The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in Science. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Advance Academy
AdVance Academy is an alternative school serving grades six through twelve in Henderson, North Carolina, part of Vance County Schools. It sits within a small county district that has been contracting in recent years, with the district board voting to close two elementary schools at the end of the 2025-26 school year as enrollment declines continue.
The school serves a small enrollment, concentrated heavily in the high school grades. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting deep economic need in the student population. The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller numbers of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students. Data on students with individualized education plans or English learners was not provided by the school.
State testing results from 2024-25 show proficiency rates that are very low across subjects. In mathematics and English language arts on the grades three through eight assessments, proficiency stood at single digits. Science proficiency, tested at a smaller cohort, was somewhat higher but still well below typical district and state levels. These results align with what one typically sees in alternative schools, which often serve students who have struggled academically or behaviorally in traditional settings and may be working to recover course credit or re-engage with academics. A parent or student considering AdVance should understand that the academic pathway here begins from a place of significant challenge, and success requires active engagement and support.
The school is located on Charles Street in Henderson, a small county seat about forty miles north of Raleigh along Interstate 85. Henderson has a historic downtown anchored by the Vance County Courthouse and Perry Memorial Library, with modest recent reinvestment through downtown restaurants, shops, and arts programming at McGregor Hall. The broader area includes suburban residential neighborhoods, a retail corridor along the interstate, and waterfront access to Kerr Lake about nine miles from town. Housing values here are notably affordable relative to the Triangle region and the state as a whole, though prices have risen modestly in recent months.
Vance County Schools has faced fiscal pressure from declining enrollment. That decline, combined with aging facilities in the elementary grades, prompted the February 2026 board vote to consolidate New Hope and Carver Elementary Schools into other buildings beginning in the 2026-27 school year. This reflects a district in contraction mode, making strategic choices about which buildings to maintain and which to close. For a family considering AdVance, this broader district context matters: the district is not expanding programs or facilities but managing a smaller student base with fewer resources.
The school's alternative status means it is designed for students who need a different educational structure than a traditional comprehensive high school offers. Course data, specific program offerings, staffing levels, and discipline policies were not available to review. A parent evaluating this school should ask directly about the alternative model in place—whether it emphasizes credit recovery, competency-based progression, flexible scheduling, smaller class sizes, career and technical pathways, or a combination of these. Understanding the specific teaching approach and support structures will be essential to determining whether this fits a particular student's needs and learning style.
State testing data was limited to the grades tested in 2024-25. A graduation rate for the school was not provided in the available data, which is common for alternative schools that serve students across wide bands of credit completion and may issue diplomas on a rolling basis rather than by cohort. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its four-year and extended graduation rates and the post-secondary pathways its graduates take.
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