Pender County Schools operates 19 public schools serving 10,941 students, placing it among the smaller districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 10 other, 4 high, 4 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 11,073 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Pender County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,071 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 22.0% local, 56.8% state, and 21.2% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $66,719 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 39/100, ranked #167 of 293 in North Carolina against a state average of 45 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 4 of 19 schools offering Advanced Placement (25 AP courses district-wide), a 488.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 38.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 59.2% White, 20.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% African American across the district's schools.
Topsail High accounts for 17.6% of all Pender County Schools student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Pender 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.
Pender County Schools school enrollment varies 51× across entities
Pender County Schools school enrollment ranges from 38 students (lowest) to 1,945 students (highest), a spread of 1,907 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity — the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Pender County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 51.1% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. 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.
Pender County Schools student-counselor ratio is 488:1 — 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.
Pender County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 38.3% — 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.
Pender County Schools has 19 schools, including 4 high, 10 other, 1 elementary, 4 middle. Total enrollment is 10,941 students.
How much does Pender County Schools spend per student?
Pender County Schools spends $12,071 per student. The district has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #167 in North Carolina.
What is the average teacher salary in Pender County Schools?
The average teacher salary in Pender County Schools is $66,719 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Pender County Schools?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Pender County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Pender County Schools?
Pender County Schools students are 59.2% White, 20.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 19 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Pender County Schools?
Pender County Schools has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #167 out of 293 districts in North Carolina. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.