Alexander Central High

Summary:

Alexander Central High is a public high school located in Taylorsville, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of 1,312 and is part of the Alexander County Schools district.

Alexander Central High consistently outperforms the state average in End-of-Course (EOC) exams, particularly in Biology, Math III, and English II, with 65.5% of students proficient or better in EOC Biology compared to the state average of 53.4%. However, the school's statewide ranking has declined from 135 out of 531 high schools in 2014-2015 to 269 out of 640 high schools in 2023-2024, suggesting it may be struggling to keep pace with improvements in other high-performing schools across the state. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with its ranking for African American and White students significantly lower than its ranking for multi-racial and disabled students.

While Alexander Central High's performance is generally stronger than nearby schools like West Iredell High and Wilkes Central High, it lags behind the exceptional performance of the early college high schools in the region, such as Alexander Early College and Challenger Early College High. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 26.5% in 2021-2022 to 46.88% in 2022-2023, indicating growing economic challenges faced by the school's community.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 223 School Drive
       Taylorsville, NC  28681-2399


(828) 632-7063

District: Alexander County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
269th of 640 North Carolina High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,255 Help


Feeder schools for Alexander Central High:

Elementary:    Bethlehem Elementary
    Ellendale Elementary
    Hiddenite Elementary
    Stony Point Elementary
    More...
Middle:    East Alexander Middle
    West Alexander Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  15.0 Help
Number of students:  1,312

Racial breakdown:

White:
78.8%
Hispanic:
9.9%
African American:
5.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  46.9% Help


 See top rated North Carolina high schools

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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Alexander Central High ranks better than 58% of high schools in North Carolina. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 54.22. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (78.8%), Hispanic (9.9%), African American (5.5%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 46.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Alexander Central High is 15. (See more...)
Help
Compare Alexander Central High employs 87 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Alexander Central High is $10,255.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Alexander Central High:

SchoolDigger ranks Alexander Central High 269th of 640 North Carolina public high schools. (See Alexander Central High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Gifted and Talented students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Alexander County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Alexander County Schools 104th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Alexander Central High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 59.74 153rd 431 64.5%
2007 57.51 169th 453 62.7%
2008 48.81 260th 477 45.5%
2009 55.04 216th 490 55.9%
2010 53.38 257th 499 48.5%
2011 53.98 252nd 506 50.2%
2012 50.04 227th 502 54.8%
2013 40.65 228th 505 54.9%
2014 46.32 179th 451 60.3%
2015 55.57 135th 531 74.6%
2016 54.72 132nd 507 74.0%
2017 44.84 217th 476 54.4%
2018 42.65 254th 469 45.8%
2019 50.17 206th 514 59.9%
2021 60.16 205th 594 65.5%
2022 65.95 198th 621 68.1%
2023 56.88 248th 626 60.4%
2024 54.22 269th 640 58.0%
See the entire list of North Carolina High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 46.76 100th 185 45.9%
2019 51.53 93rd 195 52.3%
2021 52.66 88th 199 55.8%
2022 71.91 44th 226 80.5%
2023 69.76 60th 249 75.9%
2024 79.13 40th 261 84.7%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 49.74 124th 349 64.5%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 44.49 198th 424 53.3%
2019 46.37 160th 446 64.1%
2021 66.16 44th 432 89.8%
2022 68.30 132nd 544 75.7%
2023 52.44 231st 597 61.3%
2024 49.55 254th 613 58.6%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 41.81 264th 449 41.2%
2019 53.83 178th 475 62.5%
2021 58.89 135th 475 71.6%
2022 68.34 175th 594 70.5%
2023 56.48 246th 588 58.2%
2024 53.58 266th 602 55.8%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.87 186th 349 46.7%
2019 62.87 77th 364 78.8%
2021 64.62 62nd 334 81.4%
2022 66.99 54th 330 83.6%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 23.67 86th 100 14.0%
2019 53.41 169th 325 48.0%
2021 75.99 39th 337 88.4%
2022 67.45 133rd 398 66.6%
2023 52.15 232nd 403 42.4%
2024 58.32 210th 403 47.9%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 40.30 267th 463 42.3%
2019 43.79 237th 488 51.4%
2021 60.31 122nd 481 74.6%
2022 63.73 191st 585 67.4%
2023 56.49 244th 602 59.5%
2024 53.98 251st 607 58.6%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 38.07 188th 369 49.1%
2021 60.31 74th 364 79.7%
2022 70.09 90th 430 79.1%
2023 35.37 260th 434 40.1%
2024 36.20 265th 437 39.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 42.61 174th 340 48.8%
2019 28.08 265th 354 25.1%
2021 42.84 152nd 370 58.9%
2022 70.65 100th 436 77.1%
2023 42.78 233rd 449 48.1%
2024 45.37 216th 454 52.4%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Alexander Central High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools NC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 25.35 346th 427 19.0%
2019 38.31 261st 444 41.2%
2021 49.53 174th 439 60.4%
2022 54.24 243rd 534 54.5%
2023 47.57 275th 537 48.8%
2024 42.15 330th 553 40.3%
See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Alexander Central High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 



Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Alexander Central High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 994 99 1 1 0 n/a n/a 3 1098
1989 952 96 5 3 2 n/a n/a 0 1058
1990 937 87 6 1 1 n/a n/a 1 1033
1991 927 73 5 2 1 n/a n/a 0 1008
1992 883 75 3 1 0 n/a n/a 0 962
1993 863 79 4 3 0 n/a n/a 0 949
1994 837 80 3 1 0 n/a n/a 0 921
1995 814 79 10 3 0 n/a n/a 0 906
1996 814 79 10 3 0 n/a n/a 0 906
1997 895 84 8 4 1 n/a n/a 0 992
1998 902 88 19 5 1 n/a n/a 0 1015
1999 874 75 20 7 1 n/a n/a 0 977
2000 916 64 27 10 1 n/a n/a 0 1018
2001 935 55 34 14 1 n/a n/a 0 1039
2002 1260 90 50 45 1 n/a n/a 0 1446
2003 1260 90 50 45 1 n/a n/a 0 1446
2004 1338 106 54 59 1 n/a n/a 0 1558
2005 1339 113 62 70 0 n/a n/a 0 1584
2006 1373 107 61 68 4 n/a n/a 0 1613
2007 1360 96 63 69 3 n/a n/a 10 1601
2008 1331 92 59 67 1 n/a n/a 14 1564
2009 1402 113 59 80 2 n/a n/a 0 1656
2010 1406 119 57 83 0 n/a n/a 0 1665
2011 1473 75 51 90 1 0 24 0 1714
2012 1465 63 48 80 3 0 29 0 1688
2013 1428 65 41 76 1 0 31 0 1642
2014 1405 62 32 79 5 0 32 0 1615
2015 1373 63 27 92 4 0 42 0 1601
2016 1275 69 27 102 2 0 44 0 1519
2017 1203 59 23 110 2 0 46 0 1443
2018 1107 45 21 109 2 0 53 0 1337
2019 1005 47 18 98 4 0 47 0 1219
2020 963 54 10 115 3 0 60 0 1205
2021 989 58 8 114 2 1 57 0 1229
2022 1018 62 10 117 0 1 56 0 1264
2023 1034 72 9 130 0 1 66 0 1312

