Public schools in Wilmington, NC
Wilmington has 44 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 8 high, 6 middle, 29 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 24,968 students. They are run by 9 districts and agencies; New Hanover County Schools runs 36 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 9 districts and agencies that run Wilmington's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Wilmington | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover County Schools | 36 | 25,244 | $13,808 |
| American Leadership Academy-Coastal | 1 | 777 | $11,803 |
| Cape Fear Center for Inquiry | 1 | 409 | $11,259 |
| Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington | 1 | 385 | $15,623 |
| Wilmington School of the Arts | 1 | 201 | $12,109 |
| Island Montessori Charter | 1 | 215 | $11,940 |
| D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy | 1 | 215 | $17,312 |
| Classical Charter Schools of Wilmington | 1 | 125 | $16,968 |
| Wilmington Preparatory Academy | 1 | 97 | $12,289 |
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.
8 high schools in Wilmington, 8,441 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emsley A Laney High | 2,243 | 20.2 | 94.2% | New Hanover County Schools |
| John T Hoggard High | 2,082 | 19.6 | 35.5% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Eugene Ashley High | 1,893 | 20.0 | 38.4% | New Hanover County Schools |
| New Hanover High | 1,437 | 15.7 | 98.4% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington | 362 | 10.2 | 98.9% | Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington |
| Isaac M Bear Early College High School | 260 | 24.8 | 24.2% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC | 150 | 10.3 | 98.0% | New Hanover County Schools |
| J. C. Roe Center | 14 | 1.2 | 78.6% | New Hanover 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.
6 middle schools in Wilmington, 4,352 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles P Murray Middle | 907 | 17.6 | 31.3% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Roland-Grise Middle | 878 | 16.6 | 32.3% | New Hanover County Schools |
| M C S Noble Middle | 690 | 17.3 | 37.2% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Williston Middle | 666 | 14.1 | 99.4% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Emma B Trask Middle | 611 | 14.9 | 98.5% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Myrtle Grove Middle | 600 | 15.0 | 96.2% | New Hanover 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.
29 elementary schools in Wilmington, 11,173 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porters Neck Elementary | 666 | 16.0 | 20.7% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Ogden Elementary | 619 | 15.9 | 16.3% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Murrayville Elementary | 573 | 14.2 | 99.5% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Masonboro Elementary | 564 | 16.0 | 19.3% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Heyward C Bellamy Elementary | 533 | 15.1 | 37.0% | New Hanover County Schools |
| The International School at Gregory | 514 | 13.8 | 99.4% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Edwin A Anderson Elementary | 514 | 13.2 | 43.0% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Wrightsboro Elementary | 502 | 14.9 | 98.4% | New Hanover County Schools |
| College Park Elementary | 470 | 13.3 | 98.9% | New Hanover County Schools |
| Dr John Codington Elementary | 470 | 15.0 | 24.0% | New Hanover County Schools |
The other 19 elementary 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 Wilmington, 1,002 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Leadership Academy-Coastal | 1,002 | 17.4 | 32.6% | American Leadership Academy-Coastal |
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 Wilmington's public schools compare with North Carolina's
The median Wilmington school has 14.2 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the North Carolina median of 15.4. 52% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 55% across the state. Its median school enrolls 463 students (state 497).
| Wilmington | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 14.2 | 15.4 |
| Median school size (students) | 463 | 497 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 52% | 55% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 0% |
| Charter schools | 16% | 7.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 44 Wilmington 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 Wilmington
- New Hanover County SchoolsRuns 36 of Wilmington's 44 public schools and spent $13,808 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,808
- Emsley A Laney High, the largest high school in Wilmington2,243 students in 2024-25, 20.2 per teacher.2,243
- Compare New Hanover County Schools with American Leadership Academy-CoastalWilmington'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 Wilmington 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
- Concord35 schools
- Asheville33 schools
Questions about schools in Wilmington
How many public schools are in Wilmington, NC?
44 public schools with an address in Wilmington were open in 2024-25: 8 high, 6 middle, 29 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 24,968 students. 7 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Wilmington?
Emsley A Laney High, with 2,243 students in 2024-25 (New Hanover County Schools).Which districts run Wilmington's schools?
New Hanover County Schools (36 schools), American Leadership Academy-Coastal (1 school), Cape Fear Center for Inquiry (1 school), Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (1 school), and 5 more. 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