Polk ranks 10th in state for high school graduation

POLK COUNTY—Polk County is ranked one of the top schools systems in the state, with the last two years ranked second and first, but is also ranked in the top 10 as school systems with the highest graduation rates. 

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners recently released its 2019 Map Book, with statistics on a variety of factors for the state’s 100 counties. 

Polk County ranked 10th in highest graduation rate at 92 percent for 2019. 

The highest graduation rate was in Jones County, with a rate of above 95 percent. Greene, Avery, Gates, Elkin City Schools, Asheboro City Schools, Union, Cherokee and Yancey counties were the only systems that ranked higher than Polk. 

Henderson County was ranked 16th, with a graduation rate of 91.4 percent.  

Asheville City Schools was ranked 27th highest in the state, with a graduation rate of 89.4 percent and Buncombe County Schools was ranked 32nd with a graduation rate of 87.8 percent. 

Rutherford County Schools was ranked 59th in the state with a graduation rate of 84.1 percent. 

The lowest graduation rate in the state was in Northampton at 63.4 percent, followed by Martin at 69.5 percent. 

The four-year graduation rate is the percentage of students graduating from high school after four years in each district. 

The NCACC releases a map book every year. The data and maps highlight the state’s demographic, economic, health and educational information from all 100 counties.