Total enrollment
24,791
+62 (+0%) vs SY 2020-21
42 schools in New Hanover County Schools
North Carolina · 24,791 students · 4 cities
New Hanover County Schools, North Carolina runs 42 public K-12 schools today, teaching approximately 24,791 students across 26 elementary, 7 middle, and 9 high.
4-year change in New Hanover County Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
42
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How New Hanover County Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In North Carolina | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.3% | #21 of 112 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 24,791 | #12 of 116 | #289 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 42 | #12 of 116 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.4:1 | #43 of 116 | #5,898 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 67.8% | #94 of 114 | #2,119 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.5% | #56 of 111 | #1,463 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 New Hanover County Schools
State test results across the district's 39 scored schools run from Isaac M Bear Early College High School at 92.6% proficient to R Freeman Sch of Engineering at 15.5%, a gap of 77.0 points. That is the widest gap among 104 North Carolina districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 41 district schools that reported both years went from 26,038 to 24,125 students (down 7%) and from 1,678 to 1,566 full-time teachers (down 7%), 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.
About New Hanover County Schools
New Hanover County Schools is a medium-population public-school district in North Carolina. The district oversees 42 schools and teaches approximately 24,791 students.
For a sense of the school types, New Hanover County Schools spans 26 elementary, 7 middle, and 9 high schools.
Five-year track record. Across the same 4-year window, public-school enrollment stayed largely flat: 24,729 students in SY 2020-21 versus 24,791 in SY 2024-25.
On allk12, the community for New Hanover County Schools discusses school events, board meetings, and seasonal calendars. Members of the local community share what they see day-to-day.