Public schools in North Carolina

The NCES directory lists 2,705 public schools operating in North Carolina in 2024-25; 2,653 of them reported 1,534,308 students, averaging 16.2 students per teacher, the 12th highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Wake County Public School System, with 162,770 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools2,6531,451 elementary, 472 middle, 601 high, 129 other
Students1,534,3083.2% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher16.2U.S. 15.3

North Carolina has more students per teacher than the U.S. average

North Carolina ranks 12th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Alabama17.2
  2. Idaho16.9
  3. Michigan16.9
  4. North Carolina16.2
  5. Colorado15.8
  6. Alaska15.6
  7. Kentucky15.4

Eight in ten larger North Carolina districts spent between $9,293 and $15,513 per student

Among the 150 North Carolina districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $9,293 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $15,513; the median was $12,366. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23150 values from $7,536 to $20,303; ; state median $12,366.$9,293$15,513the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$5k$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,366
Current spending per student, North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23150 values from $7,536 to $20,303; ; state median $12,366.$9,293$15,513the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$5k$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,366
Current spending per student, North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23150 values from $7,536 to $20,303; ; state median $12,366.$9,293$15,513the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$5k$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,366
Current spending per student, North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23150 values from $7,536 to $20,303; ; state median $12,366.$9,293$15,513the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$5k$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,366

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, 48% of the North Carolina students tested met the state's reading standard and 50% its math standard. North Carolina writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare North Carolina's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 86.5% of 120,822 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students; North Carolina published results by grade, combined here by the students tested in each.

In the North Carolina almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: NC Virtual Academy, 3,482 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Phillips High, 4.5 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Weldon City Schools, $24,869 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Raleigh Charter High School, $65,378 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: PSRC Early College at RCC, 0.4% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Career Academy and Technical School, 81 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Watauga County Schools, 53.9 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in North Carolina

  1. Wake County Public School System162,770
  2. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools141,626
  3. Guilford County Schools67,977
  4. Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools51,745
  5. Cumberland County Schools49,002
  6. Union County Public Schools41,272
  7. Johnston County Public Schools37,320
  8. Cabarrus County Schools35,264

Every North Carolina school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Charlotte128,616 students173 schools
  2. Raleigh66,764 students99 schools
  3. Greensboro47,739 students79 schools
  4. Fayetteville39,457 students68 schools
  5. Durham44,824 students68 schools
  6. Winston Salem37,384 students64 schools
  7. Wilmington24,968 students44 schools
  8. Concord27,711 students35 schools
  9. Cary29,745 students33 schools
  10. Asheville17,324 students33 schools
  11. Lexington12,890 students27 schools
  12. Jacksonville16,116 students26 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about North Carolina's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in North Carolina?
    The NCES directory lists 2,705 operating in 2024-25; 2,653 of them reported students: 1,451 elementary, 472 middle, 601 high and 129 other, enrolling 1,534,308 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in North Carolina?
    16.2 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in North Carolina?
    Wake County Public School System, with 162,770 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does North Carolina spend per public-school student?
    $12,306 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .