Tri-County Early College

Tri-County Early College High School
Tri-County Early College is located in the Cherokee County Schools of Innovation
Address
4700 US 64 Alternate Murphy, North Carolina 28906 United States
Information
Type	Public
Established	2006 (19 years ago) (2006)
School district	Cherokee County Schools
CEEB code	342826
NCES School ID	370078002892
Principal	Jason Forrister (CCSI)
Staff	10.83 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–13
Enrollment	≈177
Student to teacher ratio	14.13:1
Color(s)	Blue and yellow
Mascot	Jaguar
Website	tcec.cherokee.k12.nc.us

Tri-County Early College High School (TCEC) in the Peachtree community of Murphy, North Carolina, is a North Carolina Cooperative Innovative High School part of Cherokee County Schools, but also serves the Clay County School District. Although Graham County is included in the service area of Tri-County Community College, TCEC is not. As of 2025 it had a full-time teaching staff of 14 teachers, with an average of 14 students per teacher.[2][3] In 2024-25 enrollment was about 177.

Athletics

TCEC's mascot is the Jaguars.

Sports teams

• Soccer
• Track

History

TCEC opened in 2006 on the Tri-County Community College campus. With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, TCEC was one of more than 40 North Carolina early colleges created to carry out former Governor Mike Easley's Learn and Earn Initiative.[4]

In July 2021, a new 66,000-square-foot building broke ground on 27 acres next to Tri-County Community College (TCCC). This building was for the new Cherokee County Schools of Innovation (CCSI), which not only houses TCEC, but also The Oaks Academy (TOA) vocational school, and the Cherokee County Schools Career Academy. The building was designed by LS3P Architects.[5] Alissa Cheek was tapped by then superintendent Jeana Y. Conley to be head of the project and became the school's first principal. Cherokee County Schools hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 22, 2023, for CCSI; the new school's first day of classes was August 29, 2023.

Principals

1. Allissa Cheek (2006-2021)
2. Jason Forrister (2021-)

References

1. "Tri-County Early College High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
2. "Staff Directory | Tri-County Early College". tcec.cherokee.k12.nc.us. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
3. "Search for Public Schools - Tri-County Early College High (370078002892)". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
4. "About". tcec.cherokee.k12.nc.us. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
5. "Touring the Schools of Innovation | Cherokee Scout, Murphy, North Carolina". www.cherokeescout.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2025.