Education

Public Schools

The Henderson County Public School system ranks 8th among the top NC school systems for elementary, middle, and high schools. The system is comprised of 13,310 students (9/22/09) among 23 schools located throughout county. Average class size in grades K-2 is 20 students. Through investments in high quality teachers, innovative teaching tools, and state of the art academic facilities students in the local schools system are afforded an opportunity to pursue scholastic excellence. The class of 2010 had 800 graduates with 17% achieving North Carolina Scholar status. Henderson County consistently out performs peer school systems. SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) performance during the 2009 academic year was an average of 1544 (34 points above the National average, 58 points above the State average). HCPS ranks 4th in the Western Regional and 10th in the State. For more information the Henderson County Public School website serves as an excellent resource for additional information and enrollment procedures. READ MORE >

Higher Education

Henderson County is home to Blue Ridge Community College, North Carolina’s only community college to receive superior ranking seven years in a row. Blue Ridge Community College offers 95 programs, including 41 associate degree programs, 30 certificate programs, 21 diploma programs, and 3 articulated programs. On average 3,100 students enroll at the accredited institute and 375 graduate. Upon graduation, students are eligible to transfer to any of North Carolina’s 18 public schools. READ MORE >