Summary:
The city of Columbus, North Carolina is home to two high schools: Polk County High School and Polk County Early College. While both schools serve the Polk County Schools district, Polk County Early College stands out as the top-performing institution, consistently ranking among the best high schools in the state.
Polk County Early College has maintained a 4-5 star rating from School Digger and outperforms Polk County High School and the overall Polk County Schools district on end-of-course exams. In the most recent school year, Polk County Early College had a 93.3% proficiency rate in Biology EOC, compared to 43.9% at Polk County High School and 48% for the district. Additionally, Polk County Early College has a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting it may be attracting a more economically advantaged student population.
Despite Polk County High School spending nearly $2,600 more per student than Polk County Early College, the significant performance gap between the two schools suggests that the early college model may be more effective in this context. Polk County Early College's smaller enrollment and higher student-teacher ratio may also contribute to its academic success, providing a more personalized learning environment for students.
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