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List: Top 25 Best High Schools In North Carolina

Choosing the right school for your child can feel like the most important decision in the world. It’s a factor in where you purchase a home. Should you shell out…

Best High Schools North Carolina
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Choosing the right school for your child can feel like the most important decision in the world. It's a factor in where you purchase a home. Should you shell out the big bucks for private school education? How can you set your child up for success? So many parents stress about these decisions for years and years. Good thing Niche.com is here to help with rankings of schools and universities across the country. They recently released their 2023 rankings of schools. This includes K-12 as well as higher education. You can play around with the filters and view the rankings based on a variety of factors. One of the more intriguing, and important levels of schooling is high school. Preparing for college, gaining admission to the best colleges, and even getting credit hours under your belt is so important. So what are the best high schools in North Carolina? Let's find out.

For this list, we are looking at both public and private schools. The good news the number one spot on this list is a public school. Though it's a specialized one. The rest of the is mainly private schools (and multiple in Charlotte!) with a couple of public schools mixed in. You also will see two Charlotte area public schools in the Top 25.  But where did these rankings come from you may ask? According to Niche:

The 2023 Best High Schools ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, student-teacher ratio, student diversity, teacher quality, grade school ratings, and the overall quality of the school district. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.

If you're struggling with where to send your child to school hopefully this list will help you narrow it down. These are the 25 best high schools in North Carolina.

25. St. David's School

Location:  Raleigh, NC

Type: Private School

Grades: PK-12

Students: 606

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7:1

24. Wake NC State University STEM Early College High School

Location: Raleigh, NC

Type: Public/Early College

Grades: 9-12

Students: 256

Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1

23. Ardrey Kell High School

Location: Charlotte

Type: Public

Grades: 9-12

Students: 3,437

Student-Teacher Ratio: 21:1

22. Marvin Ridge High School

Location: Waxhaw, NC

Type: Public

Grades: 9-12

Students: 1,929

Student-Teacher Ratio: 23:1

21. East Chapel Hill High School

Location: Chapel Hill

Type: Public

Grades: 9-12

Students: 1,540

Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1

20. Christ School

Location: Asheville

Type: Private Boys Christian School

Grades: 8-12

Students: 294

Student-Teacher Ratio: 6:1

19. Chapel Hill High School

Location: Chapel Hill

Type: Public

Grades: 9-12

Students: 1,523

Student-Teacher Ratio: 16:1

18. Panther Creek High School

Location: Cary

Type: Public

Grades: 9-12

Students: 2,470

Student-Teacher Ratio: 21:1

17. William G. Enloe High School

Location: Raleigh

Type: Public

Grades: 9-12

Students: 2,337

Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1

16. Trinity School of Durham & Chapel Hill

Location: Durham

Type: Private Christian

Grades: PK-12

Students: 561

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7:1

15. Green Hope High School

Location: Cary

Type: Public

Grades: 9-12

Students: 2,247

Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1

14. Forsyth Country Day School

Location: Lewisville

Type: Private

Grades: PK-12

Students: 924

Student-Teacher Ratio: 10:1

13. Gaston Day School

Location: Gastonia

Type: Private

Grades: PK-12

Students: 505

Student-Teacher Ratio: 9:1

12. Greensboro Day School

Location: Greensboro

Type: Private

Grades: PK-12

Students: 878

Student-Teacher Ratio: 8:1

11. Ravenscroft School

Location: Raleigh

Type: Private

Grades: PK-12

Students: 1,232

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7:1

10. Salem Academy

Location: Winston-Salem

Type: Private Girls School

Grades: 9-12

Students: 70

Student-Teacher Ratio: 3:1

9. Charlotte Latin School

Location: Charlotte

Type: Private

Grades: K-12

Students: 1,469

Student-Teacher Ratio: 8:1

8. Charlotte Country Day School

Location: Charlotte

Type: Private

Grades: PK-12

Students: 1,738

Student-Teacher Ratio: 8:1

7. Asheville School

Location: Asheville

Type: Private Boarding School

Grades: 9-12

Students: 294

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7:1

6. Providence Day School

Location: Charlotte

Type: Private

Grades: PK-12

Students: 1,863

Student-Teacher Ratio: 11:1

5. Raleigh Charter High School

Location: Raleigh

Type: Public Charter

Grades: 9-12

Students: 569

Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1

4. The Early College at Guilford

Location: Greensboro

Type: Public

Grades: 9-12

Students: 200

Student-Teacher Ratio: 25:1

3. Durham Academy

Location: Durham

Type: Private

Grades: PK-12

Students: 1,237

Student-Teacher Ratio: 6:1

2. Cary Academy

Location: Cary

Type: Private

Grades: 6-12

Students: 787

Student-Teacher Ratio: 8:1

1. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Location: Durham

Type: Public STEM School

Grades: 11-12

Students: 680

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7:1

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.