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B+

Polk County Schools

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 3 towns

Serves Tryon, Columbus and Saluda.

Tryon’s School Grade B+ better than 73% of North Carolina school districts

Students
2,110
Schools
7
Spent per student
$16,033
NC $13,045
Students per teacher
14:1
Free or reduced lunch
99%
Debt
$5.3M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Polk County Schools

  • Its letter, B+: results better than 73% of North Carolina districts
  • Math proficiency 15 pts above the state
  • Reading proficiency 17 pts above the state
  • Spends 23% more per student than the NC average
  • 14 students per teacher
  • Debt of $5.3M, about $2,497 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B+: better than 73% of the 325 North Carolina school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
A−
GraduationFour-year graduation below the state, class of 2023
C−
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
B+Tryon 1,634B+Columbus 1,042Saluda 671

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Tryon. Grade by grade →

PK–5Tryon Elementary SchoolThis district
6–8Polk County Middle SchoolThis district
9–122 high schoolsThis district

Test scores vs. NC

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency66%
State average 50.8% · 1,005 students tested
Reading / language arts67%
State average 49.9% · 1,094 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)80–84%
State average 86.5% · 191 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$16,033 per student · 23% above NC
Spending
Classroom instruction 61%Support & administration 33%Other 6%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 25%State 57%Federal 18%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
2,154’20
2,129’21
2,166’22
2,156’23
2,110’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 76%Hispanic 13%Black 6%Two or more races 5%Asian <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

7 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with North Carolina’s other public schools.

Polk Central Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Mill Spring
A
379 students16:1
Tryon Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Tryon
A−
367 students14:1
Saluda Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Saluda
A
142 students10:1
Sunny View Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Mill Spring
B
120 students12:1
Polk County Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Mill Spring
B+
454 students11:1
Polk County High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Columbus
A
596 students19:1
Polk County Early College
High · Grades 9–12 · Columbus
A
52 students19:1

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within North Carolina.