Gaston County Schools School District

943 Osceola Street
Gastonia, NC 28054-1397
(District boundaries shown in map)
5/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Gaston County Schools School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 16 public high schools serving 10,092 students in Gaston County Schools School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public high schools in North Carolina.
Public High Schools in Gaston County Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of 57% (versus the North Carolina public high school average of 58%), and reading proficiency score of 52% (versus the 58% statewide average).
Public High School in Gaston County School School District have a Graduation Rate of 85%, which is equal to the North Carolina average of 85%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Highland Sch Of Technology, with ≥95% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in North Carolina or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 53% of the student body (majority Black), which is less than the North Carolina public high school average of 55% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
58 Schools
761 Schools
# Students
30,403 Students
565,764 Students
# Teachers
1,816 Teachers
33,453 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
17:1
17:1

District Rank

Gaston County Schools School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 320 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 85% has decreased from 88% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (NC)
#181 out of 325 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Gaston County Schools  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
49%
51%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Gaston County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
46%
50%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Gaston County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
61%
63%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Gaston County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
85%
86%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Gaston County Schools  School District and public school graduation rate of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.68
0.70
# American Indian Students
67 Students
5,772 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
522 Students
21,293 Students
% Asian Students
2%
4%
# Hispanic Students
6,244 Students
115,235 Students
% Hispanic Students
20%
20%
# Black Students
7,475 Students
138,700 Students
% Black Students
25%
24%
# White Students
14,229 Students
254,801 Students
% White Students
47%
45%
# Hawaiian Students
32 Students
765 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,873 Students
30,969 Students
% of Two or more races Students
6%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
316
491
# Students in K Grade:
2,176
6,922
# Students in 1st Grade:
2,184
6,949
# Students in 2nd Grade:
2,370
7,207
# Students in 3rd Grade:
2,145
7,125
# Students in 4th Grade:
2,095
7,196
# Students in 5th Grade:
2,247
7,763
# Students in 6th Grade:
2,315
11,146
# Students in 7th Grade:
2,374
12,024
# Students in 8th Grade:
2,399
12,284
# Students in 9th Grade:
2,814
137,976
# Students in 10th Grade:
2,493
126,349
# Students in 11th Grade:
2,369
117,582
# Students in 12th Grade:
2,106
104,750
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $10,299 in this school district is less than the state median of $11,187. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $10,900 is less than the state median of $11,612. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (NC)
Total Revenue
$313 MM
$17,307 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Gaston County Schools  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$331 MM
$17,964 MM
This chart displays total spending of Gaston County Schools  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$10,299
$11,187
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Gaston County Schools  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$10,900
$11,612
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Gaston County Schools  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Gaston County Schools School District Public High Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Highland Sch Of Technology
Magnet School
(Math: ≥95% | Reading: ≥95%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
1600 N Morris Street
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 810-8816
Grades: 9-12
| 528 students
Rank: #22.
Gaston Early College High School
(Math: ≥90% | Reading: ≥90%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
201 Hwy 321 South, Gaston Coll
Dallas, NC 28034
(704) 922-2405
Grades: 9-13
| 195 students
Rank: #33.
South Point High School
(Math: 80-84% | Reading: 77%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
906 South Point Road
Belmont, NC 28012
(704) 836-9612
Grades: 9-12
| 983 students
Rank: #44.
Stuart W Cramer High School
(Math: 75-79% | Reading: 63%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
101 Lakewood Rd
Belmont, NC 28012
(704) 866-5700
Grades: 9-12
| 956 students
Rank: #55.
East Gaston High School
(Math: 85-89% | Reading: 55%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
1744 Lane Road
Mount Holly, NC 28120
(704) 836-9613
Grades: 9-12
| 908 students
Rank: #66.
Forestview High School
(Math: 65-69% | Reading: 61%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
5545 Union Road
Gastonia, NC 28056
(704) 861-2625
Grades: 9-12
| 1,116 students
Rank: #77.
Cherryville High School
(Math: 75-79% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
313 Ridge Avenue
Cherryville, NC 28021
(704) 836-9605
Grades: 9-12
| 508 students
Rank: #88.
North Gaston High School
(Math: 65-69% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
1133 Ratchford Road
Dallas, NC 28034
(704) 922-5285
Grades: 9-12
| 1,083 students
Rank: #99.
Ashbrook High School
(Math: 55-59% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
2222 S New Hope Road
Gastonia, NC 28054
(704) 866-6600
Grades: 9-12
| 1,341 students
Rank: #1010.
Bessemer City High School
(Math: 40-49% | Reading: 40-44%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
119 Yellow Jacket Lane
Bessemer City, NC 28016
(704) 836-9601
Grades: 9-12
| 548 students
Rank: #1111.
Gaston Virtual Academy
Magnet School
(Math: 33% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
1 Learning Place
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 836-9125
Grades: K-12
| 323 students
Rank: #1212.
Hunter Huss High School
(Math: 45-49% | Reading: 32%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
1518 Edgefield Avenue
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 866-6610
Grades: 9-12
| 1,134 students
Rank: #1313.
Webb Street School
Special Education School
(Math: 11-19% | Reading: 11-19%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
1623 N Webb Street
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 864-9667
Grades: PK-12
| 161 students
Rank: #1414.
Warlick Academy
Alternative School
(Math: ≤5% | Reading: 15-19%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
1316 Spencer Mountain Road
Gastonia, NC 28054
(704) 836-9608
Grades: 6-12
| 153 students
300 Rhodes Perimeter Drive, Ga
Dallas, NC 28034
(704) 923-8480
Grades: 9-12
| 155 students
Rank: n/an/a
1 Learning Place
Gastonia, NC 28052
(704) 866-6100
Grades: 9-12
| n/a students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 58 schools
  • Grades: PK-13
  • Enrollment: 30,403 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 17:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 53%
  • : 85% (Btm 50% in NC)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 49% (Top 50%)
  • : 46% (Btm 50%)
  • : 61% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NC Dept. of Education

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