STEM Early College at N.C. A&T Once Again Ranks No. 2 Among N.C. High Schools

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Aug. 27, 2025) – The STEM Early College at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is the No. 2 high school in the state of North Carolina, according to U.S. News & World Report’s recently published Best High Schools rankings.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the STEM Early College has held that position among 822 public high schools across the state. The competitive admission school with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics draws many of the top students in Guilford County, North Carolina, who subsequently go on to some of the best colleges in America, including North Carolina A&T.

“We’re so proud of the consistently outstanding performance of the STEM Early College and the talented, high-performing students it draws to our campus under the leadership of Principal Cheri Keels,” said A&T Chancellor James R. Martin II. “In addition to studying with excellent faculty alongside extraordinary peers, STEM Early College students gain a familiarity with university life at A&T that prepares them well for academic success after high school.”

“In addition to studying with excellent faculty alongside extraordinary peers, STEM Early College students gain a familiarity with university life at A&T that prepares them well for academic success after high school.” – Chancellor James R. Martin II

The STEM Early College at N.C. A&T is one of two public high schools on the A&T campus. The A&T Four Middle College is an all-male, competitive admission high school that has had a near perfect graduation rate for the past 14 years.

A&T also is home to Aggie Academy, a laboratory school serving third- through fifth-grade students with a STEAM-intensive curriculum (the A in STEAM stands for art). The university further hosts the Child Development Laboratory for children ages 2½ to 5. It holds a five-star rating from the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education – the state’s highest rating for early childhood educational programs.

With the exception of first and second grades and sixth through eighth grades, it’s possible for a student to learn in A&T-affiliated schools and at the university itself from pre-K through the doctoral level and post-doctoral studies. Students can continue learning through their adult lives via professional development and certificate programs provided by A&T’s Extended Campus, and many do. One current student is 77.

That’s no accident: A&T embraces a “forever learning” ethos that recognizes the needs and opportunities of learning across the life spectrum.

“More than ever before, learning is not an event, it’s a lifestyle,” said Martin. “Today’s increasingly complex and technology-driven workplace requires students buy into that idea. A&T is committed to meeting them on that proposition and engaging them for a lifetime.”