Jackson County School District

398 Hospital Road
Sylva, NC 28779-5196
(District boundaries shown in map)
4/
10
Bottom 50%
For the 2025 school year, there are 5 public preschools serving 2,333 students in Jackson County School District. This district's average pre testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public pre schools in North Carolina.
Public Preschools in Jackson County School District have an average math proficiency score of 47% (versus the North Carolina public pre school average of 51%), and reading proficiency score of 42% (versus the 46% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 37% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the North Carolina public preschool average of 59% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
9 Schools
994 Schools
# Students
3,541 Students
464,055 Students
# Teachers
244 Teachers
33,275 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
15:1
15:1

District Rank

Jackson County 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 90% has increased from 87% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (NC)
#205 out of 325 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Jackson County   School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
46%
51%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Jackson County   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.
44%
50%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Jackson County   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 Jackson County   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.
90%
86%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Jackson County   School District and public school graduation rate of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.54
0.72
# American Indian Students
212 Students
6,572 Students
% American Indian Students
6%
1%
# Asian Students
38 Students
18,458 Students
% Asian Students
1%
4%
# Hispanic Students
738 Students
105,943 Students
% Hispanic Students
21%
23%
# Black Students
45 Students
114,509 Students
% Black Students
1%
25%
# White Students
2,295 Students
189,147 Students
% White Students
65%
41%
# Hawaiian Students
2 Students
648 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
216 Students
28,778 Students
% of Two or more races Students
6%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
118
23,104
# Students in K Grade:
221
72,144
# Students in 1st Grade:
236
74,289
# Students in 2nd Grade:
271
75,942
# Students in 3rd Grade:
279
68,925
# Students in 4th Grade:
236
69,686
# Students in 5th Grade:
245
66,668
# Students in 6th Grade:
239
5,021
# Students in 7th Grade:
273
3,684
# Students in 8th Grade:
261
3,629
# Students in 9th Grade:
305
214
# Students in 10th Grade:
316
194
# Students in 11th Grade:
281
187
# Students in 12th Grade:
260
368
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $12,706 is higher 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 $12,496 is higher 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
$45 MM
$17,307 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Jackson County   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
$44 MM
$17,964 MM
This chart displays total spending of Jackson County   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
$12,706
$11,187
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Jackson County   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
$12,496
$11,612
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Jackson County   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 Jackson County School District Public Preschools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Fairview School
(Math: 63% | Reading: 51%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
251 Big Orange Way
Sylva, NC 28779
(828) 586-2819
Grades: PK-8
| 781 students
Rank: #22.
Blue Ridge School
(Math: 45-49% | Reading: 35-39%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
95 Bobcat Drive
Cashiers, NC 28717
(828) 743-2646
Grades: PK-6
| 149 students
Rank: #33.
Cullowhee Valley School
(Math: 46% | Reading: 39%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
240 Wisdom Drive
Cullowhee, NC 28723
(828) 293-5667
Grades: PK-8
| 609 students
Rank: #44.
Scotts Creek School
(Math: 35% | Reading: 39%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
516 Parris Branch
Sylva, NC 28779
(828) 631-2740
Grades: PK-8
| 438 students
Rank: #55.
Smokey Mountain Elementary School
(Math: 28% | Reading: 36%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
884 Us Hwy 441n
Whittier, NC 28789
(828) 497-5535
Grades: PK-8
| 356 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 9 schools
  • Grades: PK-13
  • Enrollment: 3,541 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 15:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 35%
  • : 90% (Top 50% in NC)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 46% (Btm 50%)
  • : 44% (Btm 50%)
  • : 61% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NC Dept. of Education

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