Best Public Schools in Waynesville, NC

Summary:

The city of Waynesville, North Carolina is home to 8 schools, including 3 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 1 alternative school. These schools serve students across a range of grade levels and demonstrate a mix of high-performing and underperforming institutions, with some standout schools that excel in specific areas.

Bethel Middle School stands out as a top-performing middle school, ranking 74th out of 793 North Carolina middle schools and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school consistently achieves high proficiency rates, with over 80% of students proficient or better in math and reading across grades 6-8, and an impressive 90.1% proficiency in 8th-grade science. In contrast, Central Haywood High is an underperforming school, ranking 590th out of 594 North Carolina high schools in the 2020-2021 school year with a 0-star rating.

Junaluska Elementary is another standout, ranking 230th out of 1,505 North Carolina elementary schools and earning a 4-star rating. The school's math and reading performance is particularly impressive, with over 85% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in math and 70.4% and 66.7% of 3rd- and 4th-graders, respectively, proficient or better in reading. Shining Rock Classical Academy, a public charter school, also demonstrates strong performance, with 63% of 8th-grade students proficient or better in math, compared to the state average of 46.9%.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				EOC Biology (2024)	EOC English II (2024)	EOC Math I (2024)	EOC Math III (2024)	EOG Mathematics (2024)						EOG Reading (2024)						EOG Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Shining Rock Classical Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-11	2150 Russ Avenue	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Shining Rock Classical Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 476-5150	630	53	11.9		545 (86.5%)	10 (1.6%)	24 (3.8%)	8 (1.3%)	12 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (4.8%)								(n/a)	58.3	73.9	17.4	38.9	52.9	51.9	65.3	43.1	44.8	63.0	43.1	57.4	40.8	50.0	53.4	63.0	55.1	76.1
Waynesville Middle	Public	6-8	495 Brown Ave	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 456-2403	708	45	15.6	99.6%	591 (83.5%)	5 (0.7%)	72 (10.2%)	6 (0.8%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (4.0%)	58.6	299^th of 793 public middle schools	62.3%		58.8	298^th of 784 public middle schools	62.0%	1								56.1	51.7	52.8				50.6	48.7	53.2		74.5	$9,343	$1,182	$8,162
Central Haywood High	Public	9-12	62 Joy Lane	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 627-9944	68	11	6.1	94.1%	54 (79.4%)	2 (2.9%)	6 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (8.8%)								(n/a)				18.2															$18,725	$2,409	$16,316
Jonathan Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	410 Hall Drive	Waynesville	28785	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 926-3207	345	24	14.3	99.1%	307 (89.0%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (6.7%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.9%)	72.8	361^st of 1505 public elementary schools	76.0%		65.4	496^th of 1502 public elementary schools	67.0%	135					65.5	68.2	75.0				51.7	54.5	64.3				83.9		$10,398	$995	$9,403
Bethel Middle	Public	6-8	630 Sonoma Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 646-3442	249	18	14.0	98.8%	225 (90.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	88.8	74^th of 793 public middle schools	90.7%		91.9	53^rd of 784 public middle schools	93.2%	21								85.0	84.2	73.6				61.3	69.7	67.0		90.1	$11,023	$637	$10,386
Hazelwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1111 Plott Creek Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 456-2406	495	33	15.0	99.4%	395 (79.8%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (14.1%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.4%)	68.3	439^th of 1505 public elementary schools	70.8%		67.2	464^th of 1502 public elementary schools	69.1%	25					65.4	71.6	58.7				54.3	64.9	54.8				76.3		$9,672	$1,194	$8,479
Junaluska Elementary	Public	K-5	2238 Asheville Road	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 456-2407	421	27	15.5	99.3%	344 (81.7%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (9.5%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.4%)	80.8	230^th of 1505 public elementary schools	84.7%		82.4	204^th of 1502 public elementary schools	86.4%	26					85.9	68.4	67.7				70.4	66.7	60.0				75.4		$9,950	$1,085	$8,865
Tuscola High	Public	9-12	564 Tuscola School Rd	Waynesville	28786	Haywood County	Haywood County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 456-2408	908	57	15.9	99.7%	742 (81.7%)	16 (1.8%)	103 (11.3%)	6 (0.7%)	7 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (3.6%)	75.2	154^th of 640 public high schools	75.9%		71.2	168^th of 626 public high schools	73.2%	14	70.7	68.2	62.0	84.5															$9,911	$860	$9,050

Cities Near Waynesville

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Clyde	3.7 mi	3	36^th
Canton	9.25 mi	5	79^th
Sylva	14.63 mi	6	269^th
Candler	16.44 mi	6	262^nd
Cherokee	16.69 mi	2

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.