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Surry Central High

Public Grades 9-12

527^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 20% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Surry Central High is a regular public high school in Dobson, NC, serving 679 students in grades 9–12 as part of Surry County Schools. The school is currently ranked 527th of 662 North Carolina high schools, putting it in the bottom 20 percent statewide with a 1-star rating — a steep fall from the 71st percentile it earned in 2017-18. Academic proficiency is below both district and state averages on every End-of-Course test. Math is the largest deficit: just 28.1 percent of students passed Math I and 56.0 percent passed Math III, roughly 14 and 13 points below state averages. Biology, once a real strength at nearly 60 percent proficiency, has collapsed to 37.6 percent, more than 20 points below the state average.

Even so, Surry Central has genuine strengths. Its 93.8 percent graduation rate beats the state rate of 88.8 percent, and chronic absenteeism has been cut from 47.5 percent in 2020-21 to 21.7 percent today — now better than the state average. The school gets students across the finish line, but nearly every student group now falls in the bottom quarter of North Carolina schools. Special education students ranked at the 83rd percentile two years ago but have since fallen to the 24th, while gifted and talented students slid from the 83rd to the 25th percentile. These are broad declines, not problems isolated to one subject or grade.

The contrast with East Surry High, a school in the same district about 13 miles away with a nearly identical share of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, is especially revealing: East Surry is ranked 238th in the state and outperforms Surry Central by roughly 20 points in Biology and English II and more than 40 points in Math I. Among neighboring conventional high schools, only Yadkin Success Academy ranks lower — Elkin High, Mount Airy High, East Wilkes High School, Starmount High, Forbush High, and North Surry High all rank higher. Surry County Schools earns a 3-star district rating, but high-performing Surry Early College pulls the district average upward and masks how much Surry Central itself is struggling. For families, the bottom line is straightforward: Surry Central graduates its students reliably, but it needs urgent, targeted attention to math and science instruction.

679

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,348

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

716 South Main Street
Dobson, NC 27017-8593

(336) 386-8842

District: Surry County Schools

Feeder schools for Surry Central High:

Elementary:	Copeland Elementary
	Dobson Elementary
	Mountain Park Elementary
	Rockford Elementary
Middle:	Central Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.7%

Hispanic:

39.9%

Two or more races:

1.8%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Surry Central High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 56th percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (89%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (44% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 36 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg57%

North Carolina avg60%

527^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 36 pts since 2016

From top 44% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the Surry County Schools

106^th of 246Surry 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	24.0	527 of 662	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.4	430 of 641	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.2	393 of 640	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.3	341 of 626	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.8	338 of 621	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	414 of 594	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.2	207 of 514	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.8	137 of 469	70.8%	★★★★☆
2017	53.8	167 of 476	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	41.4	222 of 507	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	42.2	249 of 531	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	32.1	261 of 451	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	61.9	72 of 505	85.7%	★★★★☆
2012	62.1	133 of 502	73.5%	★★★★☆
2011	65.3	129 of 506	74.5%	★★★★☆
2010	66.0	118 of 499	76.4%	★★★★☆
2009	64.2	123 of 490	74.9%	★★★★☆
2008	66.7	91 of 477	80.9%	★★★★☆
2007	66.4	95 of 453	79.0%	★★★★☆
2006	62.3	139 of 431	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	16.6	322 of 330	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	36.7	196 of 334	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.2	120 of 364	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.6	50 of 349	85.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.4	275 of 289	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.8	244 of 273	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.9	157 of 262	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.6	109 of 226	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.6	17 of 156	89.1%	★★★★☆
2019	58.0	38 of 173	78.0%	★★★★☆
2018	21.6	125 of 147	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.2	500 of 629	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.8	398 of 610	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.5	366 of 602	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.5	321 of 588	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.7	293 of 594	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	29.9	298 of 475	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.7	191 of 475	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.7	159 of 449	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	307 of 407	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	77.9	68 of 412	83.5%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	115 of 403	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	68.3	133 of 403	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.3	148 of 398	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.0	12 of 325	96.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.5	419 of 474	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.5	386 of 462	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.9	304 of 454	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	269 of 449	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.0	219 of 436	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.2	217 of 370	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	160 of 354	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.9	158 of 340	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	518 of 620	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.1	451 of 606	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.6	318 of 613	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	294 of 597	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.9	228 of 544	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.4	244 of 432	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.1	116 of 446	74.0%	★★★★☆
2018	73.3	49 of 424	88.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	518 of 624	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.5	443 of 601	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.2	383 of 607	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	361 of 602	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.5	343 of 585	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.9	331 of 481	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.7	215 of 488	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.2	145 of 463	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.6	283 of 372	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.1	167 of 352	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.8	61 of 349	82.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.2	489 of 551	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.3	411 of 542	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.4	402 of 553	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.1	369 of 537	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.5	349 of 534	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.4	383 of 439	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.3	219 of 444	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.8	128 of 427	70.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)25th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2026)24th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile~ school

