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Stanly Community College was once again recognized as one of the top community colleges in North Carolina, according to the Niche rankings for 2023 Best Community Colleges in the state.

Receiving an overall score of a B, SCC was ranked No. 6 out of 54 community colleges in the state, though that was a decrease from the previous two years. Last year, SCC was ranked No. 2 in the state and the year before, it claimed the top spot.

The consistently high rankings for the college “is a testament for our faculty and staff,” SCC President Dr. John Enamait said, especially in light of some of the obstacles over the past few years, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are certainly not resting on our laurels,” he added. “We really are working to continuously improve the college for our students.”

SCC also ranked highly in comparison to community colleges across the country. It came in at No. 26 out of 252 schools in the “Best Online Colleges in America” category — the highest ranked North Carolina school — and it came in at No. 87 out of 906 in the “Best Community Colleges in America” category.

SCC received the highest grades in safety (A) and student life (A-). The average cost to attend SCC is $6,219, according to Niche, much lower than the national average of $15,523. The college’s graduation rate of 44% was a few percentage points behind the national average of 49%.

To determine the college rankings, Niche combined data from the U.S. Department of Education and other sources with user input — reviews and ratings from current students, alumni and parents — in an analysis that included academics, student life, value for the financial investment and other factors.

Niche also includes detailed rankings of school districts along with individual schools, both across the state and nation.

How Pfeiffer, Stanly County Schools and Gray Stone fared 

Pfeiffer University was ranked 16th in the state in terms of “Best Value Colleges,” receiving an overall score of B-. The university scored high marks in professors (B+) and diversity (B+) though it received a C+ when it came to location.

The average cost to attend Pfeiffer is $22,121 per year, according to Niche, lower than the national average of $15,523. The average total aided awarded ($23,053 a year) is also higher than the national average of $7,535.

Niche also listed Pfeiffer as the 58th best college for sports management in the country (out of 458 schools).

Stanly County Schools was ranked as the 51st best school district in the state (out of 116), receiving an an overall score of B. SCS received high marks in diversity (A-), sports (B+), food (B+), teachers (B+) and administration (B+).

The highest rated school in the district was Stanly County Early College High School, which received an overall score of A. It was ranked the 63rd best high school in North Carolina (out of 597 schools).

Gray Stone Day School, which received an overall score of A, was ranked as the ninth best charter school in the state and the 50th best high school in the state (out of 597) and 30th best middle school (out of 733).  Gray Stone received high marks in teachers (A+), food (A+), academics (A), sports (A) and resources and facilities (A), though it struggled with diversity, scoring a C+.

Gray Stone was also listed as the sixth best high school (out of 583) in North Carolina when it comes to teacher quality and the 71st best high school (out of 774) in the state for athletes.

From a national perspective, Gray Stone was identified as the 169th best charter school (out of 2,409 schools), 222nd best middle school (out of 3,713) and 863rd best high school (out of 24,682).