Enrollment
280
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wrightsville Beach, NC
Wrightsville Beach Elem
Federal NCES profile for Wrightsville Beach Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370333001397
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wrightsville Beach Elem earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 8.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 280
- students enrolled
Wrightsville Beach Elem has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: New Hanover County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370333001397 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wrightsville Beach Elem compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wrightsville Beach Elem
Wrightsville Beach Elem is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, enrolling 280 students.
At 14.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 8.0% free-meal eligibility runs 88% below the North Carolina average.
Enrollment of 280 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 23 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #5.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 280 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
10.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
New Hanover County Schools also operates Emsley a Laney High (2,243 students) and John T Hoggard High (2,082 students) alongside Wrightsville Beach Elem.
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 Wrightsville Beach Elem compares
Wrightsville Beach Elem 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 | 14.7:1 | ▼ 7% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.0% | ▼ 88% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
8.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 88% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 45% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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 280 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 91.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 1.8%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 91.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.2, Wrightsville Beach Elem is less 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 Wrightsville Beach Elem.
$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 Wrightsville Beach Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emsley a Laney High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John T Hoggard High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eugene Ashley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Hanover High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Charles P Murray Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wrightsville Beach Elem'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 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 (~280 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wrightsville Beach Elem's federal record.
- Compare Wrightsville Beach Elem 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 Wrightsville Beach Elem
How many students attend Wrightsville Beach Elem?
Wrightsville Beach Elem has 280 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wrightsville Beach, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wrightsville Beach Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Wrightsville Beach Elem is 14.7:1, which is 7% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 6% 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 Wrightsville Beach Elem?
8.0% of students at Wrightsville Beach Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wrightsville Beach Elem?
The largest demographic group at Wrightsville Beach Elem is White at 91.4% of enrollment, in Wrightsville Beach, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wrightsville Beach Elem?
Wrightsville Beach Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher 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).
Is Wrightsville Beach Elem a good school?
Wrightsville Beach Elem earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Wrightsville Beach Elem, 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.
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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.