Summary:
Zip code 27205 (Asheboro, NC) is home to three high schools serving grades 9–12 (and grades 6–12 for one school) across two districts: Randolph County School System and Uwharrie Charter Academy.
Academic performance in this area is strikingly uneven. Randolph Early College High School is the clear standout: ranked 45th in the state with 5 stars, it boasts 100% proficiency in Biology and 96.7% in Math III, far above state averages. Its chronic absenteeism rate is low at 14.2%. In contrast, Southwestern Randolph High School ranks 537th with 1 star; its Math I proficiency is just 20% and Biology 41.4%, though it graduates 90.5% of students—above the state rate. Uwharrie Charter Remote Academy ranks 617th with 0 stars and shows the lowest scores, including only 7.7% proficiency in Math I, but its very small enrollment (112 students across grades 6–12) means results can swing widely. Even within the same district, Randolph Early College outperforms Southwestern Randolph by a wide margin in every subject, likely due to its early college model and self-selected student body.
Math is the region’s biggest challenge: two of the three schools fall far below the state average of 42.1% in Math I. Notably, chronic absenteeism at schools with available data is below the state average of 24.2%, so attendance does not explain low test scores. Also interesting is that Randolph Early College spends less per student ($5,706) and has a higher student-teacher ratio (29.8) than Southwestern Randolph ($8,889 and 16.9), yet achieves far better outcomes. Some scores improved significantly year over year, especially in small schools, but data gaps remain for Uwharrie Charter Remote Academy and Randolph Early College’s graduation rate is unreported.
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