Ben L. Smith High School

Ben L. Smith High School is a heavily attended four-year high school in Greensboro, North Carolina, run under Guilford County Schools. The school instructs 1,348 students in grades 9 through 12. That puts it 77% above the typical public school in North Carolina, which averages around 761 students.

Ben L. Smith High School is one of 123 schools operated by Guilford County Schools, a district that caters to 68,535 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Ben L. Smith High School shows that 49% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder looks like 37% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 4% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Guilford County as a whole is about 34% Black, so the school skews considerably more Black than its surroundings.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 83 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 16.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 19.6:1, putting Ben L. Smith High School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 100% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Guilford County (around 89%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Ben L. Smith High School falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 48.4%; this one comes in at 26.2%, -22.1 points off the demographic line.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Guilford County put the typical household earns roughly $68,642 per year, 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Guilford County runs 143 public schools (combined enrollment of about 79,539 students), of which Ben L. Smith High School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Academy at Smith, around 0.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Ben L. Smith High School. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Ben L. Smith High School ranks 6th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 40.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a metropolitan area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Ben L. Smith High School has grew 6%, going from 1,274 students in 2018 to 1,348 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 31% to 37% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 14.7:1 in 2018 to 16.2:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.