Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

Public school district · Orange County · North Carolina · NCES district ID 3700720

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools spent $16,963 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 97% of the other North Carolina districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,366). Its 19 schools enrolled 11,353 students in 2024-25; 41.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $17,880 per student, up 5.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 95% (North Carolina: 86.5%).

Spending per student among North Carolina districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in enrollment (10,276 to 12,944 students) and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools itself.

Current spending per student, North Carolina districts closest in size to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, FY23Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools $16,963; Brunswick County Schools $13,088; Wilson County Schools $12,450; Rockingham County Schools $12,373; Burke County Public Schools $12,261; Caldwell County Schools $12,066; Craven County $11,893; Henderson County Public Schools $11,579; Pender County Schools $11,425; Lincoln County Schools $10,722; State median, 1,000+ students $12,366.7.5k10k12.5k15k17.5kChapel Hill-Carrboro City Scho…$16,963Brunswick County Schools$13,088Wilson County Schools$12,450Rockingham County Schools$12,373Burke County Public Schools$12,261Caldwell County Schools$12,066Craven County$11,893Henderson County Public Schools$11,579Pender County Schools$11,425Lincoln County Schools$10,722State median, 1,000+ students $12,366
Current spending per student, North Carolina districts closest in size to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, FY23Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools $16,963; Brunswick County Schools $13,088; Wilson County Schools $12,450; Rockingham County Schools $12,373; Burke County Public Schools $12,261; Caldwell County Schools $12,066; Craven County $11,893; Henderson County Public Schools $11,579; Pender County Schools $11,425; Lincoln County Schools $10,722; State median, 1,000+ students $12,366.7.5k10k12.5k15k17.5kChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools$16,963Brunswick County Schools$13,088Wilson County Schools$12,450Rockingham County Schools$12,373Burke County Public Schools$12,261Caldwell County Schools$12,066Craven County$11,893Henderson County Public Schools$11,579Pender County Schools$11,425Lincoln County Schools$10,722State median, 1,000+ students $12,366
Current spending per student, North Carolina districts closest in size to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, FY23Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools $16,963; Brunswick County Schools $13,088; Wilson County Schools $12,450; Rockingham County Schools $12,373; Burke County Public Schools $12,261; Caldwell County Schools $12,066; Craven County $11,893; Henderson County Public Schools $11,579; Pender County Schools $11,425; Lincoln County Schools $10,722; State median, 1,000+ students $12,366.7.5k12.5k17.5kChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools$16,963Brunswick County Schools$13,088Wilson County Schools$12,450Rockingham County Schools$12,373Burke County Public Schools$12,261Caldwell County Schools$12,066Craven County$11,893Henderson County Public Schools$11,579Pender County Schools$11,425Lincoln County Schools$10,722State median, 1,000+ students $12,366
Current spending per student, North Carolina districts closest in size to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, FY23Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools $16,963; Brunswick County Schools $13,088; Wilson County Schools $12,450; Rockingham County Schools $12,373; Burke County Public Schools $12,261; Caldwell County Schools $12,066; Craven County $11,893; Henderson County Public Schools $11,579; Pender County Schools $11,425; Lincoln County Schools $10,722; State median, 1,000+ students $12,366.7.5k12.5k17.5kChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools$16,963Brunswick County Schools$13,088Wilson County Schools$12,450Rockingham County Schools$12,373Burke County Public Schools$12,261Caldwell County Schools$12,066Craven County$11,893Henderson County Public Schools$11,579Pender County Schools$11,425Lincoln County Schools$10,722State median, 1,000+ students $12,366

Where the money came from

$193,426,000 in revenue: 41.7% state, 48.5% local and 9.8% federal. Total spending including $12,662,000 of capital outlay was $211,341,000, or $18,281 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $80,736,000; Local $93,810,000; Federal $18,880,000; total $193,426,000.
  • State$80,736,000 42%
  • Local$93,810,000 48%
  • Federal$18,880,000 10%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 150 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

11,561 students in 2022-23, 11,386 students in 2023-24, 11,353 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 11,561, 2023-24: 11,386, 2024-25: 11,35305k10k15k2022-2311,5612023-2411,3862024-2511,353
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 11,561, 2023-24: 11,386, 2024-25: 11,35305k10k15k2022-2311,5612023-2411,3862024-2511,353
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 11,561, 2023-24: 11,386, 2024-25: 11,35305k10k15k2022-2311,5612023-2411,3862024-2511,353
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 11,561, 2023-24: 11,386, 2024-25: 11,35305k10k15k2022-2311,5612023-2411,3862024-2511,353

