Enrollment
227
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Castle Hayne, NC
Sea-Tech
Federal NCES profile for Sea-Tech, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370333003439
👥 S:T ratio 30
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 90
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sea-Tech earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Castle Hayne · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.5:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 97.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Sea-Tech has class sizes larger than 77% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sea-Tech ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Castle Hayne, NC.
School address
District: New Hanover County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370333003439 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sea-Tech compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sea-Tech
Sea-Tech is a high-poverty, small high school in Castle Hayne, North Carolina, enrolling 227 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 97.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 227 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 197 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 55/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 227 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Castle Hayne's high schools, it stands alongside Wilmington Early College High (270 students): Sea-Tech is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.5:1 vs 22.5:1).
New Hanover County Schools also operates Emsley a Laney High (2,243 students) and John T Hoggard High (2,082 students) alongside Sea-Tech.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Sea-Tech compares
Sea-Tech on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▲ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.8% | ▲ 48% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 227 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
227
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
97.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 77% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$13,724
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 227 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 63.4%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
African American 11.5%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 2.2%
Largest group: White at 63.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.3, Sea-Tech is about as mixed as the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Hanover County Schools, which includes Sea-Tech.
$13,724
Per student
+14%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 51.7%
Federal 18.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Sea-Tech Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emsley a Laney High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John T Hoggard High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eugene Ashley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Hanover High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Charles P Murray Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sea-Tech's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,243
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,082
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,893
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,437
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar high schools in Castle Hayne
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~227 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sea-Tech's federal record.
- Compare Sea-Tech against another school. Compare schools
- New Hanover County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Sea-Tech
How many students attend Sea-Tech?
Sea-Tech has 227 students enrolled. It is a high school in Castle Hayne, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sea-Tech?
The student-teacher ratio at Sea-Tech is 17.5:1, which is 11% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sea-Tech?
97.8% of students at Sea-Tech are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sea-Tech?
The largest demographic group at Sea-Tech is White at 63.4% of enrollment, in Castle Hayne, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sea-Tech?
Sea-Tech has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sea-Tech rank among public schools in Castle Hayne?
By Resource Investment Index, Sea-Tech ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Castle Hayne, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Castle Hayne on the city page.
Is Sea-Tech a good school?
Sea-Tech earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of North Carolina schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in New Hanover County Schools?
Besides Sea-Tech, New Hanover County Schools also operates Emsley a Laney High (2,243 students), John T Hoggard High (2,082 students), and Eugene Ashley High (1,893 students). See the New Hanover County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.