There are 12 elementary schools in the Lincoln County School district. It is the only public district with a school in Denver. Rock Spring Elementary is located in downtown Denver. "Great Schools" gives Rock Springs Elementary a nine out of ten and says that it is one of the few elementary schools in North Carolina to receive this rating. Once an 1870 Seminary school, the building has been routinely updated to first become the growing town's high school and then its elementary school.
There are four Lincoln County high schools. Students living within the city limits of Denver attend East Lincoln High School. The school has an extensive selection of extracurricular activities. Athletics include wrestling, volleyball, track & field, golf and cross country, in addition to many common high school team sports. Clubs at East Lincoln are numerous, such as science club, thespian club, Latin club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, chess club, history club, and technology club.
Lincoln Charter is a K through 12 school just south of Denver. Charter schools like this one limit the number of students to better provide one-on-one instruction. Parents can apply to a charter school and, depending on the number of open spaces, they may be accepted. There are only 300 student grades six through 12 at Lincoln Charter. Lincoln Charter offers Advanced Placement classes and HUSKINS, a program allowing high-school juniors and seniors to attend college classes.
The closest college to Denver, North Carolina, is Davidson College. It is located east across Lake Norman from Denver, the drive around the lake is 20 miles. This is a highly selective liberal arts college. Only 1800 students are accepted each year. The college is located on a historic 450-acre campus. The school participates in NCAA athletics, division 1 level. Also, financial-aid programs are available through Davidson. The school encourages all of its students to graduate debt-free.
Lincoln County also has one middle school located in Denver. North Lincoln Middle School is where Denver students in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades attend class. According to the school's website, the curriculum is focused on four core subjects; reading, math, social studies and science. The electives offered at Lincoln North Middle include music, art, health and physical education.