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Polk has been ranked at the top of the state for several years

COLUMBUS—Once again, Polk County was ranked by Niche.com as the second best school district in the state of North Carolina. 

Polk County Schools ranked just behind Chapel Hill for at least the second year in a row. Polk was ranked first in recent years and has been second for several years. 

Polk County Schools has 7 total schools and 2,254 students in pre-K, K-12 with a student teacher ratio of 12 to 1. According to state test scores, 63 percent of students are at least proficient in math and 60 percent of students are at least proficient in reading. 

Polk County received an A grade by Niche in academics; A+ for teachers, A- for clubs and activities; B+ in diversity; A- in college prep and A+ in health and safety. Polk County scored nothing lower than a B on its Niche grading scale. Polk’s school district also got an A+ in administration; a B for food; a B- for sports and an A for resources and facilities. 

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, located in Chapel Hill, has 20 total schools and 12,115 students with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1. According to state test scores, 69 percent of students are at least proficient in math and 69 percent in reading. 

The Chapel Hill district scored an A+ in academics; A in teachers; A- in clubs and activities; an A in diversity; an A+ in college prep and an A- in health and safety. 

The Chapel Hill district also scored a C in administration; a C in food; an A- in sports and a B in resources and facilities. 

Other nearby districts that were ranked in the top 10 by Niche included Asheville City Schools, which has 8 total schools and 4,558 students. 

Henderson County Schools ranked 14th best in the state, with 23 total schools and 13,487 students. The teacher student ratio in Henderson County is 15 to 1. According to state test scores, Henderson County has 57 percent of students who are at least proficient in math and 55 percent in reading. 

Rutherford was ranked 33rd with 18 schools and 8,350 students. 

Student teacher ratio is 16 to 1 with 46 percent of students at least proficient in math and 44 percent in reading. 

Niche ranked the top 53 districts for 2020 but graded over 120 districts in the state. 

Niche ranked the 2020 best school districts based on analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Factors for the rankings included state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality and public school district ratings. 

Polk County’s average graduation rate was 87 percent, according to Niche, with an average SAT score of 1140 and average ACT score of 25. 

Popular colleges Polk County High School students attend are Western Carolina University, Appalachian State University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Charlotte, Gardner Webb University and Isothermal Community College.