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Northwestern High

Q: Is Northwestern High a good school?

Northwestern High ranks 78 th of 245 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

78^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 245 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 68% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Northwestern High is a large public high school in Rock Hill, SC, serving 1,822 students in grades 9-12 as part of the York 03 district. The school holds a consistent 3-star rating and recently ranked 78th out of 245 high schools statewide, placing it in the 68th percentile—a solid mid-tier position that improved from the prior year.

What truly sets Northwestern apart is its exceptional performance with specific student groups. The school ranks in the 88th percentile statewide for supporting students with disabilities (17th out of 136 schools) and in the 77th-78th percentile for African American students—both earning 4-star ratings that outpace its overall ranking. This means the school is delivering stronger results for these subgroups than for its general population. Academically, Northwestern has shown a dramatic turnaround in Algebra 1 proficiency, jumping from 52.73% in 2023-2024 to 87.76% in 2025-2026—now significantly exceeding both district and state averages. English and U.S. History scores also meet or exceed state benchmarks. The school has also made impressive strides with chronic absenteeism, cutting the rate from 32.6% in 2021-2022 to 16.6% in 2024-2025, now below both district and state averages.

However, challenges remain. The dropout rate of 3.5% is better than the district average but notably higher than the state's 2.1%, and it lags far behind neighboring York 04 schools like Fort Mill High (0.4%) and Nation Ford High (0.4%). Support for English Language Learners remains the school's weakest area, though it has improved significantly from the 9th to the 41st percentile over two years. Northwestern is the strongest performer in its own district, outperforming Rock Hill High and South Pointe High, and it does so while spending less per student than either. For parents, this is a school with clear strengths in inclusive education and recent, measurable academic gains—but one that still has work to do on graduation and ELL support.

1,822

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,534

Per pupil spending ?

52%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2503 West Main Street
Rock Hill, SC 29732

(803) 981-1200

District: York 03

Feeder schools for Northwestern High:

Elementary:	Mount Gallant Elementary
	Old Pointe Elementary
	York Road Elementary
Middle:	Dutchman Creek Middle
	Rawlinson Road Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

41.8%

White:

36.8%

Hispanic:

14.4%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Northwestern High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 64th percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (74% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓Above the South Carolina median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school74%

District avg70%

South Carolina avg69%

78^th of 245

South Carolina public high schools ?

Top 32%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the York 03

30^th of 75York 03 among South Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.8	78 of 245	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.6	85 of 235	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	116 of 235	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	98 of 237	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.3	98 of 226	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.7	94 of 227	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.6	79 of 225	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.2	75 of 216	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.4	80 of 223	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.5	84 of 231	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.2	70 of 232	69.8%	★★★★☆
2014	71.6	56 of 210	73.3%	★★★★☆
2013	78.3	40 of 203	80.3%	★★★★☆
2012	69.0	61 of 202	69.8%	★★★★☆
2011	71.4	56 of 199	71.9%	★★★★☆
2010	73.2	46 of 199	76.9%	★★★★☆
2009	58.2	88 of 188	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	55.5	104 of 185	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	57.5	105 of 191	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.8	112 of 191	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	68.5	58 of 187	69.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.8	44 of 198	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	65.8	44 of 194	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	48.1	92 of 194	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.0	48 of 199	75.9%	★★★★☆
2022	52.6	73 of 190	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.7	76 of 178	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.5	57 of 184	69.0%	★★★★☆
2018	54.8	64 of 183	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.6	17 of 136	87.5%	★★★★☆
2025	68.8	34 of 139	75.5%	★★★★☆
2024	36.5	97 of 145	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.7	52 of 141	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.2	58 of 139	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.5	39 of 115	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.7	43 of 143	69.9%	★★★★☆
2018	57.7	52 of 137	62.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.6	41 of 69	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.8	54 of 71	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	62 of 68	8.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	66.0	11 of 46	76.1%	★★★★☆
2019	61.9	22 of 64	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	25 of 58	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.2	84 of 227	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.1	84 of 225	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	101 of 225	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	87 of 223	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.6	110 of 220	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.7	76 of 213	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.7	91 of 213	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.7	71 of 210	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	74 of 155	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.1	39 of 153	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	60.8	82 of 157	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.7	128 of 156	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.4	43 of 124	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.9	27 of 121	77.7%	★★★★☆
2024	51.9	57 of 121	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.3	74 of 119	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.7	52 of 108	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.3	44 of 93	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.7	32 of 86	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.9	25 of 80	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.2	91 of 238	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.5	87 of 226	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.9	156 of 229	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.7	111 of 226	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.3	126 of 220	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.3	104 of 213	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.3	73 of 217	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.4	94 of 214	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.5	69 of 231	70.1%	★★★★☆
2025	58.3	82 of 224	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.4	120 of 228	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.1	104 of 229	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.1	88 of 224	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.7	107 of 215	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.9	78 of 218	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	85 of 213	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	33 of 59	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.7	49 of 201	75.6%	★★★★☆
2025	72.6	42 of 196	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	61.2	65 of 196	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.8	59 of 197	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	65.4	52 of 192	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	67.6	51 of 189	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	54.7	65 of 191	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.6	57 of 185	69.2%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2026)88th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2026)78th percentile+10 vs school

