Swain County Schools

Swain County Schools
Location
Swain County, North Carolina United States
District information
Type	Public
Grades	PK–12
Superintendent	Mark Sale
Schools	5
Budget	$30,860,000
Students and staff
Students	1,910
Teachers	135.51
Staff	164.2
Student–teacher ratio	14.09:1
Other information
Website	www.swain.k12.nc.us

Swain County Schools (SCS) or Swain County Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Bryson City, North Carolina.

It serves all sections of Swain County except for the portion on the Eastern Cherokee Reservation, which instead is zoned to Cherokee Central Schools. ^[1] Native American students in the SCS boundary may also attend Cherokee Central schools. ^[2]

As of 2023, Swain County Schools' enrollment is 1,910. The district employs 164 staff and 135 teachers. It has a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.09:1. The district's budget is $30.86 million, or $15,983 per student. ^[3] As of 2024, Swain County pays the lowest annual amount per student ($419) of any county in North Carolina. This is because the school system also receives funding from the Cherokee tribe. ^[4]

History

In 2004 Lynne Billings of the Asheville Citizen-Times wrote that the school system was well-regarded in the community. ^[2]

Schools

• Swain County High School
• Swain County Middle School
• Swain East Elementary School
• Swain West Elementary School
• Bright Adventures Pre-Kindergarten
  • As of 2021 ^[update] it was located in mobile homes that were constructed circa 2001 The district could only enroll about 65-70% of the 4-year olds in the district's service area, and it would need four more classrooms to have all district students served. ^[5] The district hoped to expand its pre-kindergarten program. ^[6]

References

1. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Swain County, NC" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved July 18, 2021. - Text list: "Eastern Cherokee Reservation" refers to the area which has Cherokee Central Schools.
2. Billings, Lynne (September 5, 2004). "Where life slows down". Asheville Citizen-Times . Asheville, North Carolina. pp. F1, F3. - Clipping of first page and of the second page from Newspapers.com
3. Foster, Randy (August 27, 2024). "By the numbers". Cherokee Scout . Murphy, NC: Community Newspapers Inc. pp. 1A, 9A. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
4. Long, Becky (April 24, 2025). "Local school budget request sees increase". Clay County Progress . Hayesville, NC: Community Newspapers Inc. pp. A1 –A2.
5. "State superintendent hears local concerns during visits to mountain schools". April 16, 2021.
6. Webb, Jessica (April 21, 2021). "NC Superintendent visits Bright Adventures, Swain High". The Smoky Mountain Times . Retrieved July 18, 2021.

External links

• Swain County Schools