Guilford County 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.

Greensboro, North Carolina - 124 schools

An equity score of 60/100 ranks Guilford County Schools #84 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,036 per pupil, Guilford County Schools ranks #90 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

68,894
Total Enrollment
124
Schools
$13,036
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Guilford County Schools operates 124 public schools serving 68,894 students, placing it among the largest districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 57 combined, 27 high, 21 elementary, 19 middle schools, giving families in a major system a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a large portfolio 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 Guilford County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,036 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 24.4% local, 48.8% state, and 26.8% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 60/100, ranked #84 of 293 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 23 of 124 schools offering Advanced Placement (294 AP courses district-wide), a 332.2:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 35.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 44.4% African American, 23.7% White, 19.1% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Shadybrook Elementary, with a diversity index of 76.7/100.

Its largest campus is Northwest Guilford High, enrolling 2,055 students (3% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Peeler Open Elementary, at 6 students, a 343x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Guilford County Schools school enrollment varies 343× across entities

Guilford County Schools school enrollment ranges from 6 students (lowest) to 2,055 students (highest), a spread of 2,049 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. 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

Guilford County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 72.4% 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

Guilford County Schools student-counselor ratio is 332:1 — 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 Guilford County Schools is typically wider than the Guilford County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.

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

Guilford County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 35.4% — 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.

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

Where does the funding come from?

26.8%
Federal
48.8%
State
24.4%
Local

Funding Equity

60
Equity Score
84 / 293
State Rank
45
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 124 schools in Guilford County Schools.

White 23.7%
Hispanic or Latino 19.1%
African American 44.4%
Asian 7.0%
Multiracial 5.5%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 61.2/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Guilford County Schools's schools, above the North Carolina average of 56.1.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Shadybrook Elementary 76.7
  2. 2 Southwest Elementary 74.9
  3. 3 Millis Road Elementary 74.9
  4. 4 Allen Jay Elementary 74.3
  5. 5 Irving Park Elementary 74.0

Programs & Resources

23 / 124
Schools with AP
294 AP courses total
332.2:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
35.4%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Guilford County Schools

School Enrollment
Northwest Guilford High
2,055
Grimsley High
1,967
Page High
1,648
Southwest Guilford High
1,547
James B Dudley High
1,403
Ben L. Smith High School
1,348
Lucy Ragsdale High
1,292
Northern Guilford High
1,251
Western Guilford High
1,243
Southeast Guilford High
1,209
Eastern Guilford High
1,200
Kiser Middle
1,074
Southwest Guilford Middle
1,032
High Point Central High
1,005
Northeast Guilford High
977
Jamestown Middle
949
Southern Guilford High
934
Northwest Guilford Middle
915
Mendenhall Middle
905
Eastern Guilford Middle
901
Southeast Guilford Middle
826
Southwest Elementary
808
Northern Guilford Middle
780
T Wingate Andrews High
753
Western Guilford Middle
731
Oak Ridge Elementary
712
Kernodle Middle
707
Jefferson Elementary
698
Lincoln Academy
696
Northeast Guilford Middle
675
Rankin Elementary
673
Julius I Foust Elementary
661
David D Jones Elementary
660
Otis L Hairston Sr Middle
658
Ep Pearce Elementary
653
Clara J Peck Elementary
638
Florence Elementary
628
Guilford Elementary
623
Northern Guilford Elementary
622
Southern Guilford Middle
620
Allen Middle
617
Gibsonville Elementary
595
George C Simkins Jr Elementary
588
Colfax Elementary
587
Summerfield Elementary
584
Claxton Elementary
579
Pilot Elementary
556
Sumner Elementary
549
Swann Middle School
542
Irving Park Elementary
541
Penn-Griffin Schools
539
Reedy Fork Elementary
538
Sedalia Elementary
535
Waldo C Falkener Sr Elementary
530
John Van Lindley Elementary
521
Jesse Wharton Elem
521
Bessemer Elementary
509
Morehead Elementary
509
Hunter Elementary
505
Northwood Elementary
502
Alamance Elementary
499
Montlieu Academy of Technology
499
Union Hill Elementary
495
Oak View Elementary
491
Sedgefield Elementary
489
Brightwood Elementary
488
Ferndale Middle
486
Stokesdale Elementary
473
Sternberger Elementary
469
Allen Jay Elementary
467
Jackson Middle
458
Jamestown Elementary
453
Pleasant Garden Elementary
453
Ronald E. Mcnair Elementary
447
Millis Road Elementary
444
Fairview Elementary
442
General Greene Elementary
423
Ceasar Cone Elementary
412
Oak Hill Elementary
411
Edwin a Alderman Elementary
392
Allen Jay Middle - a Preparatory Academy
392
Triangle Lake Montessori Elem
390
Johnson Street Global Studies
389
Welborn Middle
376
Archer Elementary
368
Mcleansville Elementary
332
Cyrus P Frazier Elementary
327
Doris Henderson Newcomers Sch
326
Shadybrook Elementary
319
Brooks Global Elementary
314
Murphey Traditional Academy
305
Parkview Village Elementary
297
Monticello-Brown Summit Elem
291
Guilford Elearning University Prep
284
James Y Joyner Elementary
274
Bluford Elementary
266
Nathanael Greene Elementary
263
Philip J Weaver Ed Center
260
Vandalia Elementary
257
Gtcc Middle College High
255
Academy at Smith
246
Brown Summit Middle
242
Kirkman Park Elementary
236
Erwin Montessori
221
Southern Elementary
215
Gillespie Park Elementary
215
Washington Elementary
214
Wiley Accel/Enrichment
208
Madison Elementary
204
Uncg Early/Middle College
199
Middle College at Gtcc-High Point
194
Early College at Guilford
193
Stem Early College @ Nc a&T Su
192
A&T Four Middle College
162
Middle College at Gtcc-Greensboro
162
Gateway Education Center
146
Haynes Inman Education Center
135
Kearns Academy
108
Gc Middle College High
106
Herbin Metz Education Center
68
C Joyner Greene Education Center
67
Scale School
15
Pruette Scale Academy
10
Peeler Open Elementary
6

How Guilford County Schools Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The North Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Cumberland County Schools Smaller Similar spending Similar funding mix
Union County Public Schools Smaller Lower spending Similar funding mix
Johnston County Public Schools Smaller Lower spending Similar funding mix
Cabarrus County Schools Smaller Lower spending Similar funding mix

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

Nearby Districts in North Carolina

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

Wake County Schools
159,778 students · 197 schools · $11,859/pupil
Compare vs Guilford County Schools →
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
144,197 students · 180 schools · $11,853/pupil
Compare vs Guilford County Schools →
Cumberland County Schools
49,661 students · 86 schools · $12,412/pupil
Compare vs Guilford County Schools →
Union County Public Schools
41,497 students · 52 schools · $11,010/pupil
Compare vs Guilford County Schools →

Compare Guilford County Schools

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

Compare vs Wake County Schools →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Guilford County Schools?

Guilford County Schools has 124 schools, including 27 high, 19 middle, 21 elementary, 57 combined. Total enrollment is 68,894 students.

How much does Guilford County Schools spend per student?

Guilford County Schools spends $13,036 per student. The district has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #84 in North Carolina.

What is the demographic composition of Guilford County Schools?

Guilford County Schools students are 44.4% African American, 23.7% White, 19.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, averaged across 124 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Guilford County Schools?

Guilford County Schools has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #84 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.