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Alexander Central High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1098 67.0 16.3 2.2
1989 1058 67.0 15.7 8.6
1990 1033 67.0 15.4 3.7
1991 1008 67.0 15.0 3.8
1992 962 68.0 14.1 1.4
1993 949 60.0 15.8 4.1
1994 921 60.0 15.3 6
1995 906 56.0 16.2 4.1
1996 906 56.0 16.2 4.1
1997 992 62.0 16.0 1.9
1998 1015 65.0 15.6 2.7
1999 977 65.0 15.0 8.8
2000 1018 70.0 14.5 9.1
2001 1039 70.0 14.8 n/a
2002 1446 92.0 15.7 17.6
2003 1446 92.0 15.7 17.6
2004 1558 94.0 16.6 26.3
2005 1584 95.0 16.7 28.9
2006 1613 92.0 17.5 29.5
2007 1601 94.7 16.9 30.2
2008 1564 96.4 16.2 n/a
2009 1656 97.4 17.0 35.6
2010 1665 92.6 17.9 43.2
2011 1714 94.4 18.1 44.2
2012 1688 95.6 17.6 44.7
2013 1642 98.6 16.6 46
2014 1615 97.2 16.6 45.1
2015 1601 96.0 16.6 43.5
2016 1519 96.0 15.8 45.8
2017 1443 90.5 15.9 40.3
2018 1337 89.4 14.9 37.7
2019 1219 86.2 14.1 37.7
2020 1205 84.7 14.2 37.8
2021 1229 86.3 14.2 33.2
2022 1264 88.0 14.3 26.5
2023 1312 87.0 15.0 46.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Alexander Central High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1098 67.0 16.3 2.2
1989 1058 67.0 15.7 8.6
1990 1033 67.0 15.4 3.7
1991 1008 67.0 15.0 3.8
1992 962 68.0 14.1 1.4
1993 949 60.0 15.8 4.1
1994 921 60.0 15.3 6
1995 906 56.0 16.2 4.1
1996 906 56.0 16.2 4.1
1997 992 62.0 16.0 1.9
1998 1015 65.0 15.6 2.7
1999 977 65.0 15.0 8.8
2000 1018 70.0 14.5 9.1
2001 1039 70.0 14.8 n/a
2002 1446 92.0 15.7 17.6
2003 1446 92.0 15.7 17.6
2004 1558 94.0 16.6 26.3
2005 1584 95.0 16.7 28.9
2006 1613 92.0 17.5 29.5
2007 1601 94.7 16.9 30.2
2008 1564 96.4 16.2 n/a
2009 1656 97.4 17.0 35.6
2010 1665 92.6 17.9 43.2
2011 1714 94.4 18.1 44.2
2012 1688 95.6 17.6 44.7
2013 1642 98.6 16.6 46
2014 1615 97.2 16.6 45.1
2015 1601 96.0 16.6 43.5
2016 1519 96.0 15.8 45.8
2017 1443 90.5 15.9 40.3
2018 1337 89.4 14.9 37.7
2019 1219 86.2 14.1 37.7
2020 1205 84.7 14.2 37.8
2021 1229 86.3 14.2 33.2
2022 1264 88.0 14.3 26.5
2023 1312 87.0 15.0 46.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Alexander Central High

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $776 (7.6%) $9,479 (92.4%) $10,255

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Alexander Central High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 206th of 514 High schoolsRanks 248th of 626 High schools
 0.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
End of Course Biology (Alexander Central High)55.656.1
 0.5%
   End of Course Biology (Alexander County Schools)62.262.8
 0.6%
   End of Course Biology (North Carolina)59.654.1
 5.5%
End of Course English II (Alexander Central High)46.655.9
 9.3%
   End of Course English II (Alexander County Schools)55.361.7
 6.4%
   End of Course English II (North Carolina)59.758.5
 1.2%
End of Course Math I (Alexander Central High)53.855.3
 1.5%
   End of Course Math I (Alexander County Schools)57.758.6
 0.9%
   End of Course Math I (North Carolina)41.235.9
 5.3%
End of Course Math III (Alexander Central High)57.667.6
 10%
   End of Course Math III (Alexander County Schools)63.672.7
 9.1%
   End of Course Math III (North Carolina)46.858.3
 11.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students12191312
 7.6%
African American4772
 53.2%
American Indian40
 100%
Asian189
 50%
Hispanic98130
 32.7%
Pacific Islander01
White10051034
 2.9%
Two or More Races4766
 40.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients37.7%46.9%
 9.2%


Schools Near Alexander Central High









Frequently Asked Questions about Alexander Central High

Alexander Central High ranks 269th of 640 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Alexander Central High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bethlehem Elementary
Elementary : Ellendale Elementary
Elementary : Hiddenite Elementary
Elementary : Stony Point Elementary
Elementary : Sugar Loaf Elementary
Elementary : Taylorsville Elementary
Elementary : Wittenburg Elementary
Middle : East Alexander Middle
Middle : West Alexander Middle

Students at Alexander Central High are 79% White, 10% Hispanic, 5% African American, 5% Two or more races.

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,312 students attended Alexander Central High.


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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.





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