Total enrollment
7,847
+4 (+0%) vs SY 2020-21
18 schools in Carteret County Public Schools
North Carolina · 7,847 students · 7 cities
Carteret County Public Schools operates 18 public K-12 schools in North Carolina, enrolling about 7,847 students between them (9 elementary, 4 middle, and 4 high).
4-year change in Carteret County Public Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
17
-1 (-6%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Carteret County Public Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In North Carolina | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 67.5% | #3 of 112 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 7,847 | #46 of 116 | #1,195 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 17 | #45 of 116 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.8:1 | #60 of 116 | #6,227 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 76.3% | #88 of 114 | #1,446 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 39.8% | #96 of 111 | #4,024 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Carteret County Public Schools
State test results across the district's 14 scored schools run from Broad Creek Middle at 76.1% proficient to Newport Middle at 52.2%, a gap of 23.9 points. That is the 91st widest gap among 104 North Carolina districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 17 district schools that reported both years went from 8,385 to 7,847 students (down 6%) and from 605 to 498 full-time teachers (down 18%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Carteret High | Morehead City | High | 08-12 | 1,095 |
| Croatan High | Newport | High | 09-12 | 1,019 |
| White Oak Elementary | Cape Carteret | Elementary | PK-05 | 784 |
| Broad Creek Middle | Newport | Middle | 06-08 | 722 |
| Newport Elementary | Newport | Elementary | PK-05 | 621 |
| East Carteret High | Beaufort | High | 09-12 | 521 |
| Morehead City Middle | Morehead City | Middle | 06-08 | 506 |
| Morehead City Primary | Morehead City | Elementary | PK-03 | 502 |
| Bogue Sound Elementary | Newport | Elementary | PK-05 | 416 |
| Beaufort Elementary | Beaufort | Elementary | PK-05 | 346 |
| Newport Middle | Newport | Middle | 06-08 | 346 |
| Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary | Smyrna | Elementary | PK-08 | 262 |
| Beaufort Middle | Beaufort | Middle | 06-08 | 260 |
| Morehead Elem at Camp Glenn | Morehead City | Elementary | 04-05 | 253 |
| Harkers Island Elementary | Harkers Island | Elementary | KG-05 | 95 |
| Atlantic Elementary | Atlantic | Elementary | PK-05 | 88 |
| Bridges School | Morehead City | High | 06-12 | 11 |
| Marine Sci. and Tech. Early College HS | Morehead City | Combined | M-M | · |
About Carteret County Public Schools
Carteret County Public Schools is a thinly populated public-school district in North Carolina. The district oversees 18 schools and teaches approximately 7,847 students.
For a sense of the school types, Carteret County Public Schools spans 9 elementary, 4 middle, 4 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
On a per-school basis, Carteret County Public Schools runs about 436 students per school, 24% below the state mean of roughly 571.
Trend over the past 4 years. Total public-school enrollment in Carteret County Public Schools has remained close to its prior level since SY 2020-21, moving from about 7,843 students to 7,847. Carteret County Public Schools now counts 17 public schools, down from 18 in SY 2020-21.
On allk12, the community for Carteret County Public Schools discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.