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Ultimate Guide to Asheville and Buncombe County Schools

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When you’re house hunting and are a parent, finding a house in your ideal school district can be important. Even for those without children, school districts can impact future home value and are something to take into consideration. Thankfully, Asheville has a large selection of quality public, private, and charter schools. This is your guide to schools in Asheville and Buncombe County.

Disclaimer: The content here is designed to serve as an objective overview of the schools in Asheville and Buncombe County. We do not endorse any particular schools in the area as this is a decision unique to the needs of each family. We have described each school to the best of our ability based only on school-provided descriptions.

Ultimate Guide to Asheville and Buncombe County Schools

Asheville City Schools

Asheville City Schools serves the most centrally-located neighborhoods in the area. This magnet system allows families to select their top 3 choices from 5 differently-themed magnet schools in the area. If there are not enough spaces to accommodate local families, a lottery system is used.

  • Asheville High School – the only high school in Asheville city limits, Asheville High is located on a gorgeous, historic campus near Mission Hospital. Asheville High’s motto is “educating all students for productive citizenship, lifelong learning, and personal fulfillment.”
  • Asheville Middle School – The Asheville Middle School Cougars have the motto, “Respect. Organization. Achievement. Responsibility.” They pride themselves on being a big school with a small school feel.
  • Montford North Star Academy is a public STEAM-focused alternative middle school option. The school is a project-based learning environment. They strive to incorporate subject areas into each other; for example, connecting science units with language arts units, and vice versa.
  • Claxton Elementary – Established in 1922 and located in the heart of North Asheville on Merrimon Avenue, Claxton’s motto is “Education through Creativity!” 
  • Isaac Dixon Elementary – Isaac Dixon believes students learn best through experiential learning! The campus is situated on 17 acres and their motto is, “A Community of Engaged, Active, Hands-On Learners.”
  • Lucy S. Herring Elementary (formerly Vance Elementary) – Lucy S. Herring Elementary says they’re “a place where everyone learns and grows!” As a “school of ecology,” each year begins with ecology week and throughout the year the children work with a garden coordinator and work to be good stewards of the Earth.
  • Hall Fletcher Elementary – Hall Fletcher is a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) school. The school incorporates these elements into many of their lessons across all subjects. 

Buncombe County Schools

Buncombe County Schools operates high schools, middle schools, intermediate schools, and elementary schools both inside and outside the city of Asheville. Students are enrolled in the school in the district where they live.  Buncombe County also offers BCS Virtual Academy, an online option for education serving K-12 students in and around Buncombe County.

Students in South Asheville feed into the TC Roberson School district. East Asheville and Fairview students attend A.C. Reynolds district elementary schools. Swannanoa and Black Mountain students attend Owen district schools. West Asheville students attend Enka or Erwin districts. North Asheville and Weaverville students attend North Buncombe School District. We recommend that you explore the public schools listed under each property listing you’re exploring when you’re searching for a house in the area.

High Schools (Grade 9-12)

Middle Schools (Grade 6-8)

Intermediate Schools (Grade 5-6)

Elementary Schools (Grade K-5)

Charter Schools

Asheville charter schools operate on a lottery system.

  • ArtSpace Charter offers a complete education, through an integrated curriculum centered around visual and performing arts, utilizing an experiential approach. They believe in a family-centered, cooperative approach to education that encourages parental involvement and community service in order to nurture responsible citizenship.

    The vision of our school is to prepare and motivate students by instilling in them critical reasoning skills, respect for themselves and one another and a commitment to excellence, kindness and perseverance.
  • Evergreen Community Charter School is a learning community committed to the pursuit of excellence in the holistic education of mind, body, and spirit. Their mission is to prepare students for successful lifelong learning, social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and service. They believe in the value of the voice of every member of their community. 

    Evergreen challenges their community to discover their individual gifts, honor their inner worth, strive for excellence, pursue respectful and ethical relationships with themselves and others, and find their own path of service.
  • Francine Delany New School for Children is a diverse K-8 community committed to social justice and the inherent worth of every person. They believe that students learn best when actively engaged in an experientially rich, hands-on program of study. They’re challenged to develop critical thinking skills and to reach ambitious academic goals while developing self-respect and respect for others. Curiosity and creativity are valued; teachers function as guides and partners.
  • Franklin School of Innovation is preparing the next generation of leaders, capable of solving problems and participating effectively and ethically as local and global citizens.

    Through challenging academics, real-world learning, and community engagement, our students discover their potential, develop persistence, and recognize the value of others.
  • IC Imagine Charter School is dedicated to ensuring that all students are learning at high levels through an integrated approach to the whole child in a K-12 model by: Valuing every member of the school community; Engaging all students in Core Curriculum, Spanish, Fine Arts, and Active Living; and Encouraging students to become Leaders.

    The school offers a strong focus on the whole child and works to create a school culture that ensures all community members feel welcome at the school. IC Imagine utilizes a curriculum that fully integrates academics and the fine arts into all aspects of the school culture.

