Asheville City / Buncombe County Schools

The Asheville City/Buncombe County area is unique in that it operates separate city and county school districts.

The Asheville City Schools system serves the most centrally located neighborhoods, with approximately 4,500 students across 10 educational campuses. There are five elementary magnet schools and a Montessori public school (pre-K through third grade), as well as two middle school and two choices for high school.

Students who don’t reside in the Asheville City Schools district but wish to attend Asheville City Schools can apply for discretionary admission. The annual tuition for discretionary students is $300 per family for Buncombe County residents and $1,200 per family for residents outside of Buncombe County.

The Buncombe County Schools system operates neighborhood-based elementary schools across six individual districts where children attend a school based upon the district in which they live. All together, BCS serves over 24,000 students across 44 schools.
 

Asheville City Schools

Asheville City Schools celebrates each child's passage through educational achievement, a journey championed by a vibrant community of teachers, parents, mentors, staff and fellow students. The school system is one of 15 city districts in the state. 

The city school system has a strong partnership with the Asheville City Schools Foundation, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to educational success for all city schools students. Since 2000, the Foundation has provided over $1.6 million to projects that directly support the students and educators in Asheville City Schools and over $2.7 million to students through scholarships. 

Elementary Education

Asheville City Schools’ elementary school model is based on a magnet system where families can select their top three choices from five differently themed magnet schools. If there is more demand than availability, a lottery is used for placement. In addition to the magnet schools is Asheville Primary School, a  Montessori public school serving pre-K through third grade; it is also home to the Asheville City Schools Preschool Program and the community-based Play and Learn Program.

The elementary magnet school options are:

Claxton Elementary School of Arts and Humanities – Provides a curriculum that incorporates art, music, drama and physical education

Vance Elementary School of Ecology – Focuses on the study of people and their relationship with the natural environment

Hall Fletcher Elementary School (science, math and technology) – Provides academic rigor to every student while valuing the group’s diverse culture and ideas

Isaac Dickson Elementary School (experiential education) – Provides comprehensive language arts, math, science, and social studies instruction

Ira B. Jones Elementary School of Global Scholars – Focuses on service learning, 21st Century Skills, environmental stewardship, multicultural awareness, and technology integration

Secondary Education

Asheville City Schools’ secondary programming is designed to meet the needs and interests of all students, and to prepare them for life after graduation, whether it be college or career.

Students in Asheville City Schools have two choices for middle school, Asheville Middle School and Montford North Star Academy; and two choices for high school, Asheville High School and the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville (SILSA). 

Asheville Middle School has been the long-standing public middle school for students within the Asheville City Schools district. In 2017, Montford North Star Academy opened as STEAM-focused alternative middle school option. Both of these middle schools have excellent community partnerships in place. 

Asheville High School shares a beautiful historic campus with the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville, which operates as a smaller school within a school. These two schools have a long tradition of academic excellence and partner with Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College on college credit coursework. Both schools offer a large number of AP and honors courses, as well as a wide range of electives. Additionally, robust offerings are available to students in the arts, Marine Corps JROTC, Career Technical Education and physical education.

Sports and Extracurricular Activities

AMS and MNSA sports offerings include football, volleyball, boys’ soccer, tennis (boys and girls), cross-country (boys and girls), basketball (boys and girls), wrestling, track (boys and girls), girls’ soccer, golf (boys and girls), baseball, softball and cheerleading. Only seventh and eighth graders at AMS and MNSA can participate in middle-school sports. Some sports allow for sixth graders to help manage the team.

In high school, sports offerings grow to include hockey, swimming and lacrosse. Other high-school extracurricular activities include Theatre Arts and a number of clubs spanning a range of interests, from ceramics to spoken word to cosmetology.
 

Contact Information for Asheville City Schools

Claxton Elementary
828.350.6500

Hall Fletcher Elementary
828.350.6400

Ira B. Jones Elementary
828.350.6700

Isaac Dickson Elementary
828.350.6800

Vance Elementary
828.350.6600

Asheville Primary School
828.350.2900

Montford North Star Academy
828.350.6900

Asheville Middle School 
828.350.6200

Asheville High School
828.350.2500

School of Inquiry and Life Sciences Asheville
828.350.2700

Buncombe County Schools

Buncombe County Schools (BCS) is a K-12 public school system serving students in Buncombe County. BCS is North Carolina’s 13th largest school system and the largest district in Western North Carolina. BCS is the county’s second-largest employer, employing nearly 3,800 people. All together BCS serves over 24,000 students across 44 schools. 

Buncombe County Schools is one school system consisting of six individual districts – Roberson, North Buncombe, Owen, Reynolds, Enka, Erwin. Schools are assigned to these districts based on geography. Below you will find a list of all schools by district. Select a school to learn more. You can find out what school your children will be assigned by using the Buncombe County School School District Mapping Tool.

