Enrollment
297
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wilmington, NC
Wilmington School of the Arts
Federal NCES profile for Wilmington School of the Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370045703522Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wilmington School of the Arts earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of North Carolina schools.
- #21 of 24
- elementary schools in Wilmington · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.6:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 48.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Wilmington School of the Arts has class sizes larger than 84% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wilmington School of the Arts ranks #21 of 24 elementary schools in Wilmington, NC.
School address
District: Wilmington School of the Arts · North Carolina
NCES ID 370045703522 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wilmington School of the Arts compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wilmington School of the Arts
Wilmington School of the Arts is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Wilmington, North Carolina, enrolling 297 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.6:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 48.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 297 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 218 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #198, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 297 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Wilmington's elementary schools, it stands alongside Porters Neck Elementary (666 students): Wilmington School of the Arts is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.6:1 vs 16.6:1).
Wilmington School of the Arts is a single-school charter district, so Wilmington School of the Arts operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 School of the Arts compares
Wilmington School of the Arts 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 | 18.6:1 | ▲ 18% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.3% | ▼ 27% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 297 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
297
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% below 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
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 84% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,983
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 297 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 64.6%
Two or More 12.8%
Hispanic or Latino 10.8%
African American 8.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Largest group: White at 64.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.6, Wilmington School of the Arts is about as mixed as the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wilmington School of the Arts, which includes Wilmington School of the Arts.
$11,983
Per student
0%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.1%
State 57.4%
Federal 21.5%
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.
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 (~297 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wilmington School of the Arts's federal record.
- Compare Wilmington School of the Arts against another school. Compare schools
- Wilmington School of the Arts'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 School of the Arts
How many students attend Wilmington School of the Arts?
Wilmington School of the Arts has 297 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wilmington, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wilmington School of the Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Wilmington School of the Arts is 18.6:1, which is 18% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wilmington School of the Arts?
48.3% of students at Wilmington School of the Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wilmington School of the Arts?
The largest demographic group at Wilmington School of the Arts is White at 64.6% of enrollment, in Wilmington, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wilmington School of the Arts?
Wilmington School of the Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Wilmington School of the Arts rank among elementary schools in Wilmington?
By Resource Investment Index, Wilmington School of the Arts ranks #21 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.
Is Wilmington School of the Arts a good school?
Wilmington School of the Arts earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 Wilmington School of the Arts?
None; Wilmington School of the Arts is a single-school charter district, and Wilmington School of the Arts 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.