Enrollment
137
High
DISTRICT 197 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHEROKEE COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370078002626
Hiwassee Dam High
267 Blue Eagle Circle, Murphy, NC 28906 · (828) 644-5115 · Cherokee County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL137 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% of North Carolina public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public high schools
Student : Teacher
15.9:1
9 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.4:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
98%
134 students
DISTRICT 97% · STATE 82%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 41 | 30% |
| Grade 10 | 22 | 16% |
| Grade 11 | 39 | 28% |
| Grade 12 | 35 | 26% |
Student demographics
14%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 30% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
70.0%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
36.8%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 70 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 37 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
48.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.0%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 49% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Hiwassee Dam High
Hiwassee Dam High's state test result (48.6% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiwassee Dam High this school | 137 | 97.8% | 48.6% |
| Haywood Early College Clyde | 177 | 98.3% | N/A |
| Rosman High Rosman | 254 | 98.8% | 51.6% |
| Mayland Early College Spruce Pine | 113 | 97.3% | 75.4% |
| Andrews High Andrews | 229 | 97.8% | 39.5% |
| Madison Early College High Marshall | 270 | 98.9% | 76.7% |
Matched among North Carolina high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Hiwassee Dam High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.6% | #217 of 468 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.8% | #220 of 464 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 70.0% | #118 of 448 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 137 | #516 of 598 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.8% | #306 of 527 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
137
-24 (-15%) vs 2020
-35% since 2010-11, when it was 210
Student : Teacher
15.9:1
was 13.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 137 | 8.6 | 15.9:1 | 98% (134) |
| 2023-24 | 141 | 14.7 | 9.6:1 | 98% (138) |
| 2022-23 | 158 | 13.4 | 11.8:1 | 57% (90) |
| 2020-21 | 161 | 12 | 13.4:1 | 32% (52) |
| 2017-18 | 190 | 16.3 | 11.6:1 | 54% (102) |
| 2015-16 | 207 | 15 | 13.8:1 | 61% (126) |
| 2010-11 | 210 | 15 | 14.0:1 | 55% (116) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Hiwassee Dam High.
Since 2017-18: students down 28% (190 to 137); teachers down 47% (16.3 to 8.6).
About Hiwassee Dam High
The public high school Hiwassee Dam High is located in Murphy, North Carolina. It offers grades 9 through 12 and has 137 students enrolled. By comparison, high schools in North Carolina enroll about 761 students on average.
The 13 schools in Cherokee County Schools enroll 2,992 students altogether, Hiwassee Dam High among them.
A large majority of enrollment at Hiwassee Dam High is White, at 93%. The rest of enrollment is 4% multiracial and 3% Hispanic. Among Cherokee County residents, the White share is about 91%. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 14%.
Its ratio of 15.9:1 is based on 8.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. High schools in North Carolina have an average ratio of 19.6:1. In all, 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 98% average for public schools in Cherokee County.
Hiwassee Dam High earns a B on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 59% of North Carolina public high schools.
The model predicts 49.0% for a school in North Carolina with Hiwassee Dam High's free or reduced-price lunch share. Hiwassee Dam High posts 48.6%.
Census data for Cherokee County show the median household earns about $53,628 a year, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Cherokee County number 13, with about 2,992 students.
Hiwassee Dam High's closest public school neighbor is Hiwassee Dam Middle, less than a tenth of a mile away. In all, 2 other public schools sit within ten miles of Hiwassee Dam High. Its average proficiency rate of 48.6% is below the 58.1% average for nearby schools.
NCES assigns Hiwassee Dam High the locale Rural: Remote, meaning in rural territory far from an urban area.
Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment fell 15%. The ratio was 13.4:1 in 2020-21 and 15.9:1 in 2024-25.
People who know Hiwassee Dam High can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Cherokee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
29,562
Census ACS
Median income
$53,628
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
13
2,992 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cherokee County Schools
- Murphy ElementaryElementary · 467 students
- Murphy HighHigh · 424 students
- Murphy MiddleMiddle · 353 students
- Andrews ElementaryElementary · 330 students
- Ranger ElementaryElementary · 264 students
- Andrews HighHigh · 229 students
Other schools in Murphy
- Murphy ElementaryElementary · 467 students
- Murphy HighHigh · 424 students
- Murphy MiddleMiddle · 353 students
- Ranger ElementaryElementary · 264 students
- Peachtree ElementaryElementary · 166 students
- Tri-County Early College HighHigh · 153 students
Nearby schools
- Hiwassee Dam Middle0.0 mi · 122
- Ranger Elementary6.5 mi · 264
- Copper Basin Elementary School10.9 mi · 321
- Murphy Elementary11.0 mi · 467
- Copper Basin High School11.0 mi · 231
- Coker Creek Elementary11.4 mi · 55
Frequently asked questions
About Hiwassee Dam HighHow large is Hiwassee Dam High?
Hiwassee Dam High enrolls approximately 137 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Hiwassee Dam High serve?
Hiwassee Dam High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Hiwassee Dam High?
Approximately 15.9:1 students per teacher at Hiwassee Dam High.
What is the student diversity at Hiwassee Dam High?
Student demographics at Hiwassee Dam High are roughly 93% White, 3% Hispanic, 4% Two or more.
Is Hiwassee Dam High public or private?
Hiwassee Dam High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Cherokee County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.