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What tradition at South Columbus High should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
669
High
DISTRICT 484 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COLUMBUS COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370096000237
South Columbus High
40 Stallion Drive, Tabor City, NC 28463 · (910) 653-4073 · Columbus County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL669 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 37% of North Carolina public high schools
- CTest 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
15.7:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
665 students
DISTRICT 99% · STATE 82%
Community
1
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 | 166 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 172 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 151 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 180 | 27% |
Student demographics
56%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · 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
45.3%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
32.3%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 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
39.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 39% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% 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 South Columbus High
South Columbus High's state test result (39.0% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Columbus High this school | 669 | 99.4% | 39.0% |
| Northwood High Pittsboro | 634 | 99.5% | 56.0% |
| East Rutherford High School Bostic | 623 | 98.4% | 46.8% |
| Burns High Lawndale | 928 | 99.5% | 46.8% |
| Pamlico County High Bayboro | 423 | 99.3% | 53.1% |
| Crest High Shelby | 1,098 | 99.7% | 43.9% |
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 South Columbus High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Columbus County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #314 of 468 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.3% | #260 of 464 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.3% | #338 of 448 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 669 | #291 of 598 | #1 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.7:1 | #91 of 473 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 55.6% | #306 of 474 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.4% | #139 of 527 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.2% | #87 of 277 | N/A |
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
669
-28 (-4%) vs 2020
-12% since 2000-01, when it was 763
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
was 15.8:1
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 | 669 | 42.5 | 15.7:1 | 99% (665) |
| 2023-24 | 689 | 41.7 | 16.5:1 | 99% (685) |
| 2022-23 | 692 | 42.6 | 16.2:1 | 100% (689) |
| 2020-21 | 697 | 44 | 15.8:1 | 100% (694) |
| 2017-18 | 780 | 45.6 | 17.1:1 | 98% (762) |
| 2015-16 | 808 | 44 | 18.4:1 | 100% (805) |
| 2010-11 | 782 | 43 | 18.2:1 | 58% (455) |
| 2000-01 | 763 | 54 | 14.1:1 | 46% (353) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Columbus High.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (780 to 669); teachers down 7% (45.6 to 42.5).
About South Columbus High
As a medium-sized high school, South Columbus High serves students in Tabor City, North Carolina. School enrollment was 669 students in 2024-25, in grades 9 through 12.
Columbus County Schools has 5,440 students spread across 12 schools.
A majority of students at South Columbus High, 61%, are White. Beyond that, enrollment is 23% Black, 12% Hispanic, and 3% multiracial. That is close to the 60% White share among all Columbus County residents. South Columbus High has a diversity index of 56%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
South Columbus High employs 42.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. That gives a ratio of about 15.7:1. That ratio is under the 19.6:1 average for high schools in North Carolina. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 99% in 2024-25. That is close to the 98% average for public schools in Columbus County.
The allk12 Grade for South Columbus High is C+. Compared with North Carolina public high schools, the school scored higher than 37% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
The school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 39.0%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 48.5%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Columbus County show that median household income is about $49,442, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 15% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 21 public schools in Columbus County, with a combined enrollment of about 8,386.
The nearest other public school, Williams Township, is about 3.6 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is 2. On average proficiency, South Columbus High is 5th of 6 nearby schools with test data.
Federal data place South Columbus High in the Rural: Distant locale, which means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
South Columbus High had 697 students in 2020-21 and 669 in 2024-25, a 4% decrease.
Community posts for South Columbus High can cover sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Columbus County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
50,140
Census ACS
Median income
$49,442
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
21
8,386 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Columbus County Schools
- West Columbus SchoolElementary · 814 students
- Williams TownshipElementary · 659 students
- Tabor City SchoolElementary · 598 students
- East Columbus Junior-Senior HighHigh · 576 students
- West Columbus HighHigh · 459 students
- Hallsboro-Artesia ElementaryElementary · 394 students
Other schools in Tabor City
- Tabor City SchoolElementary · 598 students
- Tabor City ElementaryCombined
- Tabor City MiddleCombined
Nearby schools
- Williams Township3.6 mi · 659
- Tabor City School3.7 mi · 598
- Loris Elementary8.9 mi · 790
- Loris High9.5 mi · 857
- Nakina Middle10.2 mi · 194
- Loris Middle10.2 mi · 725
Frequently asked questions
About South Columbus HighWhat is the total enrollment at South Columbus High?
South Columbus High enrolls approximately 669 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does South Columbus High serve?
South Columbus High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Columbus High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at South Columbus High is approximately 15.7:1 (43 FTE teachers).
How diverse is South Columbus High?
South Columbus High reports a student body of 61% White, 12% Hispanic, 23% Black, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees South Columbus High?
South Columbus High is overseen by Columbus County Schools in Columbus County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.