Caroline County Public Schools

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Denton, Maryland - 9 schools

An equity score of 74/100 ranks Caroline County Public Schools #6 of 24 districts in Maryland (state average 52). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $18,641 per pupil, Caroline County Public Schools ranks #9 of 24 Maryland districts by per-pupil spending (Maryland districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

5,667
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$18,641
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Caroline County Public Schools operates 9 public schools serving 5,667 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Maryland. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 combined, 2 high, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Caroline County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,641 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 24 Maryland districts by per-pupil spending. See how Maryland compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 19.1% local, 68.1% state, and 12.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 74/100, ranked #6 of 24 in Maryland against a state average of 52, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (32 AP courses district-wide), a 387.1:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 42.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 55.2% White, 17.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Federalsburg Elementary School, with a diversity index of 69.2/100.

Its largest campus is North Caroline High School, enrolling 1,238 students (22% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Preston Elementary School, at 381 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

North Caroline High School accounts for 21.8% of all Caroline County Public Schools student enrollment

That concentration means Caroline County Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Caroline County Public Schools school enrollment varies 3.2× across entities

Caroline County Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 381 students (lowest) to 1,238 students (highest), a spread of 857 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Caroline County Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 64.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Caroline County Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 387:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Caroline County Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 42.3% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

12.8%
Federal
68.1%
State
19.1%
Local

Funding Equity

74
Equity Score
6 / 24
State Rank
52
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 9 schools in Caroline County Public Schools.

White 55.2%
Hispanic or Latino 17.7%
African American 16.0%
Asian 1.5%
Multiracial 9.5%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 58.9/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Caroline County Public Schools's schools, above the Maryland average of 52.3.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Federalsburg Elementary School 69.2
  2. 2 Colonel Richardson High School 62.1
  3. 3 Lockerman Middle School 61.5
  4. 4 North Caroline High School 61.4
  5. 5 Colonel Richardson Middle School 61.4

Programs & Resources

2 / 9
Schools with AP
32 AP courses total
387.1:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
42.3%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Caroline County Public Schools

School Enrollment
North Caroline High School
1,238
Greensboro Elementary School
840
Lockerman Middle School
827
Denton Elementary School
596
Colonel Richardson High School
528
Ridgely Elementary School
433
Federalsburg Elementary School
415
Colonel Richardson Middle School
390
Preston Elementary School
381

How Caroline County Public Schools Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Maryland districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Dorchester County Public Schools Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Talbot County Public Schools Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Worcester County Public Schools Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Queen Anne's County Public Schools Larger Higher spending Similar funding mix
Garrett County Public Schools Smaller Higher spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Caroline County Public Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Maryland

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Compare Caroline County Public Schools

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Montgomery County Public Schools →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Caroline County Public Schools?

Caroline County Public Schools has 9 schools, including 2 high, 5 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 5,667 students.

How much does Caroline County Public Schools spend per student?

Caroline County Public Schools spends $18,641 per student. The district has an equity score of 74/100, ranking #6 in Maryland.

What is the demographic composition of Caroline County Public Schools?

Caroline County Public Schools students are 55.2% White, 17.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% African American, 1.5% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Caroline County Public Schools?

Caroline County Public Schools has an equity score of 74/100, ranking #6 out of 24 districts in Maryland.