Best High Schools in Zip Code 28712

Zip code 28712 in Brevard, North Carolina, is home to two public secondary schools serving grades 6-12 and 9-12 within the Transylvania County Schools district, which ranks 55th out of 246 North Carolina districts and holds a 4-star rating. The two schools—Brevard High and Davidson River School—offer starkly contrasting educational experiences despite sharing the same district and community.

Brevard High is the area's academic standout. Serving just under 800 students in grades 9-12, it ranks #181 out of 662 North Carolina high schools (73rd percentile, 4 stars) and has improved from its previous #195 ranking. The school reports a 93.5% graduation rate and remarkably low chronic absenteeism of 10.7%—far better than the district's 20.0% and the state's 24.2%. In every tested End-of-Course subject, Brevard High beat state averages, with particularly strong results in Math I (71.1% vs. 42.1% statewide) and Math III (89.7% vs. 68.9%). Most striking, the school achieves these results with 99.62% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, demonstrating that high poverty does not have to mean low performance. Its 2024-25 to 2025-26 gains were substantial, including an 18.5-point jump in Math I proficiency.

By contrast, Davidson River School is a very small, high-needs alternative school with just 61 students in grades 6-12. It ranks at the 8th percentile statewide with 0 stars, and its graduation rate (63.6%) trails Brevard High by 30 points. Chronic absenteeism stands at a striking 72.8%, nearly seven times Brevard High's rate, and both available EOC proficiency rates (English II at 33.3% and Math I at 13.3%) fall far below district and state averages. The school does spend more per student ($16,825 vs. $11,996) and maintains a lower student-teacher ratio (6.7:1 vs. 14.0:1), reflecting the intensive support its students require, but these resources have not yet translated into higher outcomes. Attendance is likely the key lever: Davidson River's chronic absenteeism is dramatically higher than Brevard High's, making the 62-point gap in that metric central to understanding the achievement and graduation differences between these two schools.