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Watauga High

Q: Is Watauga High a good school?

Watauga High ranks 163 rd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

163^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 75% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Watauga High is a large comprehensive high school in Boone, NC, serving 1,289 students in grades 9-12 as part of the highly-rated Watauga County Schools district. The school has maintained a consistent 4-star rating for over a decade, currently ranked 163rd out of 662 North Carolina high schools (75th percentile). While this places it solidly in the state's top quartile, its rank has eased slightly from its pre-pandemic peak of 72nd (86th percentile) in 2018-19. It remains the highest-ranked traditional high school in the immediate area, surpassed locally only by the specialized Ashe County Early College High.

Academically, Watauga High posts End-of-Course (EOC) proficiency scores that are well above state averages in all four tested subjects, with Math III a particular standout at 87.5% proficiency (compared to the 68.9% state average). Chronic absenteeism is remarkably low at 12.4%, about half the state rate (24.2%), suggesting students are consistently present and engaged. The graduation rate of 91.4% exceeds the state average (88.8%), though it trails slightly behind the district average (91.9%) and neighboring Avery County High (93.3%). When compared directly with the smaller Watauga Innovation Academy on the same campus, Watauga High posts generally stronger proficiency in core subjects but has a slightly lower graduation rate.

For parents, it's important to look beyond the strong overall rankings. While Watauga High demonstrates exceptional effectiveness for its special education students (78th percentile) and multiracial students (85th percentile), its performance for English Language Learners (35th percentile) and Hispanic students (48th percentile) is relatively lower. The school's effectiveness rating for Gifted & Talented students has also seen a steep decline, falling from the 81st percentile in 2023-24 to the 47th percentile in 2025-26. This means that while an average student will likely receive a top-tier education, families of advanced learners, ELL students, or Hispanic students may want to ask specific questions about how the school serves these particular groups to ensure their child's needs are fully met.

1,289

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,160

Per pupil spending ?

33%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 Go Pioneers Drive
Boone, NC 28607

(828) 264-2407

District: Watauga County Schools

Feeder schools for Watauga High:

Elementary:	Bethel Elementary
	Blowing Rock Elementary
	Cove Creek Elementary
	Green Valley Elementary
	More...
	Hardin Park Elementary
	Mabel Elementary
	Parkway Elementary
	Valle Crucis Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.8%

Hispanic:

12.3%

Two or more races:

2.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Watauga High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 77th percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (76% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school76%

District avg74%

North Carolina avg60%

163^rd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 25%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Watauga County Schools

46^th of 246Watauga 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	74.3	163 of 662	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	72.8	166 of 641	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.2	153 of 640	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	78.8	133 of 626	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	78.2	137 of 621	77.9%	★★★★☆
2021	75.8	124 of 594	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	74.6	72 of 514	86.0%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	79 of 469	83.2%	★★★★☆
2017	59.8	133 of 476	72.1%	★★★★☆
2016	57.3	119 of 507	76.5%	★★★★☆
2015	65.2	97 of 531	81.7%	★★★★☆
2014	63.9	98 of 451	78.3%	★★★★☆
2013	54.1	123 of 505	75.6%	★★★★☆
2012	59.5	153 of 502	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.9	113 of 506	77.7%	★★★★☆
2010	71.6	64 of 499	87.2%	★★★★☆
2009	63.2	134 of 490	72.7%	★★★★☆
2008	67.8	86 of 477	82.0%	★★★★☆
2007	73.7	52 of 453	88.5%	★★★★☆
2006	69.8	76 of 431	82.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.9	44 of 103	57.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	69.2	50 of 330	84.8%	★★★★☆
2021	53.0	107 of 334	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	81.4	26 of 364	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	60.5	79 of 349	77.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	188 of 289	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	155 of 262	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.6	220 of 226	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	57.3	43 of 156	72.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.2	150 of 629	76.2%	★★★★☆
2025	72.2	161 of 610	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	76.5	149 of 602	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	115 of 588	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	133 of 594	77.6%	★★★★☆
2021	80.6	46 of 475	90.3%	★★★★★
2019	73.0	80 of 475	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	81.7	51 of 449	88.6%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.7	217 of 407	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.3	165 of 412	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.3	77 of 403	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	76.1	81 of 403	79.9%	★★★★☆
2021	81.3	13 of 337	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	67.6	87 of 325	73.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.7	245 of 474	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.6	198 of 462	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.0	220 of 454	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	132 of 449	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	59.3	130 of 436	70.2%	★★★★☆
2021	54.8	87 of 370	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	56.3	87 of 354	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	35.5	217 of 340	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.3	27 of 39	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	238 of 620	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.0	219 of 606	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.8	199 of 613	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.1	153 of 597	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	66.2	139 of 544	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	63.8	50 of 432	88.4%	★★★★☆
2019	54.0	110 of 446	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	44.7	196 of 424	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.6	168 of 624	73.1%	★★★★☆
2025	72.0	163 of 601	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	72.8	158 of 607	74.0%	★★★★☆
2023	76.4	144 of 602	76.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.2	133 of 585	77.3%	★★★★☆
2021	69.8	79 of 481	83.6%	★★★★☆
2019	74.1	64 of 488	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.0	108 of 463	76.7%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	37 of 53	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.5	39 of 265	85.3%	★★★★☆
2025	59.8	89 of 253	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	83.5	30 of 261	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	43 of 249	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	88.3	20 of 226	91.2%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.8	83 of 372	77.7%	★★★★☆
2025	51.6	118 of 352	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.8	42 of 349	88.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	182 of 551	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.0	191 of 542	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.2	160 of 553	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	72.2	149 of 537	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	70.7	160 of 534	70.0%	★★★★☆
2021	66.2	100 of 439	77.2%	★★★★☆
2019	63.2	121 of 444	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	64.0	132 of 427	69.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2026)85th percentile+10 vs school