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2311,561879.813.1
2023-2411,386880.312.9
2024-2511,353860.613.2

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$47,105,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,074 per student

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools booked $47,105,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 907 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $51,947 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 78 in 100 North Carolina districts with a figure (state median $49,503, 293 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average North Carolina teacher salary at $53,644 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$25,376,00053.9%
Special education$5,282,00011.2%
Vocational$2,246,0004.8%
Other programs$14,201,00030.1%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,589 in 2018-19, $3,554 in 2019-20, $3,824 in 2020-21, $4,012 in 2021-22, $4,074 in 2022-23.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,589, 2019-20: $3,554, 2020-21: $3,824, 2021-22: $4,012, 2022-23: $4,07402k4k6k2018-19$3,5892019-20$3,5542020-21$3,8242021-22$4,0122022-23$4,074
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,589, 2019-20: $3,554, 2020-21: $3,824, 2021-22: $4,012, 2022-23: $4,07402k4k6k2018-19$3,5892019-20$3,5542020-21$3,8242021-22$4,0122022-23$4,074
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,589, 2019-20: $3,554, 2020-21: $3,824, 2021-22: $4,012, 2022-23: $4,07402k4k6k2018-19$3,5892019-20$3,5542020-21$3,8242021-22$4,0122022-23$4,074
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,589, 2019-20: $3,554, 2020-21: $3,824, 2021-22: $4,012, 2022-23: $4,07402k4k6k2018-19$3,5892019-20$3,5542020-21$3,8242021-22$4,0122022-23$4,074

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools scored proficient or above: 68% in reading and 68% in math, against 48% in reading and 50% in math across North Carolina. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within North Carolina, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtNorth CarolinaStudents tested
Reading and language arts68%48%5,294
Math68%50%5,262

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

95% of the 943 students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.5% across North Carolina. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtNorth Carolina
Four-year graduation rate95%86.5%
Students in the class943120,822

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

11 elementary schools, 4,760 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
FPG Elementary53613.332.8%Schoolwide program
Carrboro Elementary51512.930.3%Targeted program
McDougle Elementary49712.930.6%Targeted program
Rashkis Elementary45512.945.9%Targeted program
Seawell Elementary41612.426.9%Not Title I
Northside Elementary41212.949.3%Schoolwide program
Ephesus Elementary41012.628.3%Targeted program
Scroggs Elementary41012.127.8%Not Title I
Glenwood Elementary39012.017.2%Not Title I
Morris Grove Elementary38312.221.1%Not Title I
Estes Hills Elementary33610.924.7%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

4 middle schools, 2,654 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Smith Middle76313.721.4%Not Title I
McDougle Middle65911.626.3%Not Title I
Culbreth Middle63212.131.2%Not Title I
Phillips Middle60011.525.5%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

4 high schools, 3,939 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Chapel Hill High1,60815.921.1%Not Title I
East Chapel Hill High1,41916.321.1%Not Title I
Carrboro High88513.828.5%Not Title I
Phoenix Academy High272.785.2%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

One more school on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Virtual Academy School

High school in Chapel Hill; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 39 students.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

  1. North Carolina districts by spending per studentChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools ranks 6 of 150 North Carolina districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($16,963).#6 of 150
  2. Every school district in North CarolinaChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is the number 32 by size of 332 North Carolina districts, with 11,561 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#32 of 332
  3. Lincoln County SchoolsThe next larger North Carolina district: 11,629 students in fall 2022, $10,722 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,722
  4. Rockingham County SchoolsThe next smaller North Carolina district: 11,189 students in fall 2022, $12,373 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,373
  5. Compare Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools with Lincoln County SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Chapel Hill High, its largest high school1,608 students in 2024-25, 15.9 per teacher.1,608
  7. Teacher salary spending across North CarolinaChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools spent $51,947 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $49,503); spending, not a salary.$51,947
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools?
    19 schools were open in 2024-25 (11 elementary, 4 middle, 4 high), enrolling 11,353 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools spend per student?
    $16,963 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the North Carolina median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,366 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $17,880 per student, up 5.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' money come from?
    $193,426,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 41.7% state, 48.5% local and 9.8% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 854 of the 12,309 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 6.9%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $47,105,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,074 per student. Divided by the 907 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $51,947 per teacher, more than 78 in 100 North Carolina districts (state median $49,503). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average North Carolina teacher salary at $53,644 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools scored proficient or above: 68% in reading and 68% in math, against 48% in reading and 50% in math across North Carolina. North Carolina's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools?
    95% of the 943 students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.5% across North Carolina. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' NCES district ID?
    3700720. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25