Total enrollment
4,968
-282 (-5%) vs SY 2020-21
12 schools in Dare County Schools
North Carolina · 4,968 students · 5 cities
Parents inside Dare County Schools pick from 12 public K-12 options, with combined enrollment of about 4,968 students (an average school size of 414).
4-year change in Dare County Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
11
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Dare County Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In North Carolina | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 61.5% | #10 of 112 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 4,968 | #65 of 116 | #1,945 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 11 | #67 of 116 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.4:1 | #22 of 116 | #4,826 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 46.0% | #106 of 114 | #4,751 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.9% | #85 of 111 | #3,510 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 Dare County Schools
State test results across the district's 10 scored schools run from Kitty Hawk Elementary School at 73.6% proficient to Manteo Elementary School at 49.3%, a gap of 24.3 points. That is the 90th widest gap among 104 North Carolina districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 11 district schools that reported both years went from 5,284 to 4,968 students (down 6%) and from 390 to 345 full-time teachers (down 12%), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Flight High School | Kill Devil Hills | High | 09-12 | 874 |
| Manteo Elementary School | Manteo | Elementary | PK-05 | 636 |
| First Flight Middle School | Kill Devil Hills | Middle | 06-08 | 604 |
| Manteo High School | Manteo | High | 09-12 | 528 |
| Kitty Hawk Elementary School | Kitty Hawk | Elementary | PK-05 | 487 |
| Nags Head Elementary School | Nags Head | Elementary | PK-05 | 484 |
| Manteo Middle School | Manteo | Middle | 06-08 | 383 |
| Cape Hatteras Secondary School | Buxton | High | 06-12 | 364 |
| First Flight Elementary School | Kill Devil Hills | Elementary | PK-05 | 285 |
| Cape Hatteras Elementary School | Buxton | Elementary | PK-05 | 284 |
| Dare Learning Academy | Kill Devil Hills | High | 09-12 | 39 |
| Dare Early College | Manteo | Elementary | M-M | · |
About Dare County Schools
Dare County Schools runs 12 public schools across North Carolina, collectively educateing roughly 4,968 students.
On the school-mix side, Dare County Schools spans 6 elementary, 2 middle, and 4 high schools.
On a per-school basis, Dare County Schools runs about 414 students per school, 27% lower than the state mean of roughly 571.
Five-year track record. Across the same 4-year window, public-school enrollment fell 5%: 5,250 students in SY 2020-21 versus 4,968 in SY 2024-25.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Dare County Schools discusses school events, board meetings, and seasonal calendars. Parents, students, and educators in the area can post or comment.