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Lillington, North Carolina - 28 schools
An equity score of 55/100 ranks Harnett County Schools #103 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,026 per pupil, Harnett County Schools ranks #190 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
20,050
Total Enrollment
28
Schools
$11,026
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Harnett County Schools operates 28 public schools serving 20,050 students, placing it in the mid-size range in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 12 combined, 6 middle, 5 high, 5 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Harnett County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,026 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower 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 13.4% local, 62.0% state, and 24.6% 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 55/100, ranked #103 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 5 of 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (49 AP courses district-wide), a 358.9:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 44.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 37.5% White, 28.1% Hispanic or Latino, 25.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Overhills Elementary, with a diversity index of 74.0/100.
Its largest campus is Overhills High, enrolling 1,981 students (10% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Star Academy, at 31 students, a 64x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Harnett County Schools school enrollment varies 64× across entities
Harnett County Schools school enrollment ranges from 31 students (lowest) to 1,981 students (highest), a spread of 1,950 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.
Harnett County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 63.5% 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.
Harnett County Schools student-counselor ratio is 359:1 — 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.
Harnett County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 44.3% — 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.
Harnett County Schools has 28 schools, including 5 high, 12 combined, 6 middle, 5 elementary. Total enrollment is 20,050 students.
How much does Harnett County Schools spend per student?
Harnett County Schools spends $11,026 per student. The district has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #103 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Harnett County Schools?
Harnett County Schools students are 37.5% White, 28.1% Hispanic or Latino, 25.6% African American, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 28 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Harnett County Schools?
Harnett County Schools has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #103 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.