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What do students at West Columbus High actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
459
High
DISTRICT 484 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COLUMBUS COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370096000373
West Columbus High
7294 Andrew Jackson Hwy SW, Cerro Gordo, NC 28430 · (910) 654-6111 · Columbus County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL459 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 11% of North Carolina public high schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-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
14.0:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
98%
448 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 | 129 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 129 | 28% |
| Grade 11 | 90 | 20% |
| Grade 12 | 111 | 24% |
Student demographics
63%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
30.5%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
36.4%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 31 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
26.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.0%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-22.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 27% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 West Columbus High
West Columbus High's state test result (26.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Columbus High this school | 459 | 97.6% | 26.9% |
| Bartlett Yancey High Yanceyville | 635 | 99.5% | 35.5% |
| John A Holmes High Edenton | 554 | 99.5% | 41.7% |
| Whiteville High Whiteville | 639 | 99.5% | 39.7% |
| Jones Senior High School Trenton | 495 | 99.4% | 47.6% |
| Nash Central High Rocky Mount | 703 | 99.6% | 50.1% |
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 West Columbus High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Columbus County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 26.9% | #418 of 468 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.4% | #224 of 464 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 30.5% | #423 of 448 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 459 | #356 of 598 | #4 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.0:1 | #40 of 473 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.7% | #210 of 474 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.6% | #315 of 527 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.4% | #131 of 164 | 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
459
+46 (+11%) vs 2020
-41% since 1990-91, when it was 776
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
was 13.3:1
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 | 459 | 32.9 | 14.0:1 | 98% (448) |
| 2023-24 | 455 | 28.5 | 16.0:1 | 99% (452) |
| 2022-23 | 400 | 25.8 | 15.5:1 | 98% (393) |
| 2020-21 | 413 | 31 | 13.3:1 | 99% (410) |
| 2017-18 | 444 | 32.6 | 13.6:1 | 98% (437) |
| 2015-16 | 499 | 35 | 14.3:1 | 99% (494) |
| 2010-11 | 520 | 38 | 13.7:1 | 65% (340) |
| 2000-01 | 670 | 48 | 14.0:1 | 60% (401) |
| 1990-91 | 776 | 56 | 13.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Columbus High.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (444 to 459); teachers up 1% (32.6 to 32.9).
About West Columbus High
West Columbus High is a small high school located in Cerro Gordo, North Carolina. The school teaches grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 459 students. That puts enrollment 40% below the 761-student average for high schools in North Carolina.
Columbus County Schools has 5,440 students in 12 schools, and West Columbus High is one of those schools.
At West Columbus High, White students make up the biggest share, 45%. Smaller groups are 41% Black, 7% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 3% Native American. County-wide, 60% of Columbus County residents are White. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 63%.
The school has 32.9 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of 14.0 students per teacher. The average for high schools in North Carolina is 19.6:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. The school reported 98% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. That is in line with the 98% average for public schools in Columbus County.
Among North Carolina public high schools, West Columbus High outscored 11%, which works out to a D on the allk12 Grade.
West Columbus High posts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 26.9%. Schools with its free or reduced-price lunch share in North Carolina are predicted to post 49.0%, so the school is 22.2 points behind and in the state's bottom 10%.
In the wider Columbus County area, the median household earns about $49,442 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 15% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 15%. West Columbus High shares Columbus County with 20 other public schools.
West Columbus High is about 0.4 miles from West Columbus School, its nearest public school. West Columbus High has 3 other public schools within ten miles. Nearby schools average 46.2% on proficiency, and West Columbus High is below that at 26.9%.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Rural: Remote: in rural territory far from an urban area.
Federal enrollment counts increased from 413 (2020-21) to 459 (2024-25).
West Columbus High has a community page on allk12 for topics such as special education services, counseling, and support programs. You can also rate the school on this page.
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
- South Columbus HighHigh · 669 students
- Williams TownshipElementary · 659 students
- Tabor City SchoolElementary · 598 students
- East Columbus Junior-Senior HighHigh · 576 students
- Hallsboro-Artesia ElementaryElementary · 394 students
Nearby schools
- West Columbus School0.4 mi · 814
- Chadbourn Elementary5.9 mi · 233
- Columbus Career and College Academy8.1 mi · 230
- Classical Charter Schools of Whiteville10.1 mi · 842
- Orrum Middle10.7 mi · 294
- Whiteville Primary12.1 mi · 486
Frequently asked questions
About West Columbus HighWhat is the total enrollment at West Columbus High?
West Columbus High enrolls approximately 459 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does West Columbus High serve?
West Columbus High serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Columbus High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at West Columbus High is approximately 14.0:1 (33 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at West Columbus High?
At West Columbus High, the student body is approximately 45% White, 7% Hispanic, 41% Black, 4% Two or more.
Is West Columbus High public or private?
West Columbus High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Columbus County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.