Summary:
Zip code 27803 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, is served by two high schools: Rocky Mount High (grades 9–12) and Nash Everywhere Digital Academy (NEDA) (grades 6–12), both part of Nash County Public Schools, a district ranking in the 36th percentile statewide. Rocky Mount High is the larger traditional school with about 1,023 students, while NEDA is a smaller digital academy serving roughly 260 students across middle and high school grades. Both schools carry 1-star ratings, placing them near the very bottom of North Carolina's high school rankings.
While NEDA ranks slightly higher than Rocky Mount High — 13th percentile versus 11th — Rocky Mount High posts a far stronger graduation rate of 84.9% compared to NEDA's 69.0%. On end-of-course exams, both schools trail district and state averages significantly. Math I is the glaring weak spot: only 16.4% of Rocky Mount High students score proficient versus 42.1% statewide, and just 6.7% of NEDA students do. Chronic absenteeism is another serious concern, affecting 39.0% of Rocky Mount High students and 32.6% of NEDA students — well above the state rate of 24.2%.
NEDA's small enrollment means its scores can swing dramatically from year to year — Biology proficiency jumped from 6.7% to 38.5% — so families should view its strong middle-school reading results (66.7% in 6th grade) with some caution. Rocky Mount High stands out for its nearly universal poverty rate (97.65% free/reduced lunch) yet still graduates students close to the state average, a real bright spot tempered by severe absenteeism and low test scores. Overall, families choosing between these schools should weigh Rocky Mount High's traditional environment and better graduation outcomes against NEDA's flexible digital format and pockets of reading strength — while keeping in mind that math readiness and attendance are urgent challenges at both schools.
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