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

No. Use the Macon 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 Macon 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 Macon County?

Start with the 12 listed public schools and 1 district entry, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Macon County Schools & Education

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

Macon County, North Carolina

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

School Score

64/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

95.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

95.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 88.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,090

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,969

School Score

64/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 40/100

State Score Position

of 100 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Macon County

Measured School Summary

Macon County performs at an average level with a school score of 64/100 and a solid graduation rate of 95.0%.

Funding Context

At $7,090 per pupil, Macon County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 60% above the North Carolina average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 7.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 2% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Macon 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

12 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

64/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #8 of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data.

Completion

95.0%

7.0 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,090

$121 above the state average

School coverage

1 district 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

Macon County has 12 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.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Macon 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

Macon County Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 12 of 12 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 24 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.

Macon County Schools

Elementary to high school visible

4,450 students

Elementary 4Middle 2High 3Other 3

12 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Macon County Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 12 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 Macon 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?

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?

Data Story

Macon County Graduation Rate Reaches 95 Percent

Education data brief for Macon County, North Carolina.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Graduation rate

Macon County reports a 95.0% graduation rate, which is 7 percentage points higher than the North Carolina state average of 88.0% and 8 points above the national average of 87.0%. The county's composite school score of 64.0 also outpaces both the state average of 40.3 and the national median of 50.0. A single district, Macon County Schools, serves the entire population of 4,450 students across 12 campuses. Per-pupil spending is $7,090, slightly above the state average of $6,969 but well below the national average of $13,000. Nine of the 12 schools are located in rural areas, with Franklin High serving as the largest campus with 1,005 students. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Macon County

Reported Enrollment

4,450

12 schools reporting

School Districts

district

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary4

Middle2

High3

Other3

1 School District in Macon County

Macon County Schools

Guide

12 schools

4,450 students enrolled

Open district guide

12 Public Schools in Macon County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

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

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 12 of 12 matching schools

Public schools in Macon County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Franklin High	Profile	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Town: Distant	9–12	High	1,005
Macon Middle School	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Rural: Fringe	7–8	Middle	599
Mountain View Intermediate	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Rural: Fringe	5–6	Middle	567
South Macon Elementary	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Rural: Distant	PK–4	Primary	498
Iotla Valley Elementary	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Rural: Fringe	PK–4	Primary	403
East Franklin Elementary	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Town: Distant	KG–4	Primary	360
Cartoogechaye Elementary	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Rural: Fringe	PK–4	Primary	349
Highlands School	Record	Macon County Schools	Highlands, 28741Rural: Remote	KG–12	Other	332
Macon Early College High School	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Rural: Fringe	9–UG	High	115
Union Academy	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Rural: Distant	7–12	Alternative	103
Nantahala School	Record	Macon County Schools	Topton, 28781Rural: Remote	KG–12	Other	85
Macon Virtual Academy	Record	Macon County Schools	Franklin, 28734Town: Distant	KG–12	Virtual	34

Franklin High

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Town: Distant

Profile9–12High1,005 students

Macon Middle School

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Rural: Fringe

Record7–8Middle599 students

Mountain View Intermediate

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Rural: Fringe

Record5–6Middle567 students

South Macon Elementary

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–4Primary498 students

Iotla Valley Elementary

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–4Primary403 students

East Franklin Elementary

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–4Primary360 students

Cartoogechaye Elementary

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–4Primary349 students

Highlands School

Macon County Schools

Highlands, 28741 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–12Other332 students

Macon Early College High School

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–UGHigh115 students

Union Academy

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Rural: Distant

Record7–12Alternative103 students

Nantahala School

Macon County Schools

Topton, 28781 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–12Other85 students

Macon Virtual Academy

Macon County Schools

Franklin, 28734 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–12Virtual34 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,090

State avg $6,969

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Macon 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 Macon County?

Macon County has a school score of 64/100, 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 Macon County?

The high school graduation rate in Macon County is 95.0%, 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 Macon County spend per student?

Macon County spends $7,090 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.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Yancey County

North Carolina

-0 pts

64/100

School score

Alleghany County

North Carolina

+2 pts

66/100

School score

Greene County

North Carolina

-2 pts

62/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 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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