Private Schools

Residential

Two private residential high schools are located in the Asheville area:

  • All-male Christ School, which was founded in 1900, offers 500 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, 19 teams across 11 sports. Christ School wants each student to become a better version of himself by being a better student, friend, son, brother, and human being. Classes are small, AP and honors courses are available in all subjects, there are extensive extracurricular opportunities, and faculty is considered top-notch.
  • Coeducational Asheville School, which has the unique distinction of 100% of its graduates continuing to college, is a diverse and nurturing community that challenges and supports the mind, body, and spirit of their students by developing their resilience, intellect, and character. . Students at Asheville School are driven to excel in their academics, and enjoy learning. Many of their graduates are accepted to the nation’s most prestigious colleges

Day

  • Asheville Catholic School is a small, multicultural, faith-based community located in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Their students, from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade, are encouraged, challenged and guided throughout to develop strong characters, be curious learners, and recognize their unique gifts so they may become the people they are intended to be.
  • Asheville Christian Academy is a K4 through 12 school that has provided a Gospel-centered education to students in the greater Asheville area for more than 60 years. The school is committed to partnerships with Christian parents and inspiring Christ-oriented lives within a community of grace and truth.
  • Carolina Day School’s hallmarks are academic excellence, character development, and a robust arts and athletics program. The student-teacher relationship is a strong focus at Carolina Day, where students are fully engaged by exceptional teachers and staff. The co-ed independent day school offers an inclusive community, inspired teaching, and innovative programming to create a journey of excellence for each student.
  • Emmanuel Lutheran School is a Christian education preschool through 8th grade offering STEAM education in Asheville. The school’s motto is “Christ. Care. Community” and they strive to provide an academically challenging, Christ-centered education in a caring environment. Their mission is to prepare children for today, for tomorrow, forever.
  • French Broad River Academy’s mission is to build character and integrity for a lifetime of learning, service, and leadership. They offer two middle school (grade 6-8) programs: one for boys and one for girls. At both campuses, they prepare students for success in high school, college, and beyond by combining a rigorous academic curriculum with relevant, purposeful learning experiences on the French Broad River, its surrounding watershed, and international locations.
  • Hanger Hall School is a private middle school (grades 6-8) for girls. They provide their students with a tight-knit learning community and an engaging and rigorous curriculum in a challenging yet supportive academic environment. They believe the small, single-sex environment allows their students to develop their sense of identity without some of the distractions, drama, and isolation that can accompany a more traditional middle school experience.
  • The Learning Community provides an education for kindergarten through 8th grade students. The unique needs of each child are met through experiential learning, visual and performing arts, outdoor education, service, and challenging academics paired with an emphasis on social and emotional intelligence. They create a community with multi-age classrooms, a team-building curriculum that is integrated throughout each school day, all-school activities, and parent involvement.
  • Odyssey Community School is an independent, non-profit school with a focus on whole child, emotionally intelligent, personalized curriculum for students in PreK-12. Their mission is to prepare students, families, and educators to lead the 21st century with an authentic sense of self.
  • Rainbow Community School is a private school serving about 200 students from PreK-8th grade. For over 40 years, they have been recognized as a leader in contemplative and mindfulness education. The school draws from the best in current educational thinking and holistic models of child development and offers a child-centered curriculum designed to inspire curiosity through experiential thematic units of study.

Specialized

Community High School is a public, alternative high school focused on the student dropout issue. The school’s students are committed to developing their academic knowledge base, learning new work/life skills, and graduating from high school. Smaller classroom sizes and a supportive learning environment are designed to help students re-engage in their educational process. The school also offers an on-site childcare center that accepts babies as young as 4 weeks of age in order to minimize the disruption in young mothers’ education.

Martin L. Nesbitt Discovery Academy – This magnet STEM school with a focus on college- and career readiness serves students from all six attendance districts and provides students an innovative experience preparing them for college and careers in STEM-related disciplines.

Buncombe County Early College – This non-traditional Buncombe County high school located on the campus of A-B Tech and in partnership with Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction seeks to recruit students who may otherwise have difficulty attending college, particularly those who are from low-income families and those who will be the first in their families to earn a college degree. The rigorous 4- or 5-year academic program is designed for students to earn a high school diploma and a college associate degree under a comprehensive program of social, emotional, and academic support.

Buncombe County Middle College serves 11th and 12th grade students who prefer a small, personalized learning environment. The school is also located on the A-B Tech campus and promotes career and college readiness, with the goal of bridging the divide between high school and students’ post-graduation lives.

Progressive Education Program (Estes, Valley Springs, Roberson) – The Progressive Education Program serves students with moderate to significant intellectual disabilities. They serve students from all communities in Buncombe County. Their mission is to help all students achieve and realize their potential and the greatest level of independence.

There are many excellent public, private, and charter school options in Asheville and Buncombe County. It’s important to do your own research to make the best decision for you and your family. In addition to the school websites above, you may want to check out Greatschools.com for additional information, including ratings and reviews. 

If you have questions about searching for homes in the Asheville, Buncombe County, or Western North Carolina areas, we’d be honored to help. Start your search here or contact us at 828-782-5582 or altamontpropertygroup@gmail.com.