Western North Carolina is one of the rare areas of the country where the educational offerings are as diverse as its species of plant life and as colorful as its native pottery. The uniqueness of teaching methods and their exemplary results permeate public and private schools, private colleges and universities, community colleges, and technical schools.
Within Western North Carolina’s public school systems, Schools of Excellence, Honor Schools of Excellence, and Schools of Distinction rankings have been awarded in nearly every county.
The Department of Public Education suggests you make your decision through careful research of student performance, atmosphere, activities, location, etc. The best source of information is always the local school system. The NC Department of Public Instruction has detailed information on each individual school at its website: www.dpi.state.nc.us.
Asheville Area Schools
The excellence of Asheville area schools has not gone unnoticed. Both Asheville High School and T.C. Roberson High School have been ranked by Newsweek among the top public schools in the country. These schools were ranked based on the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by students at a school.
Two private residential high schools are located in the Asheville area include the all-male Christ School (located in Arden) and the coeducational Asheville School. Each offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and enrolls boarding students from around the world in addition to local day students.
Several other private schools, including Rainbow Mountain Children’s School, Asheville Christian Academy, Hanger Hall School for Girls, The New Classical Academy and Carolina Day School, enroll local day students.
Carolina Day School (CDS) has an especially deep heritage, tracing its roots to 100 years ago and drawing on a rich educational history. Established by the merger of two of Asheville’s best independent schools — Asheville Country Day School and St. Genevieve/Gibbons Hall — Carolina Day School embodies the highest standards of academic achievement and character development. CDS is actually made up of four divisions: the Lower School, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade; the Key School, for students in first through eighth grade with language-based learning differences; the Middle School, sixth through eighth grade; and the Upper School, ninth through 12th grade. All tolled, there are nearly 700 students, 100 faculty members, and 2,000 alumni. CDS is a college preparatory school, with a remarkable record of student achievement. The Upper School students average 200 points higher on SAT scores than state and national averages. Graduates attend the finest colleges and universities in the nation with the vast majority going to the college of their choice.
Asheville is also home to Francine Delany New School for Children, one of the first charter schools in North Carolina, as well as the New City Christian School, a private school whose mission is to educate low-income students.
Higher Education
Western North Carolina is home to three of the nation’s most respected regional public universities — Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina at Asheville and Western Carolina University — as well as several private liberal arts colleges and 10 community colleges. In addition to excellent academic offerings for registered students, they all offer great special events and programs open to the public.
One of the 16 universities in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian State University (ASU) is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and located in Boone. Offering a challenging academic environment, energetic campus life and breathtaking location, Appalachian State combines the best attributes of a small liberal arts college with those of a large research university. Known for its value and affordability, ASU enrolls about 17,000 students and offers more than 140 undergraduate and graduate majors. Small classes and close interactions between faculty and students create a strong sense of community. ASU’s consistent quality is reflected by high rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 America’s Best Colleges Guide, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s “Best Values in Public Colleges” for 2012, Forbes “100 Best College Buys,” Consumer Digest’s “Top Five Values in Public Colleges and Universities,” and the Princeton Review’s “Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition,” among others.
As the only designated liberal arts institution in the 16-campus University of North Carolina system, the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) serves students who are prepared for academic challenges by offering an intellectually rigorous education that builds critical thinking and workforce skills. UNCA gets high marks for educational innovation from U.S. News & World Report and is ranked among the best liberal arts colleges nationally. The main campus is located just a mile north of downtown Asheville.
Western Carolina University (WCU) was founded in 1889 to bring higher education and career opportunities to the western region of North Carolina. As a member of the University of North Carolina system, it now provides an education to more than 9,000 students from 38 states and 32 countries. WCU’s academic programs span more than 120 specialties—including the nation’s highest-ranked entrepreneurship and project management programs, a national award-winning teacher education program and the nation’s first accredited four-year emergency medical care program.
Private Liberal Arts Colleges
Brevard College offers more than 40 majors and minors, including pre-professional programs in such fields as teacher licensure, pre-med/dentistry, pre-law and more. Students enjoy outstanding opportunities through partnerships with organizations like the Pisgah Forest Institute and the Library of Congress’ Adventures of the American Mind.
Its fine arts and music communities provide a remarkable range of cultural experiences. This four-year private, coeducational, comprehensive liberal arts college is affiliated with the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Mars Hill College is a private, liberal arts institution offering over 30 baccalaureate degrees, including music, education, zoology and one graduate degree in elementary education. Founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region, the campus is located just 20 minutes north of Asheville in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The college is also known for its Adult and Graduate Studies program that serves career-minded professionals seeking a degree in business, education or social work.
Montreat College is a private, four-year, liberal arts, Christian college with four campuses located in Black Mountain, Asheville, Charlotte and its primary campus in Montreat. The college offers on-campus traditional four-year degrees, an adult studies program, and courses in team and professional development.
Just a few miles east of Asheville, lies Warren Wilson College (WWC). Founded in 1894 upon a philosophy of sustainability that thrives to this day, WWC is an accredited, four-year, private liberal arts college. WWC’s vision is a model for liberal arts education through the innovation of its educational program, the quality of its academic engagement, its sustainability principles and the depth of its commitment to diversity.
For more on this story, click here to order our magazine.