Can I use Henderson County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Henderson County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Henderson County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Henderson County?

Start with the 25 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Henderson County Schools & Education

Name: Henderson County, North Carolina Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Henderson County, North Carolina

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

48/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

92.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

92.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 88.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,599

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,969

School Score

48/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 40/100

State Score Position

#28

of 100 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Henderson County

Measured School Summary

Henderson County performs at an average level with a school score of 48/100 and a solid graduation rate of 92.0%.

Funding Context

At $6,599 per pupil, Henderson County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 19% above the North Carolina average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 4.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 5% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Henderson 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

25 public schools and 3 districts 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

48/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #28 of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data.

Completion

92.0%

4.0 pts above the state average

Funding context

$6,599

$370 below the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Henderson County has 25 public schools across 3 districts, 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.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Henderson 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

Henderson County Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 23 of 25 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

#28

of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 8 points above 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.

Henderson County Schools

Elementary to high school visible

12,896 students

Elementary 13Middle 4High 6Other 0

23 listed schools in this county slice.

FernLeaf Community Charter School

Other grade structure

520 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 0Other 1

1 listed school in this county slice.

The Mountain Community Sch

Elementary school only in this slice

198 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 0Other 0

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Henderson County Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 23 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 Henderson County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Henderson County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Henderson County, North Carolina

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Excellence in a Thriving School System

Henderson County features 25 public schools and a total enrollment of 13,614 students across three districts. This robust infrastructure includes 14 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 6 high schools.

Henderson County Schools Serves the Majority

Henderson County Schools is the primary district, managing 23 schools and 12,896 students. Two charter schools, including FernLeaf Community Charter, offer alternative educational paths for over 700 local students.

A Predominantly Suburban Learning Experience

Education here typically happens in suburban settings, which account for 18 of the 25 schools. The average school size is 545 students, with North Henderson High serving as the largest campus with 1,146 students.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Henderson County

Reported Enrollment

13,614

25 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

8% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary14

Middle4

High6

Other1

3 School Districts in Henderson County

Henderson County Schools

FernLeaf Community Charter School

1 school

520 students

The Mountain Community Sch

1 school

198 students

25 Public Schools in Henderson County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 3 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

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Showing 20 of 25 matching schools

Public schools in Henderson County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
North Henderson High	Profile	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28792Suburb: Large	9–12	High	1,146
West Henderson High	Profile	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28791Suburb: Large	9–12	High	1,087
East Henderson High	Profile	Henderson County Schools	East Flat Rock, 28726Suburb: Large	9–12	High	965
Apple Valley Middle	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28792Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	825
Rugby Middle	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28791Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	804
Hendersonville High	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28791Suburb: Large	9–12	High	784
Flat Rock Middle	Record	Henderson County Schools	East Flat Rock, 28726Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	706
Mills River Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Mills River, 28759Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	589
Glenn C Marlow Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Mills River, 28759Suburb: Large	KG–5	Primary	580
FernLeaf	Record	FernLeaf Community Charter School	Fletcher, 28732Suburb: Large	KG–9	Charter	520
Hendersonville Middle	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28791Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	510
Hillandale Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	East Flat Rock, 28726Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	490
Clear Creek Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28792Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	484
Fletcher Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Fletcher, 28732Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	482
Bruce Drysdale Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28792Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	448
Edneyville Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28792Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	439
Sugarloaf Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28792Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	416
Upward Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Flat Rock, 28731Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	413
Dana Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28792Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	407
Hendersonville Elementary	Record	Henderson County Schools	Hendersonville, 28791Suburb: Large	KG–5	Primary	330

North Henderson High

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28792 / Suburb: Large

Profile9–12High1,146 students

West Henderson High

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28791 / Suburb: Large

Profile9–12High1,087 students

East Henderson High

Henderson County Schools

East Flat Rock, 28726 / Suburb: Large

Profile9–12High965 students

Apple Valley Middle

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28792 / Suburb: Large

Record6–8Middle825 students

Rugby Middle

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28791 / Suburb: Large

Record6–8Middle804 students

Hendersonville High

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28791 / Suburb: Large

Record9–12High784 students

Flat Rock Middle

Henderson County Schools

East Flat Rock, 28726 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle706 students

Mills River Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Mills River, 28759 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary589 students

Glenn C Marlow Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Mills River, 28759 / Suburb: Large

RecordKG–5Primary580 students

FernLeaf

FernLeaf Community Charter School

Fletcher, 28732 / Suburb: Large

RecordKG–9Charter520 students

Hendersonville Middle

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28791 / Suburb: Large

Record6–8Middle510 students

Hillandale Elementary

Henderson County Schools

East Flat Rock, 28726 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary490 students

Clear Creek Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28792 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary484 students

Fletcher Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Fletcher, 28732 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary482 students

Bruce Drysdale Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28792 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary448 students

Edneyville Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28792 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary439 students

Sugarloaf Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28792 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary416 students

Upward Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Flat Rock, 28731 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary413 students

Dana Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28792 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary407 students

Hendersonville Elementary

Henderson County Schools

Hendersonville, 28791 / Suburb: Large

RecordKG–5Primary330 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,599

State avg $6,969

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Henderson County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which North Carolina counties have the highest graduation rates?

Jones County (97.0%), Pamlico County (95.7%), and Currituck County (95.0%) currently lead North Carolina among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in North Carolina?

Across North Carolina counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $6,969. The highest current county values are Hyde County ($10,356), Tyrrell County ($9,655), and Orange County ($8,629). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Henderson County?

Henderson County has a school score of 48/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Henderson County?

The high school graduation rate in Henderson County is 92.0%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Henderson County spend per student?

Henderson County spends $6,599 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Henderson County, North Carolina — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Henderson County, North Carolina?

What are the major school districts in Henderson County, North Carolina?

What is the school experience like in Henderson County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Moore County

North Carolina

+0 pts

48/100

School score

Johnston County

North Carolina

+1 pts

48/100

School score

Chowan County

North Carolina

+1 pts

49/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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.

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