Best High Schools in Zip Code 27104

Zip code 27104 in Winston-Salem, NC, is served by one public high school, R J Reynolds High, which enrolls 1,759 students in grades 9–12 and operates within Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools. Because this is the only high school in the area, the summary below focuses entirely on its performance and what families should know.

R J Reynolds High serves an overwhelmingly high-need student population, with 99.37% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school faces serious attendance challenges: 54.0% of students are chronically absent, compared to 33.6% in the district and 24.2% across North Carolina. The graduation rate is 82.8%, below the district rate of 86.3% and state rate of 88.8%. Academically, the school trails state averages in all four End-of-Course subjects. Its strongest relative performance is in English II, where 58.4% of students are proficient—exactly matching the district average and only 6.2 points below the state. Biology proficiency is 44.5%, while Math I is the weakest area at 27.6% proficiency, and Math III sits at 52.4%. The building has shown some year-over-year gains, especially in Math I, which jumped from 17.3% to 27.6% proficient, and English II, which improved by 4.8 points. Math III, however, dropped by 3.9 points, and overall academic outcomes remain well below statewide norms.

R J Reynolds High has dropped in state ranking, moving from the 32nd–33rd percentile in the two prior years to the 26th percentile in the most recent year, and its star rating fell from 2 stars to 1 star. The combination of near-universal poverty, extreme chronic absenteeism, and proficiency gaps in math and science suggests that the school is dealing with systemic challenges that extend beyond the classroom. For parents, the clearest takeaway is that English II offers a relative bright spot, while Math I, Biology, and Math III are areas of urgent concern. The school’s 82.8% graduation rate also means that roughly one in six students does not graduate on time. Given the high level of economic need and the attendance crisis, families should look closely at the support services and interventions available at the school when making decisions.