An equity score of 57/100 ranks Wayne County Public Schools #91 of 297 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,267 per pupil, Wayne County Public Schools ranks #197 of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
17,558
Total Enrollment
33
Schools
$11,267
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Wayne County Public Schools operates 33 public schools serving 17,558 students, placing it in the mid-size range in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 14 combined, 8 elementary, 7 high, 4 middle 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 Wayne County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,267 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 11.4% local, 60.6% state, and 28.0% 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 57/100, ranked #91 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 8 of 33 schools offering Advanced Placement (29 AP courses district-wide), a 431.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 49.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 36.9% African American, 28.9% White, 27.9% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Meadow Lane Elementary, with a diversity index of 70.4/100.
Its largest campus is Charles B Aycock High, enrolling 1,138 students (7% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Edgewood Cmty Developmental, at 38 students, a 30x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Wayne County Public Schools school enrollment varies 30× across entities
Wayne County Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 38 students (lowest) to 1,138 students (highest), a spread of 1,100 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Wayne County Public Schools reports 97.3% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share is above 87.5%, so economic need is widespread across the measured student population. 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.
Wayne County Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 432:1 — 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.
Wayne County Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 49.3% — 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.
How many schools are in Wayne County Public Schools?
Wayne County Public Schools has 33 schools, including 7 high, 4 middle, 14 combined, 8 elementary. Total enrollment is 17,558 students.
How much does Wayne County Public Schools spend per student?
Wayne County Public Schools spends $11,267 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #91 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Wayne County Public Schools?
Wayne County Public Schools students are 36.9% African American, 28.9% White, 27.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian, averaged across 33 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Wayne County Public Schools?
Wayne County Public Schools has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #91 out of 297 districts in North Carolina.