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If you could change one rule at Emsley A Laney High, what would it be?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,243
High
DISTRICT 953 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370333001373
Emsley A Laney High
2700 N College Rd, Wilmington, NC 28405 · (910) 350-2089 · New Hanover County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,243 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 45% of North Carolina public high schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public high schools
Student : Teacher
20.2:1
111 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
95%
2,137 students
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 616 | 27% |
| Grade 10 | 564 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 541 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 522 | 23% |
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
60.1%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
32.1%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
43.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.8%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Emsley A Laney High
Emsley A Laney High's state test result (43.7% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emsley A Laney High this school | 2,243 | 95.3% | 43.7% |
| Corinth Holders High Wendell | 2,187 | 99.0% | 51.0% |
| Cleveland High Clayton | 1,889 | 98.7% | 52.0% |
| North Brunswick High Leland | 1,620 | 99.8% | 46.0% |
| West Brunswick High Shallotte | 1,466 | 99.3% | 45.8% |
| Roberson High Asheville | 1,479 | 99.7% | 52.6% |
Matched among North Carolina high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Emsley A Laney High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In New Hanover County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.7% | #272 of 468 | #6 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.1% | #261 of 464 | #5 of 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.1% | #191 of 448 | #5 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,243 | #17 of 598 | #1 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.2:1 | #306 of 473 | #6 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.2% | #217 of 474 | #4 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 95.3% | #337 of 527 | #6 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.6% | #228 of 277 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,243
+144 (+7%) vs 2020
+15% since 1990-91, when it was 1,957
Student : Teacher
20.2:1
was 18.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,243 | 110.9 | 20.2:1 | 95% (2,137) |
| 2023-24 | 2,248 | 112.2 | 20.0:1 | 100% (2,241) |
| 2022-23 | 2,220 | 118.6 | 18.7:1 | 42% (927) |
| 2020-21 | 2,099 | 111 | 18.9:1 | 25% (517) |
| 2017-18 | 2,327 | 125 | 18.6:1 | 34% (793) |
| 2015-16 | 2,252 | 126 | 17.9:1 | 35% (795) |
| 2010-11 | 1,833 | 104 | 17.6:1 | 35% (634) |
| 2000-01 | 2,024 | 117 | 17.3:1 | 13% (266) |
| 1990-91 | 1,957 | 108 | 18.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Emsley A Laney High.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (2,327 to 2,243); teachers down 11% (125 to 110.9).
About Emsley A Laney High
Emsley A Laney High is a large high school based in Wilmington, North Carolina. The latest federal count shows 2,243 students in grades 9 through 12. The average for high schools in North Carolina is about 761 students, so this school is 195% above average.
New Hanover County Schools oversees Emsley A Laney High and 41 other schools, with 24,791 students in total.
Emsley A Laney High's enrollment is 55% White. The next largest groups are 19% Hispanic, 18% Black, and 6% multiracial. In New Hanover County overall, about 77% of residents are White. Emsley A Laney High has a diversity index of 62%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 20.2:1, with 110.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. Across high schools in North Carolina, the average ratio is about 19.6:1. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 95% of enrollment. Across public schools in New Hanover County, the average is 67%.
Emsley A Laney High is graded B- by allk12, scoring above 45% of North Carolina public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
In North Carolina, Emsley A Laney High is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 43.7% actual against a predicted 49.8%.
Federal survey data for New Hanover County show that median household income is about $75,166, about 45% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. A total of 50 public schools operate in New Hanover County, serving about 27,460 students.
Of nearby public schools, Emma B Trask Middle is the closest, at about 0.2 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. The school's 43.7% average proficiency ranks 7th among 8 nearby schools.
Its NCES locale code is Suburb: Large: the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Federal counts put enrollment at 2,099 in 2020-21 and 2,243 in 2024-25, a 7% gain. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 18.9:1 in 2020-21 to 20.2:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about Emsley A Laney High may include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
New Hanover County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
235,229
Census ACS
Median income
$75,166
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
45%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
50
27,460 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in New Hanover County Schools
- John T Hoggard HighHigh · 2,082 students
- Eugene Ashley HighHigh · 1,893 students
- New Hanover HighHigh · 1,437 students
- Charles P Murray MiddleMiddle · 907 students
- Roland-Grise MiddleMiddle · 878 students
- Holly Shelter MiddleMiddle · 801 students
Other schools in Wilmington
- John T Hoggard HighHigh · 2,082 students
- Eugene Ashley HighHigh · 1,893 students
- New Hanover HighHigh · 1,437 students
- American Leadership Academy-CoastalCombined · 1,002 students
- Charles P Murray MiddleMiddle · 907 students
- Roland-Grise MiddleMiddle · 878 students
Nearby schools
- Emma B Trask Middle0.2 mi · 611
- Murrayville Elementary1.2 mi · 573
- Wilmington Early College High1.7 mi · 270
- SEA-Tech2.3 mi · 227
- Wrightsboro Elementary2.7 mi · 502
- Dr Hubert Eaton Sr Elem3.1 mi · 461
Frequently asked questions
About Emsley A Laney HighHow large is Emsley A Laney High?
Emsley A Laney High enrolls approximately 2,243 students in grades 09-12.
Is Emsley A Laney High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Emsley A Laney High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Emsley A Laney High?
Approximately 20.2:1 students per teacher at Emsley A Laney High.
What is the student diversity at Emsley A Laney High?
Student demographics at Emsley A Laney High are roughly 55% White, 19% Hispanic, 18% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Emsley A Laney High?
Emsley A Laney High is overseen by New Hanover County Schools in New Hanover County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.