Other / mixed grade configuration · Wilmington, NC

Wrightsboro Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Wrightsboro Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370333001396
0/100100/10047/100
👥 S:T ratio
46
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
50
📋 Attendance
23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Wrightsboro Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of North Carolina schools.

#5 of 9
schools in Wilmington · Resource Index
47
Resource Index · Typical
13.6:1
small classes for North Carolina
95.2%
free-lunch eligible

Wrightsboro Elementary has class sizes smaller than 70% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Wrightsboro Elementary ranks #5 of 9 schools in Wilmington, NC.

Enrollment

502

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

37.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.6:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

-14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

95.2%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

+44% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Wrightsboro Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Wrightsboro Elementary

Wrightsboro Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Wilmington, North Carolina, enrolling 502 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 95.2% of students eligible for free meals.

With 502 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.

Among 577 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #47, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (43%) and White (25%) (diversity index 70/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 251 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

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 Wilmington's public schools, it stands alongside American Leadership Academy-Coastal (1,002 students): Wrightsboro Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount.

New Hanover County Schools also operates Emsley a Laney High (2,243 students) and John T Hoggard High (2,082 students) alongside Wrightsboro Elementary.

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 Wrightsboro Elementary compares

Wrightsboro Elementary 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 13.6:1 ▼ 14% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 95.2% ▲ 44% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 502 top 48% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
502
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
95.2%
free-lunch eligible - 44% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher - 14% below state mean
Top 30% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.7%
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
$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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 251 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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

Hispanic or Latino 43.0%
White 24.5%
African American 23.3%
Two or More 7.8%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 69.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 69.5, Wrightsboro Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Hanover County Schools, which includes Wrightsboro Elementary.

$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 Wrightsboro Elementary 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 Higher S:T ratio
Eugene Ashley High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
New Hanover High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Charles P Murray Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Wrightsboro Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

New Hanover County Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Wilmington

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Wrightsboro Elementary's federal record.

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 Wrightsboro Elementary

How many students attend Wrightsboro Elementary?

Wrightsboro Elementary has 502 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wilmington, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Wrightsboro Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Wrightsboro Elementary is 13.6:1, which is 14% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wrightsboro Elementary?

95.2% of students at Wrightsboro Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wrightsboro Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Wrightsboro Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 43.0% of enrollment, in Wilmington, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Wrightsboro Elementary?

Wrightsboro Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Wrightsboro Elementary rank among schools in Wilmington?

By Resource Investment Index, Wrightsboro Elementary ranks #5 of 9 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 schools in Wilmington on the city page.

Is Wrightsboro Elementary a good school?

Wrightsboro Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Wrightsboro Elementary, 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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.