Top Rankings
New Hanover County Schools ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:
Category
Attribute
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026 school year, there are 9 public high schools serving 8,546 students in New Hanover County Schools. This district's average high testing ranking is 8/10, which is in the top 30% of public high schools in North Carolina.
Public High Schools in New Hanover County Schools have an average math proficiency score of 68% (versus the North Carolina public high school average of 58%), and reading proficiency score of 65% (versus the 58% statewide average).
Public High School in New Hanover County School have a Graduation Rate of 88%, which is more than the North Carolina average of 86%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Emsley A Laney High School, with 92% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in North Carolina or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 42% of the student body (majority Hispanic and Black), which is less than the North Carolina public high school average of 56% (majority Black and Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
42 Schools
758 Schools
# Students
24,761 Students
568,636 Students
# Teachers
1,605 Teachers
31,535 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
15:1
15:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
New Hanover County Schools, which is ranked within the top 50% of all 314 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 88% has increased from 86% over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#111 out of 325 school districts
(Top 50%)
(Top 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
(21-22)57%
51%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
55%
50%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
67%
63%
Graduation Rate
(21-22)89%
86%
Chronically Absent Students
(2022-23)28.5%
28.7%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.62
0.71
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
2%
4%
% Hispanic
20%
21%
% Black
16%
25%
% White
56%
44%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
6%
5%
All Ethnic Groups
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $11,832 is higher than the state median of $11,170. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $12,096 is higher than the state median of $11,594. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
Total Revenue
$293 MM
$17,307 MM
Spending
$300 MM
$17,964 MM
Revenue / Student
$11,832
$11,170
Spending / Student
$12,096
$11,594
Best New Hanover County Schools Public High Schools (2026)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Wilmington Early College High School
(Math: ≥90% | Reading: 90-94% )
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 1%10
4500 Blue Clay Rd, Wechs Bldg.
Castle Hayne, NC 28429
(910) 362-7789
Castle Hayne, NC 28429
(910) 362-7789
Gr: 9-13 | 266 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 46%
Rank: #22.
Isaac M Bear Early College High School
(Math: ≥90% | Reading: 85-89% )
Rank:
Rank:
10/
Top 1%10
630 Macmillan Avenue
Wilmington, NC 28403
(910) 350-1387
Wilmington, NC 28403
(910) 350-1387
Gr: 9-12 | 260 students Student-teacher ratio: 24:1 Minority enrollment: 38%
Rank: #33.
John T Hoggard High School
(Math: 71% | Reading: 71%)
Rank:
Rank:
9/
Top 20%10
4305 Shipyard Blvd
Wilmington, NC 28403
(910) 350-2072
Wilmington, NC 28403
(910) 350-2072
Gr: 9-12 | 2,082 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 35%
Rank: #44.
Eugene Ashley High School
(Math: 71% | Reading: 68%)
Rank:
Rank:
9/
Top 20%10
555 Halyburton Memorial Parkwy
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 790-2360
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 790-2360
Gr: 9-12 | 1,893 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 29%
Rank: #55.
Emsley A Laney High School
(Math: 72% | Reading: 62%)
Rank:
Rank:
9/
Top 20%10
2700 N College Rd
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 350-2089
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 350-2089
Gr: 9-12 | 2,243 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 45%
Rank: #66.
New Hanover High School
(Math: 65-69% | Reading: 52%)
Rank:
Rank:
8/
Top 30%10
1307 Market St
Wilmington, NC 28401
(910) 251-6100
Wilmington, NC 28401
(910) 251-6100
Gr: 9-12 | 1,437 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 64%
Rank: #77.
Sea-tech
Vocational School
(Math: ≥50% | Reading: 70-79%)
Rank:
Rank:
8/
Top 30%10
5301 Sidbury Road
Castle Hayne, NC 28429
(910) 530-6300
Castle Hayne, NC 28429
(910) 530-6300
Gr: 9-13 | 201 students Student-teacher ratio: 12:1 Minority enrollment: 37%
Rank: #88.
Career Readiness Academy At Mosley Plc
Alternative School
(Math: 30-39% | Reading: 60-69%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
3702 Princess Place Drive
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 251-6161
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 251-6161
Gr: 9-12 | 150 students Student-teacher ratio: 10:1 Minority enrollment: 69%
Rank: #99.
J. C. Roe Center
Alternative School
(Math: ≤20% | Reading: ≤20%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
2875 Worth Drive
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 395-4472
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 395-4472
Gr: 6-12 | 14 students Student-teacher ratio: 1:1 Minority enrollment: 93%
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