Education

From K-12 to graduate programs, there is no shortage of educational opportunities in Henderson County and the surrounding region. The Partnership collaborates with local educational institutions to maintain a regional focus on developing tomorrow’s workforce through exposure, education, and preparation for manufacturing careers.

K-12 Education

Henderson County Public Schools

The Henderson County Public School system continually ranks among the top ten North Carolina school systems for elementary, middle, and high schools. The system is the 27th largest school district in the state and second largest in Western North Carolina. It consists of 23 schools located throughout the county - 13 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 4 high schools, 1 education center, and 1 early college high school. With more than 2,000 employees, 900 of which are teaching staff, Henderson County Public Schools is the largest employer in Henderson County. The average class size in kindergarten through 8th grade is 18.2 students. Through investments in high quality teachers, innovative teaching tools, and state of the art academic facilities, public school system students are afforded an opportunity to pursue scholastic excellence.
95%+
of HCPS students graduate in
four years or less, five percent
higher than state average
1,136
average SAT scores in 2021
for HCPS students
89.7%
of HCPS teachers who have
over 3 years of experience
K-12 By The Numbers
2021 Average SAT Scores
Henderson County
1,136
North Carolina
1,130
United States
1,060
Number of STudents
Total
13,521
Elementary
427
Middle
741
High
778
6-12
141
Number of Schools in Henderson County
Public Schools
23
Private Schools
8
Higher Education

Regional Colleges and Universities

During the 2019-2020 academic year, over 4,000 total higher education awards were given by the more than 10 institutions in the Henderson County region. Local colleges and universities educate more than 17,500 students each year, with over 2,000 enrolled in Henderson County’s community college. The Partnership works alongside these entities to facilitate an industry-specific focus in local higher education.
Henderson County is home to Blue Ridge Community College, a two-year comprehensive post-secondary institution. The College offers more than 200 programs of study, a wide range of college transfer courses, and one of the largest continuing education programs in the state. In collaboration with Henderson County Public Schools and the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, the College offers the Made in Henderson County Apprenticeship, a registered North Carolina Apprenticeship with the North Carolina Department of Labor.
The Wingate University Hendersonville Campus was born in 2010 in collaboration with Blue Ridge Community College, Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and Pardee UNC Health Care. Wingate offers two programs at the Henderson County Health Sciences Center: School of Pharmacy and Physician Assistant Studies.
About an hour from Henderson County, Western Carolina University is the westernmost institution in the University of North Carolina System. It offers the Rapid Center, providing concept-to-manufacturing capabilities and creating functional prototypes in just an hour. WCU’s Asheville location focuses on professional and graduate degrees for working students, partnering with local industry to provide education and training in the most in-demand fields.
Founded in 2007, Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is an advanced-technology research campus where education, research, and economic development collaborate to create a global venue for the automotive industry. The Center is only an hour from Henderson County and offers the nation’s only graduate Department of Automotive Engineering. The award-winning campus is a magnet venue for industry events and focuses on all aspects of the automotive industry, including research, manufacturing, and economic development.
Other Nearby Colleges
Institution
Distance
Type
3 miles
4-yr private
20 miles
4-yr private
24 miles
2-yr public
25 miles
4-yr private
26 miles
Graduate
26 miles
4-yr private
36 miles
4-yr private
54 miles
4-yr public
85 miles
4-yr private