Best High Schools in Zip Code 28906

ZIP code 28906 in Murphy, North Carolina is home to four high schools in Cherokee County Schools — Murphy High, Tri-County Early College High, Hiwassee Dam High, and The Oaks Academy — that together serve roughly 757 students in grades 9–12 (one school also serves grades 6–12) in a high-poverty area of the state. The district ranks at the 50th percentile statewide, yet that average masks a striking spread of outcomes within this small ZIP code.

Families will find notably different profiles. Tri-County Early College High is the clear academic standout, ranked in the 72nd percentile with a 4-star rating; its 90.5% Biology proficiency and 85.0% English II proficiency far exceed district and state averages. Murphy High is the largest traditional school at 424 students; its ranking recently slipped to the 44th percentile, but its graduation rate remains solid at 94.9%. Hiwassee Dam High posts the best attendance in the group — 26.2% chronic absenteeism, well below the district rate — along with a strong 92.7% graduation rate, though its math and science proficiency trails the others. The Oaks Academy is the most concerning option: despite spending the most per student ($16,426) and having the smallest class sizes, it sits in the bottom 6th percentile of state rankings, with a 76.9% graduation rate, 77.7% chronic absenteeism, and very low test proficiency.

Several takeaways stand out. High poverty does not predict outcomes here: Tri-County Early College High succeeds academically despite 96% free/reduced lunch eligibility, while The Oaks Academy has the lowest poverty rate in the group yet the weakest results. Chronic absenteeism runs well above the state rate at every school, but its effect is inconsistent — Tri-County Early College High posts top scores despite 43.2% absenteeism. Small enrollments at Tri-County Early College High, Hiwassee Dam High, and The Oaks Academy cause sizeable year-to-year swings in proficiency, so parents should weigh multi-year patterns rather than a single year's data. And notably, Tri-County Early College High and The Oaks Academy share the same street address, yet their outcomes are nearly opposites — evidence that separate programs can serve very different student needs within the same campus.