Duplin Early College High

Duplin Early College High is a high school of minimally staffed scale in Kenansville, North Carolina, operated by Duplin County Schools, instructing 199 students in grades 9 through 13. That puts it 74% smaller than the typical public school in North Carolina, which averages around 761 students.

Within Duplin County Schools, which oversees 13 schools and 9,822 students, Duplin Early College High is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Duplin Early College High logs that 49% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school reports 26% White, 22% Black, 4% multiracial. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 23%.

On the income-and-resources front, Duplin Early College High shows 8 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 24.3:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 19.6:1 average. About 98% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

With demographic context factored in, Duplin Early College High ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 48.8%; Duplin Early College High posts 68.7%, +19.9 points above that line.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Duplin County) shows that median household earnings sit near $55,148, roughly 18% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 15%. In all, Duplin County runs 13 public schools (combined enrollment of about 9,822 students), of which Duplin Early College High is one.

The closest other public school is Kenansville Elementary, roughly 1.3 miles away. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Duplin Early College High at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 34.4%.

Duplin Early College High operates from a rural location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count showed little movement: 203 students in 2018 compared to 199 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 38% to 49% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 26.1:1 in 2018 to 24.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Duplin Early College High typically covers fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.