Lottery Information

All students in the Class of 2030 must meet the following criteria to be included in the lottery process:

• Student and parent/legal guardian must reside in Gaston County.
• 7th grade Math EOG score at Level III/IV/V
• 7th grade Reading EOG score at Level III/IV/V
• 7th grade overall "C" or 70 minimum average
• Good standing in Conduct for 7th grade (No OSS or ISS will be reviewed)
• 94% attendance rate or 12 total absences for 7th grade (medical exceptions are considered)
• Application (submitted) online
• Non-Gaston County Schools applicants must submit a copy of the following documents to determine initial eligibility:
  • 7th grade attendance records
  • 7th grade final report card
  • Complete and return the Discipline Information Request to Highland School of Technology
  • 7th grade Reading and Math EOG scores at Level III/IV/V
  • For students who have not taken a N.C. 7th grade EOG test
    • Students must take a released N.C. Math and Reading EOG at the 7th grade level and score at Level III/IV/V
    • If you need to take one or both assessments, the county sets dates and times for you to sign up.
      • Reading: March 10, 2026 OR March 24, 2026
      • Math: March 11, 2026 OR March 25, 2026
        • Register for testing if needed.

Requirements for Admission

Students must meet these criteria to receive final acceptance or to remain on the waiting list.

• Students and parent/legal guardian must maintain residency in Gaston County
• 8th grade Math EOG score at Level III/IV/V or 8th grade Math 1 EOC score at Level III/IV/V
• 8 grade Reading EOG score at Level III/IV/V
• 8th grade overall "C" or 70% in each academic class
• Good standing in Conduct for 8th grade (No OSS or ISS will be reviewed)
• Good standing in Attendance for 8th grade (medical exceptions are considered)
• Non-Gaston County Schools applicants must submit the following to determine final acceptance:
  • 8th grade attendance records
  • 8th grade final report card
  • Complete and return the Discipline Information Request to Highland School of Technology
  • 8th grade Reading and Math EOG Scores at Level III/IV/V
  • For students who have not taken a N.C. 8th Grade EOG test
    • Students must take a released N.C. Math and Reading EOG at the 8th grade level and score at Level III/IV/V.
    • If you need to take one or both assessments, the county sets dates and times for you to sign up.
      • Register for testing if needed.

Requirements for Continued Enrollment
Students must maintain these criteria to continue to be enrolled at Highland School of Technology.

• Students and parent/legal guardian must maintain residency in Gaston County
• Maintain a cumulative unweighted 2.0 Grade Point Average
• 94% attendance rate or 12 total absences in a year
• Maintain Good standing in Conduct (No OSS or ISS will be reviewed)
• Students at Highland School of Technology who withdraw from Highland will not be allowed to re-enroll at Highland unless they go through an administrative appeal process. 

Highland School of Technology is a world-class school whose academic performance has earned it recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School, the #1 school in North Carolina, and ranked #334 in the nation by US News and World Reports. Part of the Gaston County Public School System, Highland School of Technology opened in July of 2000 as the district’s first total choice magnet program. It is a full-day comprehensive high school program with emphasis on three Career and Technical Academies: Business, Legal & Information Sciences, Health Sciences, and Manufacturing/Engineering and Graphics.

Highland School of Technology is a full-school magnet school. Students are fully immersed in the comprehensive academic, extra-curricular, and total-school education offered at Highland . All students complete a career pathway in their chosen area that culminates in work-based internships their senior year.

Graduates of Highland receive an amazing education including:

• Career Pathway Concentrations in Business and Legal Studies, Computer Science, Allied Health, Dental Science, Medical Science, Graphic Design, and Manufacturing Engineering
• All seniors complete an on-site internship with local businesses
• Hands on experience in state-of-the-art labs
• Industry credentials in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro, CompTIA IT Fundamentals, Python Programming, Cisco Networking, AutoCad, Revit, Inventor, OSHA, Certified Nursing Assistant, Stop The Bleed, CPR, SPICE Training (Dental)
• Smaller class sizes
• Participation in the full-range of High School Athletics. Every sport at Highland has had athletes go on to play collegiate sports with over 45 student athletes playing at the NCAA Division I,II, or III levels. Highland graduates have received scholarships to play at over 30 different colleges.
• The full-range of College Now (CCP) and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Highland students routinely score at the top level in North Carolina and beyond for AP courses.

Current 8th grade students residing in Gaston County that meet the entrance criteria are eligible to apply for admission. Visit the Highland Website for entrance criteria.

A lottery is held to select 145 students based on interest in a career pathway and feeder high school area. A percentage of students are accepted from each of the high school feeder areas in Gaston County, according to enrollment, which fairly distributes the Highland experience to all areas of our community.

The following number of students will be accepted from each high school feeder area:

• Ashbrook - 22
• Bessemer City - 10
• Cherryville - 8
• Stuart W. Cramer - 18
• East Gaston - 15
• Forestview - 18
• Hunter Huss - 18
• North Gaston - 19
• South Point - 17

 The following number of students will be accepted into each pathway:

• Allied Health - 10
• Business & Legal Studies - 24
• Graphic Design - 23
• Medical Science - 25
• Computer Science - 24
• Manufacturing/Engineering - 24
• Dental Science - 15

The school day begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:20 p.m. Students participate in four, 90-minute classes per semester each day.
 

Yes. Highland students are offered bus transportation each day.

Highland is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Southern Piedmont 1A-2A Conference. Student-Athletes participate in the full range of athletics: 

• Football
• Men’s & Women’s Tennis
• Men’s & Women’s Soccer
• Volleyball
• Men’s & Women’s Golf
• Men’s & Women’s Track and Field
• Baseball
• Softball
• Men’s & Women’s Basketball
• Men’s & Women’s Cross Country 
• Men’s & Women’s Swimming
• Cheerleading

Yes. Highland offers a comprehensive fine arts program that includes visual arts, band, chorus, and theatre arts. Students participate in various showcases including art shows, band and choral competitions, and parades. We are proud that our fine arts programs are recognized for their outstanding performances.   

Yes. One of the stronger aspects of Highland is the variety of clubs and organizations available to students. Highland’s clubs and organizations are recognized across North Carolina and the nation for their educational excellence.

• FBLA- Future Business Leaders of America
• HOSA-Future Health Professionals 
• TSA- Technology Student Association
• Beta club 
• Drama Club
• Esports
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• International Culture’s Club 
• National Technical Honor Society
• Photography Club
• Student Council
• Young Women’s Association

No. Highland does not have a sibling policy. Each student will need to qualify, submit an application, and be selected by the lottery process.

No. You can apply for multiple choice schools.

Students who are not initially accepted will go on a waitlist and will remain on the waitlist until the beginning of their 10th grade year. Students do not need to reapply to Highland.  Once 10th grade begins we no longer accept students for that graduating class.  The waitlist number the student sees in Scribbles is an overall waitlist number but not the number we use to offer seats. We offer seats off of the wait list based on the students feeder high school and pathway openings.  If we have an opening in (South Point) and (Graphics) we go to the waitlist and offer a seat to the first South Point student who had Graphics as one of their top 3 choices.  Once a student accepts a seat we will continue to try and move students to their first or second choice pathway as openings become available. We continue to shift students' pathways and offer new seats off of the waitlist based on feeder school and pathway openings until school begins. 
 

No.  Highland’s graduation ceremony is on the same day and same time as the other nine traditional high schools.