Columbus Career and College Academy

Columbus Career and College Academy operates as a micro-enrollment senior high in Whiteville, North Carolina, overseen by Columbus County Schools. Current enrollment sits at 230 students spanning grades 9 through 13. Compared to the state average of about 761 students per school, that is 70% below typical.

Across the 12 schools in Columbus County Schools (5,440 students total), Columbus Career and College Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Columbus Career and College Academy reports that White students make up the majority at 58%. Beyond that, the school shows 20% Hispanic, 18% Black, 3% multiracial. Compared to Columbus County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

In terms of school funding signals, Columbus Career and College Academy records 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.4:1. The state averages around 19.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 99% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Columbus Career and College Academy is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 48.7%; this one delivers 70.2%, a residual of +21.5 points.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Columbus County) logs that median household income runs about $49,442, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Columbus County runs 21 public schools (combined enrollment of about 8,386 students), of which Columbus Career and College Academy is one.

Nearest neighbor: Chadbourn Elementary, around 2.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 6 other public schools cluster around Columbus Career and College Academy. On composite proficiency, Columbus Career and College Academy comes 1st of 6 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 43.1%.

Columbus Career and College Academy operates from a small-town location.

Looking at the recent track record. Columbus Career and College Academy's enrollment has fell 32% since 2018, when it stood at 340 (now 230). The Hispanic share of enrollment ticked up from 10% to 20% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 29.3:1 in 2018 to 18.4:1 in 2025.

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