About
History
Opening in 2006, TCEC thrives from a nearly 20-year partnership between Cherokee County Schools (CCS) and Tri-County Community College (TCCC), in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the North Carolina Community College System. Blending high school and college requirements, TCEC provides students the experiences, support, and opportunities to complete a North Carolina high school diploma and an associate’s degree at no cost to the student. From August 2006 until May 2023, the school operated in a collection of buildings, classrooms, and mobile units located on the TCCC campus. In August 2023, TCEC began serving students in its new home in the Cherokee County Schools of Innovation, a facility housing TCEC, The Oaks Academy, and the CCS Career Academy. TCEC students continue to take most of their college classes on the TCCC campus, and they are able to walk to TCCC or utilize the available transit buses.
As a Cooperative Innovative High School sanctioned by NCDPI, TCEC serves students who live within the service area of TCCC, encompassing Cherokee, Clay, and Graham Counties in southwestern North Carolina. By design, TCEC serves economically disadvantaged and underprivileged students who are at risk of dropping out of high school, first-generation college students, and/or students who would benefit from an accelerated learning program. To support the success of these students, TCEC faculty and staff commit to offering powerful teaching and learning practices in an innovative, collaborative, professional environment. For the 2025-2026 school year, TCEC’s enrollment stands at 144 students.
As a Cooperative Innovative High School sanctioned by NCDPI, TCEC serves students who live within the service area of TCCC, encompassing Cherokee, Clay, and Graham Counties in southwestern North Carolina. By design, TCEC serves economically disadvantaged and underprivileged students who are at risk of dropping out of high school, first-generation college students, and/or students who would benefit from an accelerated learning program. To support the success of these students, TCEC faculty and staff commit to offering powerful teaching and learning practices in an innovative, collaborative, professional environment. For the 2025-2026 school year, TCEC’s enrollment stands at 144 students.
Philosophy of Education
At TCEC, every teacher commits to creating a highly-collaborative, project-based classrooms. The work teachers do to design and facilitate learning experiences based on these principles results in student agency in learning, the development of the competences included in the North Carolina Portrait of a Graduate, the independence and critical thinking skills to remain lifelong learners, and mastery of the state curriculum standards. Because of the partnership with TCCC and the availability of the CTE and theater arts courses in the Career Academy, TCEC’s students have incredible opportunities to explore varied interests, earn industry credentials, or achieve certificate programs or associate's degrees as they prepare for adult life. This approach to teaching and learning allows students and faculty to build upon the school’s vision and mission and to work collaboratively on continuous improvement initiatives.
