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Nags Head, North Carolina - 11 schools
An equity score of 51/100 ranks Dare County Schools #121 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,375 per pupil, Dare County Schools ranks #80 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,181
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$13,375
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dare County Schools operates 11 public schools serving 5,181 students, placing it among the smaller districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 combined, 3 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary 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 Dare County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,375 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 36.1% local, 51.5% state, and 12.4% 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 51/100, ranked #121 of 293 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (33 AP courses district-wide), a 327.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 31.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 70.4% White, 20.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Manteo Middle School, with a diversity index of 56.8/100.
Its largest campus is First Flight High School, enrolling 874 students (18% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Dare Learning Academy, at 39 students, a 22x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
First Flight High School accounts for 16.9% of all Dare County Schools student enrollment
That concentration means Dare County 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.
Dare County Schools school enrollment varies 22× across entities
Dare County Schools school enrollment ranges from 39 students (lowest) to 874 students (highest), a spread of 835 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Dare County Schools student-counselor ratio is 328:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Dare County Schools is typically wider than the Dare County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Dare County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 31.8% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Dare County Schools has 11 schools, including 3 high, 5 combined, 2 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 5,181 students.
How much does Dare County Schools spend per student?
Dare County Schools spends $13,375 per student. The district has an equity score of 51/100, ranking #121 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Dare County Schools?
Dare County Schools students are 70.4% White, 20.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.5% African American, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dare County Schools?
Dare County Schools has an equity score of 51/100, ranking #121 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.