The best public high school in North Carolina is in Durham, a new ranking shows

Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska
·6 min read
4

Of the top public high schools ranked as the 20 best in North Carolina by Niche, an organization that collects data on K-12 schools and colleges, nine are in the Triangle.

Each of those schools received either A+ or A overall scores from the national school ranking website.

Niche’s list of the top public high schools includes charter and magnet schools.

Charter schools are “public schools of choice” that are operated by independent nonprofit boards and authorized by the State Board of Education, according to the NC Department of Public Instruction. Magnet schools are tuition-free schools that allow students to narrow in on a specific learning track, like STEM or performing arts, according to the nonprofit education group National School Choice Week.

For the full list and more details about each school, visit niche.com.

Here are the top Triangle schools on the list.

Mannal Amjad, a rising senior at Panther Creek High School, works on wiring a light switch during Construction Field Day at Bobbitt Design Build in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, July 19, 2022. The field day is part of WakeEd Partnership and Wake County Schools’ Career Accelerator, a two-week program to give students an opportunity for workplace learning experiences.

NC School of Science & Math ranked best in NC

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a Durham residential school for 11th and 12th grades, was deemed the best public high school in the state of North Carolina.

While it’s a public school, students need to apply and get accepted in order to attend. The school is known to be highly selective, and applicants must submit standardized test scores, request evaluations from teachers and submit a transcript to be considered. Applicants are also required to take the NCSSM math assessment before applying.

Accepted students don’t have to pay for tuition, meals, room/board or textbooks. The residential school allows 680 students per year to live within walking distance of Duke University. A second campus in Morganton allows 300 additional students to reside at the school.

Online dual-enrollment courses are also offered, allowing students to supplement what’s offered at their local public school with online instruction from NCSSM, as well as summer programs.

Expedition 60 Flight Engineer Christina Koch of NASA works inside the Quest joint airlock cleaning U.S. spacesuit cooling loops and replacing spacesuit components.
Expedition 60 Flight Engineer Christina Koch of NASA works inside the Quest joint airlock cleaning U.S. spacesuit cooling loops and replacing spacesuit components.

Astronaut Christina Koch, an NC State University grad who will be flying to the moon later this year, is an alumna of this school and graduated in 1997.

#1: The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham is a public school.

  • Overall 2024 Niche grade: A+

  • Address: 1219 Broad St. in Durham

  • Website: ncssm.edu

The school was also ranked No. #1 for both the best college prep public high schools and the best high school for STEM in North Carolina.

These top-25 public high schools in NC are in the Triangle

No. 3: Raleigh Charter High School in Raleigh is a public charter school.

“It has 559 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. According to state test scores, 90% of students are at least proficient in math and 95% in reading,” says Niche.

The school was also ranked No. #1 for the best charter high schools and No. 3 for the best college prep public high schools in NC.

Students from Green Level High School watch as Bobbitt’s Paul Murray demonstrates how to toenail wood during Construction Field Day at Bobbitt Design Build in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Around 100 Wake County high school students visited Bobbitt to see the kinds of high-paying jobs that are available in the construction industry. It’s part of the WakeEd Partnership’s Career Accelerator Program that’s giving 400 students a chance to learn more about jobs in different fields such as construction, the hospitality industry, health care and information technology.

No. 4: Green Level High School in Cary is a traditional public school.

  • Overall 2024 Niche grade: A+

  • Address: 7600 Roberts Rd. in Cary

  • Website: wcpss.net

“It has 1,936 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 20 to 1. According to state test scores, 94% of students are at least proficient in math and 87% in reading,” says Niche.

The school was also ranked No. 44 for the best high schools for STEM and No. 96 for the most diverse public high schools in NC.

No. 5: Wake Early College of Health & Sciences in Raleigh is a public application school.

“It has 338 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 23 to 1. According to state test scores, 92% of students are at least proficient in math and 95% in reading,” Niche says.

The school was also ranked No. 7 for best college prep public high schools and No. 46 for the best public high school teachers in NC.

Kenny Felder, a math teacher at Raleigh Charter High School, explains repeating decimals to calculus students in February 2019.
Kenny Felder, a math teacher at Raleigh Charter High School, explains repeating decimals to calculus students in February 2019.

No. 11: Panther Creek High School in Cary is a traditional public school.

“It has 2,326 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 20 to 1. According to state test scores, 85% of students are at least proficient in math and 85% in reading,” says Niche.

The school was also ranked No. 11 for the best college prep public high schools and No. 19 for the best high schools for STEM in NC.

No. 12: Green Hope High School in Cary is a traditional public school.

  • Overall 2024 Niche grade: A+

  • Address: 2500 Carpenter Upchurch Rd. in Cary

  • Website: wcpss.net

“It has 2,070 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 19 to 1. According to state test scores, 84% of students are at least proficient in math and 85% in reading,” Niche says.

The school was also ranked No. 10 for the best college prep public high schools and No. 16 for the best high schools for athletes in NC.

No. 13: William G. Enloe High School in Raleigh is a public magnet school.

  • Overall 2024 Niche grade: A+

  • Address: 128 Clarendon Crescent in Raleigh

  • Website: wcpss.net/enloehs

“It has 2,416 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1. According to state test scores, 64% of students are at least proficient in math and 75% in reading,” says Niche.

The school was also ranked the No. 4 for the best magnet high school and No. 5 for the best college prep public high schools in NC.

From left, Enloe High School student council members Alice Campbell, Cathy Deng and Destin Tan work on spreading pine straw while volunteering at the Alliance Medical Ministry’s farm outside their clinic in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.
From left, Enloe High School student council members Alice Campbell, Cathy Deng and Destin Tan work on spreading pine straw while volunteering at the Alliance Medical Ministry’s farm outside their clinic in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.

No. 19: Wake STEM Early College High School in Cary is a public magnet school.

  • Overall 2024 Niche grade: A+

  • Address: 2205 Walnut St. in Cary

  • Website: wcpss.net/stemec

“It has 282 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to state test scores, 90% of students are at least proficient in math and 90% in reading,” Niche says.

The school also ranked No. 14 for the best college prep public high school and No. 25 for the best high schools for STEM in NC.

No. 20: Woods Charter School in Chapel Hill is a public charter school.

  • Overall 2024 Niche grade: A+

  • Address: 160 Woodland Grove Ln. in Chapel Hill

  • Website: woodscharter.org

“It has 512 students in grades K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 10 to 1. According to state test scores, 73% of students are at least proficient in math and 85% in reading,” Niche says.

The school also ranked No. 1 for the best public high school teachers and No.2 for the best charter high schools in NC.

Methodology: The public high school rankings are based on an analysis of academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data and ratings from millions of Niche users. Factors considered to determine the rankings include academics, culture & diversity, parent/student surveys, teachers, clubs & activities, resources & facilities and sports, Niche says.

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