Public schools in Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill has 21 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 5 middle, 12 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 12,320 students. They are run by 4 districts and agencies; Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools runs 17 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 4 districts and agencies that run Chapel Hill's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Chapel Hill | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools | 17 | 11,561 | $16,963 |
| Chatham County Schools | 2 | 9,129 | $14,128 |
| Orange County School District | 1 | 7,208 | $14,399 |
| Woods Charter School | 1 | 508 | $11,522 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
3 high schools in Chapel Hill, 3,054 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapel Hill High | 1,608 | 15.9 | 21.1% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| East Chapel Hill High | 1,419 | 16.3 | 21.1% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Phoenix Academy High | 27 | 2.7 | 85.2% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
5 middle schools in Chapel Hill, 3,390 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Middle | 763 | 13.7 | 21.4% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Margaret B. Pollard Middle | 736 | 16.7 | 20.1% | Chatham County Schools |
| McDougle Middle | 659 | 11.6 | 26.3% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Culbreth Middle | 632 | 12.1 | 31.2% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Phillips Middle | 600 | 11.5 | 25.5% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
12 elementary schools in Chapel Hill, 5,361 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Chatham Elementary | 588 | 12.8 | 99.5% | Chatham County Schools |
| FPG Elementary | 536 | 13.3 | 32.8% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| New Hope Elementary | 528 | 11.6 | 99.1% | Orange County |
| McDougle Elementary | 497 | 12.9 | 30.6% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Rashkis Elementary | 455 | 12.9 | 45.9% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Seawell Elementary | 416 | 12.4 | 26.9% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Northside Elementary | 412 | 12.9 | 49.3% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Ephesus Elementary | 410 | 12.6 | 28.3% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Scroggs Elementary | 410 | 12.1 | 27.8% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Glenwood Elementary | 390 | 12.0 | 17.2% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
The other 2 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris Grove Elementary | 383 | 12.2 | 21.1% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
| Estes Hills Elementary | 336 | 10.9 | 24.7% | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
One other school in Chapel Hill, 515 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woods Charter | 515 | 9.5 | not reported | Woods Charter School |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Chapel Hill's public schools compare with North Carolina's
The median Chapel Hill school has 12.5 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the North Carolina median of 15.4. 14% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 55% across the state. Its median school enrolls 515 students (state 497).
| Chapel Hill | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 12.5 | 15.4 |
| Median school size (students) | 515 | 497 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 14% | 55% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 0% |
| Charter schools | 4.8% | 7.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 21 Chapel Hill schools and the 2,653 North Carolina schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Chapel Hill
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City SchoolsRuns 17 of Chapel Hill's 21 public schools and spent $16,963 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,963
- Chapel Hill High, the largest high school in Chapel Hill1,608 students in 2024-25, 15.9 per teacher.1,608
- Compare Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools with Chatham County SchoolsChapel Hill's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in North CarolinaNorth Carolina's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Chapel Hill addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in North Carolina
- Charlotte173 schools
- Raleigh99 schools
- Greensboro79 schools
- Durham68 schools
- Fayetteville68 schools
- Winston Salem64 schools
- Wilmington44 schools
- Concord35 schools
Questions about schools in Chapel Hill
How many public schools are in Chapel Hill, NC?
21 public schools with an address in Chapel Hill were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 5 middle, 12 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 12,320 students. 1 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Chapel Hill?
Chapel Hill High, with 1,608 students in 2024-25 (Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools).Which districts run Chapel Hill's schools?
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (17 schools), Chatham County Schools (2 schools), Orange County School District (1 school), Woods Charter School (1 school). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25