Enrollment
91
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wilmington, NC
Wilmington Preparatory Academy
Federal NCES profile for Wilmington Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370014102927Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wilmington Preparatory Academy earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- #5 of 24
- elementary schools in Wilmington · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.1:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 91
- students enrolled
Wilmington Preparatory Academy has class sizes smaller than 96% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wilmington Preparatory Academy ranks #5 of 24 elementary schools in Wilmington, NC.
School address
District: Wilmington Preparatory Academy · North Carolina
NCES ID 370014102927 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wilmington Preparatory Academy compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wilmington Preparatory Academy
Small campus with unusually lean teacher staffing
Wilmington Preparatory Academy sits near the smaller end of the North Carolina enrollment distribution while also reporting a lower student-teacher ratio than most state schools. That pairing is consistent with a compact, teacher-dense setting, though small scale can limit the number of specialized courses or support roles a campus can sustain. The program and staffing sections below show whether the lean ratio extends beyond classroom teachers into broader student services.
No single support indicator dominates
Wilmington Preparatory Academy's available federal support indicators do not reveal an extreme in advanced-course access, specialist staffing, chronic absence, or IDEA enrollment. The most responsible reading is therefore component by component rather than a sweeping verdict: current counseling availability, health support, program schedules, and attendance policy still warrant direct confirmation. Missing or middle-range federal fields are not evidence that services are either strong or weak.
Wilmington Preparatory Academy is a small charter elementary school in Wilmington, North Carolina, enrolling 91 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.1:1, Wilmington Preparatory Academy is leaner than roughly 96% of North Carolina schools and 42% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of North Carolina schools, with 91 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Its student body is led by African American (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (12%) (diversity index 46/100).
Among Wilmington's elementary schools, it stands alongside Porters Neck Elementary (666 students): Wilmington Preparatory Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.1:1 vs 16.6:1).
Wilmington Preparatory Academy is a single-school charter district, so Wilmington Preparatory Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 91 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of North Carolina's single-school districts.
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 Wilmington Preparatory Academy compares
Wilmington Preparatory Academy 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 | 9.1:1 | ▼ 42% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 91 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.1:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
91
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.1:1
students per teacher
- 42% below state mean
Top 4% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$12,289
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,294
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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.
Student demographics
African American 71.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.1%
White 9.9%
Two or More 6.6%
Largest group: African American at 71.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.1, Wilmington Preparatory Academy is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wilmington Preparatory Academy, which includes Wilmington Preparatory Academy.
$12,289
Per student
0%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,294
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 65.0%
Federal 9.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar elementary schools in Wilmington
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Porters Neck Elementary
Standard public school
666 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Ogden Elementary
Standard public school
619 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Masonboro Elementary
Standard public school
564 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Heyward C Bellamy Elem
Standard public school
533 students 14:1 students per teacher
The International School at Gregory
Standard public school
514 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Edwin a Anderson Elementary
Standard public school
514 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~91 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wilmington Preparatory Academy's federal record.
- Compare Wilmington Preparatory Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Wilmington Preparatory Academy'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 Wilmington Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Wilmington Preparatory Academy?
Wilmington Preparatory Academy has 91 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wilmington, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wilmington Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Wilmington Preparatory Academy is 9.1:1, which is 42% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 42% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wilmington Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Wilmington Preparatory Academy is African American at 71.4% of enrollment, in Wilmington, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wilmington Preparatory Academy?
Wilmington Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Wilmington Preparatory Academy rank among elementary schools in Wilmington?
By Resource Investment Index, Wilmington Preparatory Academy ranks #5 of 24 elementary schools in Wilmington, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Wilmington on the city page.
What other schools are in Wilmington Preparatory Academy?
None; Wilmington Preparatory Academy is a single-school charter district, and Wilmington Preparatory Academy is its only campus.
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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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.