Emma B Trask Middle

Emma B Trask Middle, a mid-tier middle school in Wilmington, North Carolina, part of New Hanover County Schools, caters to 611 students, covering grades 6 through 8.

Within New Hanover County Schools, which oversees 42 schools and 24,791 students, Emma B Trask Middle is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Emma B Trask Middle lists that 49% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school reports 23% Hispanic, 16% Black, 8% multiracial, 3% Asian. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 77%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 41 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.9:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.9:1 average. Around 100% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is north of New Hanover County's rate of about 67%.

With demographic context factored in, Emma B Trask Middle sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.5%; this one delivers 58.6%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for New Hanover County indicate the typical household earns roughly $75,166 per year, about 45% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. In all, New Hanover County runs 50 public schools (combined enrollment of about 27,460 students), of which Emma B Trask Middle is one.

The closest other public school is Emsley A Laney High, roughly 0.2 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Emma B Trask Middle ranks 6th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 63.5%.

The campus sits in a residential setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Emma B Trask Middle has shrank 17%, going from 732 students in 2018 to 611 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 63% to 49% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.