-6 vs state

Math I25%-17 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, September 7, 2019

Great small town school. Dedicated staff and state winning softball and baseball programs. Close Quote

Schools Near South Stanly High

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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)	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 Stanly High	Public	9-12	40488 S Stanly School Rd	Norwood	28128	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-4100	442	27	16.2	99.3%	306 (69.2%)	59 (13.3%)	35 (7.9%)	14 (3.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.7%)	37.4	423^rd of 662 public high schools	36.1%		33.5	422^nd of 641 public high schools	34.2%	1	63.7	58.9	25.0	61.5	$9,199	$565	$8,634
Stanly Early College High	Public	9-12	141 College Drive	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-4400	188	8	23.4	98.4%	143 (76.1%)	7 (3.7%)	25 (13.3%)	8 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.7%)	92.5	44^th of 662 public high schools	93.4%		94.7	29^th of 641 public high schools	95.5%	15	93.3	100.0	99.9	93.0	$7,609	$364	$7,245
Stanly Academy Learning Center	Public	6-12	1121 Austin St	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 961-4500	13	1	14.4	76.9%	6 (46.2%)	6 (46.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)								(n/a)					$23,336	$986	$22,350
Albemarle High	Public	9-12	311 Park Ridge Road	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-4200	414	30	13.5	99.0%	86 (20.8%)	218 (52.7%)	65 (15.7%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (8.7%)	21.1	545^th of 662 public high schools	17.7%		14	571^st of 641 public high schools	10.9%	26	17.6	34.5	24.1	71.4	$10,302	$1,146	$9,156
Stanly STEM Early College	Public	9-12	311 Park Ridge Road	Albemarle	28001	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-4900	189	6	31.5	98.4%	87 (46.0%)	24 (12.7%)	35 (18.5%)	29 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.4%)	92.6	41^st of 662 public high schools	93.8%		90.3	75^th of 641 public high schools	88.3%	34	98.0	97.2	96.5	92.3
West Stanly High	Public	9-12	306 East Red Cross Road	Oakboro	28129	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-5200	800	45	17.8	99.6%	580 (72.5%)	49 (6.1%)	113 (14.1%)	10 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	44 (5.5%)	53.9	297^th of 662 public high schools	55.1%		68.3	184^th of 641 public high schools	71.3%	113	66.1	63.9	56.9	65.4	$8,527	$469	$8,058
North Stanly High	Public	9-12	40206 US Hwy 52 N	New London	28127	Stanly County	Stanly County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 961-4600	568	37	15.4	98.2%	412 (72.5%)	67 (11.8%)	38 (6.7%)	16 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (6.0%)	43.2	382^nd of 662 public high schools	42.3%		29.7	455^th of 641 public high schools	29.0%	73	47.5	61.4	50.0	65.8	$8,783	$580	$8,203
Anson County Early College High	Public	9-12	177 Ledbetter Street	Polkton	28135	Anson County	Anson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 272-5396	210	10	21.4	98.6%	89 (42.4%)	78 (37.1%)	19 (9.0%)	14 (6.7%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	60.2	253^rd of 662 public high schools	61.8%		76.4	150^th of 641 public high schools	76.6%	103	66.7	74.5	59.0	66.0	$8,091	$205	$7,886
Montgomery Learning Academy	Public	6-12	310 S Main	Troy	27371	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 572-1161	54	7	7.7	94.4%	19 (35.2%)	13 (24.1%)	19 (35.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.6%)								(n/a)				7.1	$21,924	$12	$21,912
Anson High School	Public	9-12	96 Anson High School Road	Wadesboro	28170	Anson County	Anson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 694-9301	705	30	23.1	99.6%	173 (24.5%)	417 (59.1%)	70 (9.9%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	36 (5.1%)	20.4	550^th of 662 public high schools	16.9%		24.1	500^th of 641 public high schools	22.0%	50	36.4	35.6	34.6	57.1	$12,828	$1,641	$11,187

Frequently Asked Questions about South Stanly High

What district is South Stanly High in?

Stanly County Schools

How many students attend South Stanly High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 442 students attended South Stanly High.

Is South Stanly High a good school?

South Stanly High ranks 423^rd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Stanly High?

Students at South Stanly High are 69% White, 13% African American, 8% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools feed into South Stanly High?

South Stanly High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Aquadale Elementary
Elementary : Norwood Elementary
Middle : South Stanly Middle

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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.