Cherokee County Schools & Education
Cherokee County, North Carolina
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
32/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
76.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
76.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 88.0%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,722
National avg $13,239
State avg $6,969
School Score
32/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 40/100
State Score Position
#71
of 100 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Cherokee County
Measured School Summary
Cherokee County faces educational challenges with a school score of 32/100 and a graduation rate of 76.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $7,722 per pupil, Cherokee County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 20% below the North Carolina average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 12.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 11% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Cherokee County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
13 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
32/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #71 of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data.
Completion
76.0%
12.0 pts below the state average
Funding context
$7,722
$753 above the state average
School coverage
13
1 district represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Cherokee County has 13 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Cherokee County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Dominant-district county
Cherokee County Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 13 of 13 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.
State position
#71
of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 8 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Cherokee County Schools
Elementary to high school visible
3,146 students
13 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Cherokee County Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 13 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Cherokee County?
Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Cherokee County Graduation Rate Trails State and National Averages
Education data brief for Cherokee County, North Carolina.
Cherokee County reports a graduation rate of 76.0%, which is 12 percentage points lower than the North Carolina state average of 88.0% and 11 points below the national average of 87.0%. The county's education system consists of 13 schools, all of which are classified as rural by the NCES. These schools serve a total of 3,146 students under a single district, Cherokee County Schools. Murphy Elementary is the largest school in the county, enrolling 536 students. The per-pupil expenditure of $7,722 is higher than the state average of $6,969, though it remains below the national benchmark of $13,000. The county's composite school score is 31.8, trailing the state average of 40.3 and the national median of 50.0. The school directory shows an average school size of 242 students, significantly smaller than many neighboring counties. There are no charter schools present in the county. Review the NCES directory for specific school-level locale details.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
13
in Cherokee County
Reported Enrollment
3,146
13 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in Cherokee County
Cherokee County Schools
13 Public Schools in Cherokee County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 13 of 13 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy Elementary | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 536 |
| Murphy High | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 489 |
| Andrews Elementary | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Andrews, 28901Rural: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 350 |
| Murphy Middle | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 316 |
| Ranger Elementary/Middle | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | PK–8 | Primary | 258 |
| Andrews High | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Andrews, 28901Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 225 |
| Andrews Middle | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Andrews, 28901Rural: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 187 |
| Martins Creek Elementary/Mid | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | PK–8 | Primary | 184 |
| Hiwassee Dam High | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 158 |
| Peachtree Elementary | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 144 |
| Tri-County Early College High | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | 9–UG | High | 129 |
| Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Murphy, 28906Rural: Remote | PK–8 | Primary | 120 |
| The Oaks Academy | Record | Cherokee County Schools | Marble, 28905Rural: Remote | 6–12 | Alternative | 50 |
Andrews Elementary
Cherokee County Schools
Andrews, 28901 / Rural: Remote
Ranger Elementary/Middle
Cherokee County Schools
Murphy, 28906 / Rural: Remote
Martins Creek Elementary/Mid
Cherokee County Schools
Murphy, 28906 / Rural: Remote
Peachtree Elementary
Cherokee County Schools
Murphy, 28906 / Rural: Remote
Tri-County Early College High
Cherokee County Schools
Murphy, 28906 / Rural: Remote
Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle
Cherokee County Schools
Murphy, 28906 / Rural: Remote
The Oaks Academy
Cherokee County Schools
Marble, 28905 / Rural: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,722
State avg $6,969
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Cherokee County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which North Carolina counties have the highest graduation rates?
What is per-pupil spending like in North Carolina?
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What is the graduation rate in Cherokee County?
How much does Cherokee County spend per student?
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.