Best High Schools in Zip Code 28716

ZIP code 28716 is home to a single public high school, Pisgah High, which serves grades 9 through 12 in Canton, North Carolina, as part of the Haywood County Schools district. With an enrollment of 859 students, Pisgah High is the only high school option in this area, so parents evaluating schools here will be focused entirely on how this one school performs relative to district and state benchmarks.

Pisgah High distinguishes itself as a consistently strong performer, earning 4 out of 5 stars in each of the past three school years and ranking 160th out of 662 North Carolina high schools in 2025–2026, which places it in the 76th percentile statewide. Its graduation rate of 94.5% exceeds both the district average of 91.1% and the state average of 88.8%, and chronic absenteeism of 16.4% is lower than the district's 19.9% and state's 24.2%. On End-of-Course tests, the school outperforms both district and state averages in every subject: Math III proficiency stands at 86.1% compared to 81.4% for the district and 68.9% for the state, while Math I proficiency is 76.3% versus 71.8% for the district and just 42.1% for the state. English II proficiency is 76.6% and Biology proficiency is 70.1%, both also exceeding district and state figures.

What makes these results especially notable is the student population: 99.65% of Pisgah High students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating an almost entirely economically disadvantaged student body. Yet the school's test scores, graduation rate, and attendance all beat state averages, offering a strong counter-narrative to assumptions about poverty and academic outcomes. The school also improved year-over-year in Biology, English II, and Math I between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, with only a slight dip in Math III. Its ranking has remained steady in the 76th–79th percentile range over three years, reflecting consistent rather than volatile performance. Parents should note the student-teacher ratio of 21.4:1 and per-student spending of $9,758 from 2018–2019, which may not reflect current funding levels, but overall Pisgah High demonstrates that strong academic results are achievable regardless of economic circumstances.