Mountain Discovery
- Address
- 890 Jenkins Branch Rd N, Bryson City, NC 28713
Open in Maps → - Phone
- (828) 488-1222
- Grades served
- K-8
- NCES school ID
- 370012902614
School calendar
Mountain Discovery's own events for the year — school events, holidays, breaks and teacher workdays — with a printable PDF and a calendar file you can subscribe to.
View the calendar →Location and nearby schools
10 nearestLoading the map…
- Swain County Middle School0.6 mi
- Cherokee Extension School0.9 mi
- Swain Academy2.3 mi
- Swain County High School2.3 mi
- Swain County West Elementary2.7 mi
- Swain County East Elementary4.5 mi
- Smokey Mountain Elementary7.3 mi
- Cherokee Central Elementary School11.1 mi
- Cherokee Central High School11.1 mi
- Iotla Valley Elementary13.1 mi
How Mountain Discovery compares
Its 2024–25 performance score of 60 against comparable schools. Percentile is the share of that group scoring lower.
Chronic absence is lower here than at 29% of the 2,482 North Carolina schools reporting it.
Performance score since 2014
Score down 19 points since 2014 (79 → 60). Met or exceeded expected growth in 10 of 10 years, exceeding it in 3. No grades were issued for 2020 or 2021.
| Year | Score | Grade | Growth | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 60 | C | Met | 56 |
| 2024 | 58 | C | Met | 51.5 |
| 2023 | 63 | C | Exceeded | 58 |
| 2022 | 61 | C | Met | 55.6 |
| 2019 | 77 | B | Exceeded | 74.8 |
| 2018 | 76 | B | Met | 76.6 |
| 2017 | 83 | B | Met | 83 |
| 2016 | 80 | B | Met | 79 |
| 2015 | 74 | B | Met | 72 |
| 2014 | 79 | B | Exceeded | 77 |
Rankings and trends are calculated by Back To School NC from NC DPI report card results; NC DPI publishes each school's own figures but not its standing among peers. See Mountain Discovery Charter School for district totals.
Student Demographics
Gender Distribution
Total Students: 221Student counts for Mountain Discovery, 2024-2025, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Percentages are of 221 students and may not total 100% because of rounding.
Students
Student Population
Students Counted: 234Student indicators for Mountain Discovery, 2024-2025, from the North Carolina School Report Cards. Attendance is out of the 234 students DPI counted. A student is chronically absent after missing 10% or more of the days enrolled; the other measures overlap it and each other.
Teachers
Licensing & Certification
Total Teachers: 8 FTETeacher figures for Mountain Discovery, 2024-2025, from the North Carolina School Report Cards. Counts are full-time equivalents, not headcount. Licensing and certification percentages are each out of 8 FTE.
NC School Report Card
2024-2025Student performance by subject
| Subject | Grade-level proficient | Career & college ready |
|---|---|---|
| Science (grades 5 & 8) | 62.2% | 37.8% |
| Reading (grades 3–8) | 58.8% | 35.9% |
| Mathematics (grades 3–8) | 51.1% | 22.9% |
Grade-level proficient is levels 3–5; career and college ready is the higher bar of levels 4–5.
Achievement levels
| Subject | Not Proficient | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics (grades 3–8) | 48.9% | 28.2% | 20.6% | -- |
| Reading (grades 3–8) | 41.2% | 22.9% | 25.2% | 10.7% |
| Science (grades 5 & 8) | 37.8% | 24.4% | 33.3% | -- |
Academic growth
| Measure | Status | Growth index | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Meets Expected Growth | -1.04 | 74.8 |
Teachers
Reported as full-time-equivalent staff, so figures carry decimals.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Total teachers | 8 |
| Experienced teachers | 5 (63%) |
| Beginning teachers | 3 (38%) |
| Holding a standard license | 8 (100%) |
| Emergency or provisional licenses | 0 (0%) |
Students
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Chronically absent (68 of 234) | 29.1% |
| Economically disadvantaged | 60% |
School environment
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Devices per student | 0.59 |
| Library books per student | 4.65 |
| Students have device access | Yes |
| Devices may go home | Yes |
| Wireless access points per classroom | 1.21 |
Federal & state designations
| Designation | Applies |
|---|---|
| Low-performing school | No |
| Recurring low-performing | No |
| CSI — low performing | No |
| CSI — low graduation rate | No |
| TSI — at risk | No |
| TSI — consistently underperforming | No |
CSI is Comprehensive Support and Improvement; TSI is Targeted Support and Improvement, both federal ESSA categories.
Download this report card
Mountain Discovery's 2024-2025 report card as an interactive PDF — bookmarked sections, donut and bar charts for performance, attendance and achievement levels, and the NC DPI and NCES sources cited with working links.
Enrollment and staffing come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD), U.S. Department of Education for 2024-2025; performance, attendance and economic-need figures are the state's NC School Report Card for the same year. Contact the school to confirm current details.