Buncombe County Schools’ Core Values Include:

• Teaching the Whole Child

• Personalizing Instruction

• Empowering World-Class Educators

• Encouraging Personal Growth

• Embracing Diversity

• Investing Purposefully

• Collaborating & Communicating

Graduation rates for BCS students have been steadily improving since the Graduation Initiative went into effect in 2006. Since then, dropout rates have decreased 57%. For the 2015-2016 school year, the BCS graduation rate was 85.7%, more than a 15% increase from 2010. 

In 2014, BCS Student Services was awarded a $1.2 million Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Grant. This grant allowed for the implementation of a Compassionate Schools model. Through this grant, teachers were provided professional development on the impact of chronic stress on the brain and its effects on academics and behaviors as well as other initiatives. 

There are a multitude of art programs offered at BCS schools. From traditional visual arts and band to dance and musical theatre, there’s something for every student to express their artistic voice. 

There are 21 athletic sports offered at BCS high schools, and 16 sports offered at BCS middle schools. BCS sports programs are dedicated to promoting high standards of competence, character, civility, and citizenship. 

Buncombe County Schools is part of the Global Schools Network and offers study abroad programs for students, teachers, and admin in countries such as China and Denmark. In addition, to study abroad programs, there are a variety of language courses available for students. In high school, students are able to take language courses such as Chinese, French, German, Latin, Russian, Spanish, and Spanish for native speakers. Spanish dual-language programs are offered starting in elementary school. 

In addition to traditional education programs, students also have access to career and technical education courses that include work-based learning, free college credit, career-oriented summer camps, and much more. 

Buncombe County Schools by District

Below are all schools in the Buncombe County Schools system sorted by district. Not sure where your kids will be enrolled?  Use the Buncombe County School School District Mapping Tool.

Enka District

Elementary Schools

Candler Elementary
Candler, NC | 828.670.5018

Hominy Valley Elementary
Candler, NC | 828.665.0619

Pisgah Elementary
Candler, NC | 828.670.5023

Sand Hill-Venable Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.670.5028

Intermediate School

Enka Intermediate
Candler, NC | 828.255.1380

Middle School

Enka Middle
Candler, NC | 828.670.5010

High School

Enka High
Candler, NC | 828.670.5000

 

Erwin District

Elementary Schools

Emma Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.232.4272

Johnston Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.232.4291

Leicester Elementary
Leicester, NC | 828.683.2341

West Buncombe Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.232.4282

Woodfin Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.232.4287

Intermediate School

Joe P. Eblen Intermediate
Asheville, NC| 828.255.5757

Middle School

C.A. Erwin Middle
Asheville, NC | 828.232.4264

High Schools

Clyde A. Erwin High
Asheville, NC | 828.232.4251

Martin L. Nesbitt Discovery Academy
Asheville, NC| 828.271.4521

Roberson District

Elementary Schools

Avery’s Creek Elementary
Arden, NC 28704 | 828.654.1810

Glen Arden Elementary
Arden, NC | 828.654.1800

W. W. Estes Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.654.1795

Intermediate School

Charles T. Koontz Intermediate
Asheville, NC | 828.684.1295

Middle School

Valley Springs Middle
Arden, NC | 828.654.1785

High School

T.C. Roberson High
Asheville, NC | 828.654.1765

 

North Buncombe District

Elementary Schools

Barnardsville Elementary
Barnardsville, NC | 828.626.2290

North Buncombe Elementary
Weaverville, NC | 828.645.6054

Weaverville Elementary
Weaverville, NC | 828.645.3127

Weaverville Primary
Weaverville, NC | 828.645.4275

Intermediate School

North Windy Ridge Intermediate
Weaverville, NC | 828.658.1892

Middle School

North Buncombe Middle
Weaverville, NC | 828.645.7944

High School

North Buncombe High
Weaverville, NC | 828.645.4221

 

Owen District

Elementary Schools

Black Mountain Elementary
Black Mountain, NC | 828.669.5217

Black Mountain Primary
Black Mountain, NC | 828.669.2645

W. D. Williams Elementary
Swannanoa, NC | 828.686.3856

Middle School

C.D. Owen Middle
Swannanoa, NC | 828.686.7739

High School

Charles D. Owen High
Black Mountain, NC | 828.686.3852

Specialized School

Community High School
Swannanoa, NC | 828.686.7734

 

Reynolds District

Elementary Schools

Charles C. Bell Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.298.3789

Fairview Elementary
Fairview, NC | 828.628.2732

Haw Creek Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.298.4022

Oakley Elementary
Asheville, NC | 828.274.7515

Middle Schools

A.C. Reynolds Middle
Asheville, NC | 828.298.7484

Cane Creek Middle
Fletcher, NC | 828.628.0824

High School

A.C. Reynolds High
Asheville, NC | 828.298.2500