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Best public high schools in North Carolina

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April 1, 2024
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Best public high schools in North Carolina

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.4 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in North Carolina using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.

A class of high schoolers as viewed from the rear.
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#30. East Chapel Hill High School

- Location: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 1,475 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A student filling out a scantron form for a multiple choice test.
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Achira22 // Shutterstock

#29. Sandhoke Early College

- Location: Hoke County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 458 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A student talking to a teacher in the hallway.
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#28. Chapel Hill High School

- Location: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 1,505 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A student standing next to their backpack as seen from the knee down.
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#27. Wilson Early College Academy

- Location: Wilson County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 241 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
Students walking down a hallway with their backs facing the camera.
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Mircea Moira // Shutterstock

#26. Atkins Academic & Technology High School

- Location: Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 1,206 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A high school student doing a chemical experiment.
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#25. Collaborative College for Technology & Leadership (CCTL)

- Location: Iredell-Statesville Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 227 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A high school student sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper.
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#24. Charlotte Engineering Early College

- Location: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 299 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A student raising their hand in class.
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#23. STEM Early College at Nc A&T. Su

- Location: Guilford County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 192 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
An empty school hallway lined with red lockers.
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#22. Weaver Academy for Performing & Visual Arts and Advanced Technology

- Location: Guilford County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 306 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A student solving a math equation on a whiteboard.
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#21. Central Academy of Technology & Arts

- Location: Union County Public Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 809 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A row of empty desks with notebooks and pencils on them.
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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

#20. Johnston County Early College Academy

- Location: Johnston County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 278 (28:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A hallway lined with green lockers.
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#19. Wake STEM Early College High School

- Location: Wake County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 282 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A side view of a person using a laptop in the school library.
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#18. Weddington High School

- Location: Union County Public Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 1,844 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
An empty classroom as viewed from the back.
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#17. Lee Early College

- Location: Lee County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 278 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A pencil case full of pens, pencils, and highlighters spilling on a table.
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#16. Wayne Early Middle College High School

- Location: Wayne County Public Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 228 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A group of students walking down the hall with their backs facing the camera.
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#15. Highland School of Technology

- Location: Gaston County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 533 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
An overhead view of high school pupils in group study sitting around circular tables.
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#14. Isaac M. Bear High School

- Location: New Hanover County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 230 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students using microscopes in science class.
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#13. William G. Enloe High School

- Location: Wake County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 2,416 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
High school students studying and reading together in their school library.
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#12. Green Hope High School

- Location: Wake County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 2,070 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students raising their hands for class participation.
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#11. Panther Creek High School

- Location: Wake County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 2,326 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A stack of textbooks with pens on top of them next to an open notebook.
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#10. Ardrey Kell High School

- Location: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 3,494 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Two students sharing a book.
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#9. Marvin Ridge High School

- Location: Union County Public Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 2,032 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A high school student doing classwork on their laptop.
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#8. Early College of Forsyth

- Location: Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 260 (26:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A teacher writing an equation on a blackboard using chalk.
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Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock

#7. Onslow Early College High School

- Location: Onslow County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 190 (32:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students' backpacks sitting on a hallway floor.
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#6. Gaston Early College High School

- Location: Gaston County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 238 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Bookshelves at a high school's library.
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#5. Wake Early College of Health & Sciences

- Location: Wake County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 338 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A stack of spiral noteboooks in front of a wooden background.
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#4. Green Level High School

- Location: Wake County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 1,936 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Two rows of red lockers.
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#3. Raleigh Charter High School

- Location: Raleigh, NC
- Enrollment: 559 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Empty desks in a high school classroom.
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#2. The Early College at Guilford

- Location: Guilford County Schools, NC
- Enrollment: 197 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A closeup of a student taking notes in class.
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#1. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

- Location: Durham, NC
- Enrollment: 976 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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