Male (2026)17th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)11th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)5th percentile-16 vs school

Disabled (2022)2nd percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III56%-13 vs state

English II52%-13 vs state

Biology38%-21 vs state

Math I28%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Surry Central 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
Surry Central High	Public	9-12	716 South Main Street	Dobson	27017	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 386-8842	679	41	16.7	99.6%	385 (56.7%)	4 (0.6%)	271 (39.9%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	24	527^th of 662 public high schools	20.4%		32.4	430^th of 641 public high schools	32.9%	97	37.6	51.6	28.1	56.0	$9,348	$869	$8,479
Surry Early College	Public	9-12	630 South Main Street	Dobson	27017	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 386-3621	296	8	35.8	99.0%	167 (56.4%)	6 (2.0%)	111 (37.5%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	93	32^nd of 662 public high schools	95.2%		92.1	62^nd of 641 public high schools	90.3%	30	95.2	95.3	90.7	100.0	$4,884	$155	$4,730
North Surry High	Public	9-12	2440 W Pine Street	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 789-5055	792	46	17.1	99.6%	521 (65.8%)	20 (2.5%)	214 (27.0%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.0%)	30.4	477^th of 662 public high schools	27.9%		37.2	395^th of 641 public high schools	38.4%	82	37.1	48.0	24.8	76.3	$9,405	$905	$8,500
Mount Airy High	Public	9-12	1011 N South St	Mount Airy	27030	Surry County	Mount Airy City Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 789-5147	620	37	16.5	99.5%	381 (61.5%)	47 (7.6%)	144 (23.2%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.1%)	53	305^th of 662 public high schools	53.9%		49.9	298^th of 641 public high schools	53.5%	7	62.8	59.2	41.8	81.6	$10,888	$1,160	$9,729
Elkin High	Public	9-12	334 Elk Spur St	Elkin	28621	Surry County	Elkin City Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 835-3858	401	28	14.5	50.9%	264 (65.8%)	14 (3.5%)	97 (24.2%)	10 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.0%)	72.7	173^rd of 662 public high schools	73.9%		72.6	168^th of 641 public high schools	73.8%	5	59.6	74.7	84.6	94.6	$12,105	$1,046	$11,058
East Surry High	Public	9-12	801 W Main Street	Pilot Mountain	27041	Surry County	Surry County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 368-2251	576	33	17.6	99.5%	467 (81.1%)	12 (2.1%)	71 (12.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.0%)	62.4	238^th of 662 public high schools	64.0%		61.3	225^th of 641 public high schools	64.9%	13	58.8	69.2	69.0	79.4	$9,894	$884	$9,010
Starmount High	Public	9-12	2516 Longtown Rd	Boonville	27011	Yadkin County	Yadkin County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 551-1150	556	26	21.2	62.9%	349 (62.8%)	25 (4.5%)	152 (27.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (4.9%)	38.3	417^th of 662 public high schools	37.0%		27.7	475^th of 641 public high schools	25.9%	58	49.2	48.5	45.1	69.4	$10,534	$904	$9,629
East Wilkes High School	Public	9-12	13315 Elkin Hwy 268	Ronda	28670	Wilkes County	Wilkes County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 651-7200	469	28	16.4	99.4%	407 (86.8%)	5 (1.1%)	30 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.3%)	50.5	325^th of 662 public high schools	50.9%		45.8	333^rd of 641 public high schools	48.0%	8	61.2	66.1	40.7	72.1	$10,562	$769	$9,794
Yadkin Early College	Public	9-12	1001 College Drive	Yadkinville	27055	Yadkin County	Yadkin County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 386-3579	200	5	41.8	48.5%	124 (62.0%)	2 (1.0%)	70 (35.0%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	82.8	126^th of 662 public high schools	81.0%		92.3	58^th of 641 public high schools	91.0%	68	86.4	88.6	52.0	97.5	$6,070	$57	$6,013
Yadkin Success Academy	Public	6-12	733 East Main Street	Yadkinville	27055	Yadkin County	Yadkin County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 551-1166	43	5	8.9	86.0%	27 (62.8%)	4 (9.3%)	12 (27.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	9.1				$31,264	$1,106	$30,158

Frequently Asked Questions about Surry Central High

What is the racial makeup of Surry Central High?

Students at Surry Central High are 57% White, 40% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Surry Central High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 679 students attended Surry Central High.

What schools feed into Surry Central High?

Surry Central High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Copeland Elementary
Elementary : Dobson Elementary
Elementary : Mountain Park Elementary
Elementary : Rockford Elementary
Middle : Central Middle

Is Surry Central High a good school?

Surry Central High ranks in the bottom 20.4% of North Carolina high schools.

What district is Surry Central High in?

Surry County 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.