Best School Districts in North Carolina

Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score. Based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. NCES CCD 2022-23.

50
Districts Ranked
727,031
Students
46/100
Avg Quality Score
NC
State
# District Avg Quality Grade
1. Elkin City Schools Elkin 58.5 C
2. Polk County Schools Columbus 55.9 C
3. Alexander County Schools Taylorsville 54 C-
4. Stokes County Schools Danbury 53.6 C-
5. Gates County Schools Gatesville 52.4 C-
6. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Chapel Hill 51.3 C-
7. Watauga County Schools Boone 51.2 C-
8. Carteret County Public Schools Beaufort 50.6 C-
9. Jones County Schools Trenton 50.2 C-
10. Orange County Schools Hillsborough 49.9 D
11. Weldon City Schools Weldon 49.5 D
12. Buncombe County Schools Asheville 49.1 D
13. Lincoln County Schools Lincolnton 49 D
14. Yadkin County Schools Yadkinville 47.9 D
15. Greene County Schools Snow Hill 47.8 D
16. Macon County Schools Franklin 47.8 D
17. Wilkes County Schools North Wilkesboro 47 D
18. Randolph County School System Asheboro 46.7 D
19. Avery County Schools Newland 46.5 D
20. Beaufort County Schools Washington 46.1 D
21. Durham Public Schools Durham 45.6 D
22. Wake County Schools Cary 45.6 D
23. New Hanover County Schools Wilmington 45.4 D
24. Chatham County Schools Pittsboro 45.4 D
25. Dare County Schools Nags Head 45.1 D
26. Pitt County Schools Greenville 45.1 D
27. Washington County Schools Plymouth 45 D
28. Asheville City Schools Asheville 44.4 D
29. Cleveland County Schools Shelby 44.1 D
30. Madison County Schools Marshall 43.9 D
31. Whiteville City Schools Whiteville 43.6 D
32. McDowell County Schools Marion 43.5 D
33. Clinton City Schools Clinton 43.4 D
34. Edgecombe County Public Schools Tarboro 43.3 D
35. Clay County Schools Hayesville 43.3 D
36. Davidson County Schools Lexington 43.2 D
37. Mitchell County Schools Bakersville 43.1 D
38. Davie County Schools Mocksville 42.6 D
39. Cherokee County Schools Murphy 42.6 D
40. Duplin County Schools Kenansville 42.5 D
41. Bladen County Schools Elizabethtown 42.4 D
42. Johnston County Public Schools Smithfield 42.3 D
43. Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools Elizabeth City 42.2 D
44. Cabarrus County Schools Concord 42.2 D
45. Northampton County Schools Jackson 42.2 D
46. Hickory City Schools Hickory 42 D
47. Transylvania County Schools Brevard 42 D
48. Jackson County Public Schools Sylva 41.8 D
49. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Charlotte 41.7 D
50. Gaston County Schools Gastonia 41.4 D

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in North Carolina? ▼

The top-ranked district in North Carolina is Elkin City Schools in Elkin with 1,239 students across 4 schools. Average quality score: 58.5/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated? ▼

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in North Carolina? ▼

North Carolina has 50+ school districts serving 1,544,406 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 16.4:1.

Explore More for North Carolina

All Schools → Best Schools → Highest Spending → Funding Equity → Absenteeism Data →

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.