White (2026)76th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)70th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)65th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)63rd percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)62nd percentile-6 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)52nd percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)44th percentile-20 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)41st percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 288%+23 vs state

English 285%~ state avg

U.S. History and the Constitution71%+8 vs state

English 165%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northwestern High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP English 1 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2024)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP English 1 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Northwestern High	Public	9-12	2503 West Main Street	Rock Hill	29732	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1200	1,822	107	17.0	52.0%	671 (36.8%)	762 (41.8%)	263 (14.4%)	26 (1.4%)	4 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	89 (4.9%)	66.8	78^th of 245 public high schools	68.2%		56.6	85^th of 235 public high schools	63.8%	7	87.8	65.2	70.6	84.8	$14,534	$701	$807	$1,508	$11,442	$1,584	$13,026
Applied Technology Center	Public	9-12	2399 West Main Street	Rock Hill	29732	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1100	0	24	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
South Pointe High	Public	9-12	801 Neely Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 980-2100	1,128	84	13.4	58.3%	309 (27.4%)	660 (58.5%)	87 (7.7%)	5 (0.4%)	7 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (5.1%)	59.5	103^rd of 245 public high schools	58.0%		43	129^th of 235 public high schools	45.1%	26	56.4	66.1	64.5	82.5	$17,068	$739	$812	$1,551	$13,166	$2,351	$15,517
Legion Collegiate Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	505 University Drive	Rock Hill	29730	York County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 620-6040	637	31	20.5		467 (73.3%)	77 (12.1%)	44 (6.9%)	16 (2.5%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.4%)	85.5	31^st of 245 public high schools	87.3%					(n/a)	83.9	82.9	68.0	97.9
Rock Hill High	Public	9-12	320 West Springdale Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1300	1,980	118	16.7	57.1%	820 (41.4%)	582 (29.4%)	354 (17.9%)	38 (1.9%)	46 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	137 (6.9%)	50.8	120^th of 245 public high schools	51.0%		45.3	122^nd of 235 public high schools	48.1%	2	56.1	57.0	64.5	81.0	$14,729	$721	$810	$1,531	$11,478	$1,720	$13,198
Fort Mill High	Public	9-12	215 North Highway 21 Bypass	Fort Mill	29715	York County	York 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 548-1900	2,115	135	15.6	19.2%	1,443 (68.2%)	197 (9.3%)	226 (10.7%)	155 (7.3%)	5 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	89 (4.2%)	95.1	10^th of 245 public high schools	95.9%		88.3	13^th of 235 public high schools	94.5%	3		88.6	90.0	98.0	$12,542	$328	$349	$676	$9,631	$2,235	$11,866
Catawba Ridge High School	Public	9-12	1180 Fort Mill Parkway	Fort Mill	29715	York County	York 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 835-5222	1,704	107	15.9	17.2%	1,183 (69.4%)	160 (9.4%)	159 (9.3%)	98 (5.8%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	101 (5.9%)	93.6	13^th of 245 public high schools	94.7%		89.1	11^th of 235 public high schools	95.3%	2		86.2	88.5	96.4	$11,913	$280	$405	$684	$9,411	$1,818	$11,229
York Comprehensive High	Public	9-12	275 East Alexander Love Highwa	York	29745	York County	York 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 684-2336	1,511	93	16.2	57.8%	918 (60.8%)	300 (19.9%)	182 (12.0%)	17 (1.1%)	5 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	88 (5.8%)	29.2	179^th of 245 public high schools	26.9%		36.6	148^th of 235 public high schools	37.0%	31	29.8	42.1	55.6	77.4	$14,660	$810	$791	$1,601	$10,726	$2,333	$13,059
Floyd D. Johnson Technology Center	Public	9-12	275 Alexander Love Highway	York	29745	York County	York 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 684-1910	0	20	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Nation Ford High	Public	9-12	1400 AO Jones Boulevard	Fort Mill	29715	York County	York 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 835-0000	1,921	139	13.7	30.9%	967 (50.3%)	297 (15.5%)	341 (17.8%)	185 (9.6%)	6 (0.3%)	4 (0.2%)	121 (6.3%)	88.8	22^nd of 245 public high schools	91.0%		77.1	31^st of 235 public high schools	86.8%	9		81.5	85.4	92.0	$12,919	$355	$345	$700	$10,364	$1,854	$12,219

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwestern High

Is Northwestern High a good school?

Northwestern High ranks 78^th of 245 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Northwestern High?

Students at Northwestern High are 42% African American, 37% White, 14% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Northwestern High in?

York 03

How many students attend Northwestern High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,822 students attended Northwestern High.

What schools feed into Northwestern High?

Northwestern High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Mount Gallant Elementary
Elementary : Old Pointe Elementary
Elementary : York Road Elementary
Middle : Dutchman Creek Middle
Middle : Rawlinson Road Middle

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 3, 2025

2024–25 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresSep 2, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.