Public schools in Denver, NC
Denver has 7 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 6,374 students. They are run by 3 districts and agencies; Lincoln County Schools runs 5 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 3 districts and agencies that run Denver's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Denver | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County Schools | 5 | 11,629 | $10,722 |
| Lincoln Charter School | 1 | 2,263 | $9,402 |
| West Lake Preparatory Academy | 1 | 428 | $12,343 |
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.
One high school in Denver, 1,047 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Lincoln High | 1,047 | 19.0 | 29.5% | Lincoln County 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 middle school in Denver, 774 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Lincoln Middle | 774 | 17.2 | 26.0% | Lincoln County 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.
3 elementary schools in Denver, 1,835 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St James Elementary | 653 | 15.3 | 25.0% | Lincoln County Schools |
| Rock Springs Elementary | 639 | 16.1 | 21.1% | Lincoln County Schools |
| Catawba Springs Elementary | 543 | 16.4 | 31.7% | Lincoln County 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.
2 other schools in Denver, 2,718 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Charter School | 2,316 | 16.5 | not reported | Lincoln Charter School |
| West Lake Preparatory Academy | 402 | 54.3 | 49.8% | West Lake Preparatory Academy |
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 Denver's public schools compare with North Carolina's
The median Denver school has 16.5 students per full-time teacher, more than the North Carolina median of 15.4. 29% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 55% across the state. Its median school enrolls 653 students (state 497).
| Denver | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 16.5 | 15.4 |
| Median school size (students) | 653 | 497 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 29% | 55% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 0% |
| Charter schools | 29% | 7.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 7 Denver 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 Denver
- Lincoln County SchoolsRuns 5 of Denver's 7 public schools and spent $10,722 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,722
- East Lincoln High, the largest high school in Denver1,047 students in 2024-25, 19.0 per teacher.1,047
- Compare Lincoln County Schools with Lincoln Charter SchoolDenver'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 Denver 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 Denver
How many public schools are in Denver, NC?
7 public schools with an address in Denver were open in 2024-25: 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 6,374 students. 2 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Denver?
East Lincoln High, with 1,047 students in 2024-25 (Lincoln County Schools).Which districts run Denver's schools?
Lincoln County Schools (5 schools), Lincoln Charter School (1 school), West Lake Preparatory Academy (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