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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Lillington, North Carolina - 28 schools
An equity score of 53/100 ranks Harnett County Schools #111 of 297 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,877 per pupil, Harnett County Schools ranks #218 of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
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 $10,877 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 328 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 53/100, ranked #111 of 297 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 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.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
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.
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.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 28 schools in Harnett County Schools.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Harnett County Schools's schools, above the North Carolina average of 56.1.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Overhills High | 1,981 |
| Harnett Central High | 1,522 |
| Western Harnett High | 1,324 |
| Triton High | 1,274 |
| Benhaven Elementary | 1,065 |
| Harnett Central Middle | 1,059 |
| Overhills Elementary | 866 |
| Highland Elementary | 854 |
| Dunn Elementary | 813 |
| Highland Middle | 762 |
| Overhills Middle | 758 |
| Western Harnett Middle | 700 |
| Lillington-Shawtown Elementary | 695 |
| Lafayette Elementary | 645 |
| Erwin Elementary | 637 |
| Coats Elementary | 633 |
| Coats-Erwin Middle | 589 |
| Anderson Creek Primary | 553 |
| Boone Trail Elementary | 545 |
| Johnsonville Elementary | 489 |
| South Harnett Elementary | 476 |
| Dunn Middle | 388 |
| Angier Elementary | 376 |
| North Harnett Primary | 329 |
| Buies Creek Elementary | 267 |
| Harnett County Early College | 185 |
| Harnett Virtual Academy | 100 |
| Star Academy | 31 |
The North Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iredell-Statesville Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Public Schools of Robeson County | Similar size | Higher spending | Similar funding mix |
| Rowan-Salisbury Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Buncombe County Schools | Similar size | Higher spending | More locally funded |
| Davidson County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Harnett County Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Wake County Schools →Harnett County Schools has 28 schools, including 5 high, 12 combined, 6 middle, 5 elementary. Total enrollment is 20,050 students.
Harnett County Schools spends $10,877 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #111 in North Carolina.
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.
Harnett County Schools has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #111 out of 297 districts in North Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.