Surry Business

Surry County’s high schools in 2006 reported the fifth-highest graduation rate in North Carolina, according to new data from the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

NCDPI defines “graduation rate” as “the percent of students graduating from high school four years after entering 9th grade.”

Surry County has three school districts, also known as local education areas (LEAs). They are Elkin City Schools, Mount Airy City Schools and Surry County Schools. There are five high schools” Elkin, Mount Airy, East Surry (Pilot Mountain), Surry Central (Dobson) and North Surry (Mount Airy/Lowgap).

According to the Rural Development Center and NCDPI, Wake County (center of the Research Triangle), Alleghany (immediately west of Surry County), Orange and Cherokee counties had slightly higher graduation rates than the Surry County high schools’ 80.1 percent. Stokes County, Surry’s eastern neighbor, ranked eighth in the state. Forsyth (Winston-Salem) and Yadkin counties south of Surry were nearly tied for 20th highest with graduation rates of about 74 percent.