Disabled (2022)85th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)78th percentile~ school

Female (2026)76th percentile~ school

Male (2026)73rd percentile~ school

White (2026)67th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)62nd percentile-14 vs school

Asian (2026)57th percentile-18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)48th percentile-27 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)47th percentile-29 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)35th percentile-40 vs school

Homeless (2025)31st percentile-43 vs school

Military Connected (2025)30th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III88%+19 vs state

English II75%+10 vs state

Biology74%+15 vs state

Math I66%+24 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Watauga High School is a great school! We have may teachers that are willing to help you with anything. All the teachers here want to see everyone succeed. We have a lot of extra circular activity's like Football,Baseball,Basketball,Volleyball,and a variety of clubs. Anything you can picture at a dream school we have Close Quote

Schools Near Watauga 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
Watauga High	Public	9-12	300 Go Pioneers Drive	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 264-2407	1,289	82	15.6	33.0%	1,042 (80.8%)	16 (1.2%)	159 (12.3%)	27 (2.1%)	7 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (2.9%)	74.3	163^rd of 662 public high schools	75.4%		72.8	166^th of 641 public high schools	74.1%	3	73.8	75.0	65.7	87.5	$11,160	$624	$10,536
Watauga Innovation Academy	Public	9-12	300 Go Pioneers Drive	Boone	28607	Watauga County	Watauga County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 264-2407	292	0		44.2%	249 (85.3%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (12.3%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	54.3	293^rd of 662 public high schools	55.7%		49.1	308^th of 641 public high schools	52.0%	15	54.9	53.7	68.8	75.9	$2,667	$110	$2,557
Ashe County High	Public	9-12	184 Campus Drive	West Jefferson	28694	Ashe County	Ashe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 846-2400	767	41	18.7	99.1%	649 (84.6%)	4 (0.5%)	93 (12.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.2%)	54.3	292^nd of 662 public high schools	55.9%		41.8	364^th of 641 public high schools	43.2%	72	66.1	62.1	56.0	67.6	$10,958	$817	$10,142
Ashe County Early College High	Public	9-12	363 Campus Dr	West Jefferson	28694	Ashe County	Ashe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(336) 846-1881	143	3	51.8	97.9%	107 (74.8%)	1 (0.7%)	30 (21.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	88.7	93^rd of 662 public high schools	86.0%		89.7	78^th of 641 public high schools	87.8%	15	86.0	90.2	92.0	93.6	$11,089	$346	$10,742
Avery County High	Public	9-12	401 Avery County High School R	Newland	28657	Avery County	Avery County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 733-0151	542	27	20.2	99.3%	423 (78.0%)	1 (0.2%)	92 (17.0%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.7%)	27.1	499^th of 662 public high schools	24.6%		26.1	487^th of 641 public high schools	24.0%	12	40.9	53.5	14.9	65.5	$10,821	$537	$10,285

Frequently Asked Questions about Watauga High

Is Watauga High a good school?

Watauga High ranks 163^rd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Watauga High?

Students at Watauga High are 81% White, 12% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

What district is Watauga High in?

Watauga County Schools

How many students attend Watauga High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,289 students attended Watauga High.

What schools feed into Watauga High?

Watauga High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bethel Elementary
Elementary : Blowing Rock Elementary
Elementary : Cove Creek Elementary
Elementary : Green Valley Elementary
Elementary : Hardin Park Elementary
Elementary : Mabel Elementary
Elementary : Parkway Elementary
Elementary : Valle Crucis Elementary

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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.