Total enrollment
11,073
+1,513 (+16%) vs SY 2020-21
19 schools in Pender County Schools
North Carolina · 11,073 students · 4 cities
Pender County Schools's footprint covers 19 public K-12 schools with combined enrollment of about 11,073 (an average of 583 per school).
4-year change in Pender County Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
19
+1 (+6%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Pender County Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In North Carolina | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.7% | #18 of 112 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 11,073 | #34 of 116 | #819 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 19 | #41 of 116 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.0:1 | #107 of 116 | #7,729 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 70.3% | #91 of 114 | #1,923 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.4% | #72 of 111 | #2,568 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 Pender County Schools
State test results across the district's 18 scored schools run from Pender Early College High at 91.0% proficient to Pender High at 21.3%, a gap of 69.7 points. That is the 6th widest gap among 104 North Carolina districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 16 district schools that reported both years went from 9,460 to 9,426 students (unchanged) and from 584 to 517 full-time teachers (down 11%), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topsail High | Hampstead | High | 09-12 | 1,945 |
| Surf City Elementary | Hampstead | Elementary | PK-05 | 857 |
| Topsail Middle | Hampstead | Middle | 05-08 | 837 |
| Surf City Middle | Hampstead | Middle | 06-08 | 752 |
| Heide Trask High | Rocky Point | High | 09-12 | 732 |
| Pender High | Burgaw | High | 09-12 | 648 |
| South Topsail Elementary | Hampstead | Elementary | PK-05 | 618 |
| Topsail Annandale Elementary School | Hampstead | Elementary | PK-04 | 580 |
| Cape Fear Elementary | Rocky Point | Elementary | PK-05 | 533 |
| C.F. Pope Elementary | Burgaw | Elementary | PK-05 | 530 |
| North Topsail Elementary | Hampstead | Elementary | PK-05 | 529 |
| Malpass Corner Elementary | Burgaw | Elementary | PK-05 | 513 |
| Penderlea Elementary | Willard | Elementary | KG-08 | 468 |
| Cape Fear Middle | Rocky Point | Middle | 06-08 | 430 |
| Rocky Point Elementary | Rocky Point | Elementary | PK-05 | 403 |
| Burgaw Middle | Burgaw | Middle | 06-08 | 236 |
| Pender Early College High | Burgaw | High | 09-13 | 215 |
| West Pender Middle | Burgaw | Middle | 06-08 | 209 |
| Pender Innovative Learning Academy | Rocky Point | Combined | KG-12 | 38 |
About Pender County Schools
Across 19 schools, Pender County Schools teaches about 11,073 students in North Carolina. By footprint it is a low-population district.
For a sense of the school types, Pender County Schools spans 9 elementary, 5 middle, 4 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
Five-year track record. Total public-school enrollment in Pender County Schools has increased 16% since SY 2020-21, moving from about 9,560 students to 11,073. Over that span, Pender County Schools added 1 school, going from 18 to 19.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Pender County Schools discusses sports rivalries, cross-district programs, and shared facilities. Members of the local community share what they see day-to-day.