- Address
- 1681 East NC 108 Hwy, Columbus, NC 28722
Open in Maps → - Phone
- (828) 894-2525
- Grades served
- 9-12
- NCES school ID
- 370372000785
School calendar
Polk County Schools's school calendar for the year — first and last days, holidays, breaks and teacher workdays, which apply to Polk County High School — with a printable PDF and a calendar file you can subscribe to.
View the calendar →Location and nearby schools
10 nearestLoading the map…
- Polk County Early College0.2 mi
- Polk County Middle School2.3 mi
- Polk Central Elementary School3.6 mi
- Tryon Elementary School4.8 mi
- Sunny View Elementary School7.3 mi
- Saluda Elementary School9.2 mi
- Lake Lure Classical Academy9.8 mi
- Dana Elementary11.8 mi
- Upward Elementary12.0 mi
- Rutherfordton Elementary School12.9 mi
How Polk County High School compares
Its 2024–25 performance score of 67 against comparable schools. Percentile is the share of that group scoring lower.
Chronic absence is lower here than at 47% of the 2,482 North Carolina schools reporting it.
Performance score since 2014
Score down 9 points since 2014 (76 → 67). Met or exceeded expected growth in 6 of 10 years. No grades were issued for 2020 or 2021.
| Year | Score | Grade | Growth | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67 | C | Not Met | 68.1 |
| 2024 | 68 | C | Not Met | 67.3 |
| 2023 | 72 | B | Met | 71.9 |
| 2022 | 75 | B | Met | 74.2 |
| 2019 | 73 | B | Not Met | 73.8 |
| 2018 | 81 | B | Met | 81 |
| 2017 | 76 | B | Met | 75 |
| 2016 | 80 | B | Met | 80 |
| 2015 | 74 | B | Not Met | 76 |
| 2014 | 76 | B | Met | 75 |
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 Polk County Schools for district totals.
Student Demographics
Gender Distribution
Total Students: 596Student counts for Polk County High School, 2024-2025, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Percentages are of 596 students and may not total 100% because of rounding.
Students
Student Population
Students Counted: 621Student indicators for Polk County High School, 2024-2025, from the North Carolina School Report Cards. Attendance is out of the 621 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: 37.9 FTETeacher figures for Polk County High School, 2024-2025, from the North Carolina School Report Cards. Counts are full-time equivalents, not headcount. Licensing and certification percentages are each out of 37.9 FTE.
NC School Report Card
2024-2025Student performance by subject
| Subject | Grade-level proficient | Career & college ready |
|---|---|---|
| NC Math 3 | 70.7% | 43.5% |
| English II | 67.4% | 42.4% |
| Biology | 48.8% | 31.2% |
| NC Math 1 | 35.3% | 12.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 51.2% | 17.6% | 17.1% | 14.1% |
| English II | 32.6% | 25% | 36.8% | 5.6% |
| NC Math 1 | 64.7% | 22.7% | 11.8% | -- |
| NC Math 3 | 29.3% | 27.2% | 29.9% | 13.6% |
Academic growth
| Measure | Status | Growth index | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Does Not Meet Expected Growth | -3.47 | 62.6 |
Teachers
Reported as full-time-equivalent staff, so figures carry decimals.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Total teachers | 37.9 |
| Experienced teachers | 37 (98%) |
| Beginning teachers | 0.9 (2%) |
| Holding a standard license | 37.9 (100%) |
| Emergency or provisional licenses | 0 (0%) |
| National Board certified | 7 |
Students
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Chronically absent (142 of 621) | 22.9% |
| Economically disadvantaged | 49.5% |
| English learners making progress (of 27) | 14.8% |
School environment
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Devices per student | 0.8 |
| Library books per student | 16.5 |
| Students have device access | No |
| Devices may go home | No |
| Wireless access points per classroom | 1.17 |
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
Polk County High School'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.
Other high schools in this district
All 7 schools →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.