Polk County High School

Summary:

Polk County High School is a public high school in Columbus, North Carolina, serving 579 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Polk County Schools district, which is ranked 30 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Polk County High School has shown strong academic performance, with proficiency rates in End-of-Course (EOC) exams that are generally higher than the state and district averages. The school has performed particularly well with its Hispanic and low socioeconomic status (SES) student subgroups, ranking in the top 25% of North Carolina high schools for these groups in recent years. However, the school has seen a decrease in the percentage of non-white students over the past few years, from 21.16% in 2020-2021 to 26.42% in 2022-2023, which could be an area of concern. Additionally, the school's ranking and rating have fluctuated over the years, suggesting it may be facing some challenges in maintaining consistent academic excellence.

Compared to nearby schools, Polk County High School's performance is generally stronger than the Rutherford County Schools, with higher proficiency rates in EOC exams and better overall rankings. However, the nearby Henderson County Schools, particularly the early college high schools, outperform Polk County High School in many areas. The school has also seen a significant increase in the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, from 34.09% in 2020-2021 to 51.99% in 2022-2023, suggesting it may be serving a more economically disadvantaged population, which could impact academic outcomes.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 1681 East NC 108 Hwy
       Columbus, NC  28722-9757


(828) 894-2525

District: Polk County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
292nd of 640 North Carolina High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $12,130 Help


Feeder schools for Polk County High School:

Elementary:    Polk Central Elementary School
    Saluda Elementary School
    Sunny View Elementary School
    Tryon Elementary School
Middle:    Polk County Middle School

Student/teacher ratio:  14.0 Help
Number of students:  593

Racial breakdown:

White:
74.4%
Hispanic:
15.3%
African American:
5.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  99.5% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Polk County High School ranks better than 54.4% of high schools in North Carolina. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.82. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (74.4%), Hispanic (15.3%), African American (5.6%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 99.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Polk County High School is 14. (See more...)
Help
Compare Polk County High School employs 42 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Polk County High School is $12,130.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Polk County High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Polk County High School 292nd of 640 North Carolina public high schools. (See Polk County High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Gifted and Talented students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Polk County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Polk County Schools 30th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Polk County High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 60.70 148th 431 65.7%
2007 72.30 60th 453 86.8%
2008 64.07 117th 477 75.5%
2009 66.32 107th 490 78.2%
2010 68.12 94th 499 81.2%
2011 66.70 116th 506 77.1%
2012 65.68 97th 502 80.7%
2013 58.54 85th 505 83.2%
2014 62.21 106th 451 76.5%
2015 62.44 110th 531 79.3%
2016 71.19 68th 507 86.6%
2017 62.02 125th 476 73.7%
2018 76.10 75th 469 84.0%
2019 55.28 175th 514 66.0%
2021 60.12 206th 594 65.3%
2022 69.82 170th 621 72.6%
2023 60.80 220th 626 64.9%
2024 50.82 292nd 640 54.4%
See the entire list of North Carolina High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 31.43 195th 261 25.3%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 49.81 93rd 262 64.5%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 79.73 38th 424 91.0%
2019 62.49 69th 446 84.5%
2021 60.99 63rd 432 85.4%
2022 71.88 116th 544 78.7%
2023 65.61 157th 597 73.7%
2024 47.02 265th 613 56.8%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 76.54 72nd 449 84.0%
2019 64.29 122nd 475 74.3%
2021 72.87 73rd 475 84.6%
2022 67.60 176th 594 70.4%
2023 63.18 206th 588 65.0%
2024 46.03 316th 602 47.5%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.80 100th 349 71.3%
2019 35.04 234th 364 35.7%
2021 33.24 219th 334 34.4%
2022 66.63 56th 330 83.0%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 73.82 55th 325 83.1%
2021 74.35 52nd 337 84.6%
2022 70.39 110th 398 72.4%
2023 63.93 162nd 403 59.8%
2024 46.24 285th 403 29.3%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 74.63 75th 463 83.8%
2019 46.32 218th 488 55.3%
2021 47.61 192nd 481 60.1%
2022 70.89 159th 585 72.8%
2023 57.97 233rd 602 61.3%
2024 54.35 245th 607 59.6%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 36.41 261st 437 40.3%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 42.98 172nd 340 49.4%
2019 47.73 131st 354 63.0%
2021 48.32 120th 370 67.6%
2022 75.56 88th 436 79.8%
2023 79.13 78th 449 82.6%
2024 64.85 116th 454 74.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Polk County High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 71.74 96th 427 77.5%
2019 46.24 211th 444 52.5%
2021 54.36 158th 439 64.0%
2022 59.59 206th 534 61.4%
2023 48.40 270th 537 49.7%
2024 39.22 352nd 553 36.3%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Polk County High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 



Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Polk County High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1993 458 73 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 535
1994 476 67 0 5 0 n/a n/a 0 548
1995 499 55 0 9 0 n/a n/a 0 563
1996 499 55 0 9 0 n/a n/a 0 563
1997 498 56 0 11 1 n/a n/a 0 566
1998 495 54 2 15 1 n/a n/a 0 567
1999 511 51 2 15 1 n/a n/a 0 580
2000 515 60 2 14 2 n/a n/a 0 593
2001 549 60 4 21 1 n/a n/a 0 635
2002 567 53 6 28 1 n/a n/a 0 655
2003 567 53 6 28 1 n/a n/a 0 655
2004 592 55 6 29 1 n/a n/a 0 683
2005 626 56 3 38 2 n/a n/a 0 725
2006 627 70 2 33 0 n/a n/a 0 732
2007 629 63 3 36 0 n/a n/a 15 746
2008 581 61 5 36 0 n/a n/a 15 698
2009 605 80 4 46 1 n/a n/a 0 736
2010 605 75 3 46 0 n/a n/a 0 729
2011 603 46 1 53 1 0 18 0 722
2012 585 46 3 66 1 0 14 0 715
2013 577 46 3 59 2 0 11 0 698
2014 533 46 4 59 2 0 20 0 664
2015 545 39 1 63 3 0 18 0 669
2016 515 41 0 52 4 0 25 0 637
2017 510 38 0 64 3 0 27 0 642
2018 503 31 0 66 0 0 24 0 624
2019 480 32 0 72 0 0 29 0 613
2020 456 29 1 78 0 0 53 0 617
2021 488 31 3 73 0 0 24 0 619
2022 441 27 3 76 0 0 23 0 570
2023 426 32 3 91 0 0 27 0 579
2024 441 33 1 91 0 0 27 0 593

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Polk County High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1993 535 47.0 11.4 24.5
1994 548 53.0 10.3 13.3
1995 563 49.0 11.5 9.9
1996 563 49.0 11.5 9.9
1997 566 48.0 11.8 7.1
1998 567 61.0 9.3 7.9
1999 580 59.0 9.8 12.9
2000 593 59.0 10.1 17.4
2001 635 59.0 10.8 19.8
2002 655 59.0 11.1 24.1
2003 655 59.0 11.1 24.1
2004 683 59.0 11.6 25.2
2005 725 59.0 12.3 30.3
2006 732 59.0 12.4 28.8
2007 746 58.4 12.8 30.8
2008 698 59.0 11.8 30.9
2009 736 60.4 12.2 32.1
2010 729 56.1 12.9 40.5
2011 722 49.6 14.5 39.8
2012 715 51.9 13.7 47
2013 698 52.5 13.2 45.1
2014 664 53.4 12.4 46.2
2015 669 54.0 12.3 42.8
2016 637 49.0 13.0 42.1
2017 642 51.3 12.5 43.1
2018 624 49.4 12.6 38.1
2019 613 46.2 13.2 40
2020 617 44.7 13.8 41
2021 619 41.6 14.8 34.1
2022 570 44.6 12.7 41.8
2023 579 40.0 14.4 52
2024 593 42.0 14.0 99.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Polk County High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1993 535 47.0 11.4 24.5
1994 548 53.0 10.3 13.3
1995 563 49.0 11.5 9.9
1996 563 49.0 11.5 9.9
1997 566 48.0 11.8 7.1
1998 567 61.0 9.3 7.9
1999 580 59.0 9.8 12.9
2000 593 59.0 10.1 17.4
2001 635 59.0 10.8 19.8
2002 655 59.0 11.1 24.1
2003 655 59.0 11.1 24.1
2004 683 59.0 11.6 25.2
2005 725 59.0 12.3 30.3
2006 732 59.0 12.4 28.8
2007 746 58.4 12.8 30.8
2008 698 59.0 11.8 30.9
2009 736 60.4 12.2 32.1
2010 729 56.1 12.9 40.5
2011 722 49.6 14.5 39.8
2012 715 51.9 13.7 47
2013 698 52.5 13.2 45.1
2014 664 53.4 12.4 46.2
2015 669 54.0 12.3 42.8
2016 637 49.0 13.0 42.1
2017 642 51.3 12.5 43.1
2018 624 49.4 12.6 38.1
2019 613 46.2 13.2 40
2020 617 44.7 13.8 41
2021 619 41.6 14.8 34.1
2022 570 44.6 12.7 41.8
2023 579 40.0 14.4 52
2024 593 42.0 14.0 99.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Polk County High School

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $897 (7.4%) $11,232 (92.6%) $12,130

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Polk County High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 175th of 514 High schoolsRanks 220th of 626 High schools
 1.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
End of Course Biology (Polk County High School)68.268.2
   End of Course Biology (Polk County Schools)70.368.3
 2%
   End of Course Biology (North Carolina)59.654.1
 5.5%
End of Course English II (Polk County High School)64.867.7
 2.9%
   End of Course English II (Polk County Schools)67.871.1
 3.3%
   End of Course English II (North Carolina)59.758.5
 1.2%
End of Course Math I (Polk County High School)53.348.1
 5.2%
   End of Course Math I (Polk County Schools)53.350
 3.3%
   End of Course Math I (North Carolina)41.235.9
 5.3%
End of Course Math III (Polk County High School)38.356.6
 18.3%
   End of Course Math III (Polk County Schools)41.160.6
 19.5%
   End of Course Math III (North Carolina)46.858.3
 11.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students613579
 5.5%
African American3232
American Indian00
Asian03
Hispanic7291
 26.4%
Pacific Islander00
White480426
 11.3%
Two or More Races2927
 6.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients40%52%
 12%


Schools Near Polk County High School









Frequently Asked Questions about Polk County High School

Polk County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Polk Central Elementary School
Elementary : Saluda Elementary School
Elementary : Sunny View Elementary School
Elementary : Tryon Elementary School
Middle : Polk County Middle School

Students at Polk County High School are 74% White, 15% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% Two or more races.

In the 2023-24 school year, 593 students attended Polk County High School.

Polk County High School ranks 292nd of 640 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.


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

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.





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