Best High Schools in Zip Code 28697

ZIP code 28697, in the Wilkesboro/Moravian Falls area of North Carolina, contains two public high schools serving grades 9–12, both part of Wilkes County Schools. The clear standout is Wilkes Early College High School, ranking 71st out of 662 North Carolina high schools (89th percentile, 4 stars) and consistently excellent for three straight reporting years. Wilkes Central High School, the larger traditional school, is more middling at 341st of 662 (48th percentile, 2 stars), sitting below its district on most measures.

The two schools serve similarly disadvantaged student populations, with roughly 99 percent of students at each school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, yet their academic outcomes are dramatically different. In the most recent EOC results, Wilkes Early College High School posted proficiency rates of 99.9 percent in Math III, 94.7 percent in English II, 89.7 percent in Math I, and 83.9 percent in Biology — all far above district and state averages. Wilkes Central High School shows genuine strength in math, beating state averages in Math I and Math III, but trails its district in every tested subject and is especially weak in Biology. And Wilkes Early College does it while spending less per student ($6,729 versus $9,054) and with far larger classes (29.4 to 1 versus 14.6 to 1).

The biggest concern at Wilkes Central High School is chronic absenteeism: 27.7 percent of its students are chronically absent, versus 16.9 percent for the district and 24.2 percent statewide. Its graduation rate is 89.2 percent, just above the state's 88.8 percent but below the district's 93.3 percent. Graduation data for Wilkes Early College High School is not reported for the current year; the most recent rate was 89.4 percent. In short, Wilkes Early College High School is a consistently high-performing, top-11-percent school with exceptional EOC scores despite high poverty and lower per-pupil spending, while Wilkes Central High School is a larger traditional school with genuine math strengths offset by below-district achievement and a serious chronic absenteeism problem.