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Burgaw, North Carolina - 19 schools
An equity score of 42/100 ranks Pender County Schools #151 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,305 per pupil, Pender County Schools ranks #182 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
10,941
Total Enrollment
19
Schools
$11,305
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
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 combined, 4 high, 4 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 Pender County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,305 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 22.0% local, 56.8% state, and 21.2% 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 42/100, ranked #151 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 4 of 19 schools offering Advanced Placement (25 AP courses district-wide), a 488.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.8% 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. Its most demographically mixed campus is C.F. Pope Elementary, with a diversity index of 71.0/100.
Its largest campus is Topsail High, enrolling 1,945 students (18% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Pender Innovative Learning Academy, at 38 students, a 51x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Topsail High accounts for 17.6% of all Pender County Schools student enrollment
That concentration 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 34.8% — 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.
Pender County Schools has 19 schools, including 4 high, 10 combined, 1 elementary, 4 middle. Total enrollment is 10,941 students.
How much does Pender County Schools spend per student?
Pender County Schools spends $11,305 per student. The district has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #151 in North Carolina.
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 42/100, ranking #151 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.