Holly Shelter Middle

Holly Shelter Middle is one of the moderately sized junior highs in Castle Hayne, North Carolina, run under New Hanover County Schools, with 801 students on its rolls from grades 6 through 8. By comparison, North Carolina's public schools average about 605 students each, so Holly Shelter Middle sits 32% bigger than that benchmark.

Across the 42 schools in New Hanover County Schools (24,791 students total), Holly Shelter Middle accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Holly Shelter Middle lists that 47% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest consists of 24% Hispanic, 20% Black, 6% multiracial, 2% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 77% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Holly Shelter Middle lists 53 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.0:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.9:1 average. Around 99% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is north of New Hanover County's rate of about 67%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Holly Shelter Middle performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 48.6%, the actual is 57.8%, a residual of +9.2 points.

In the area at large, census data for New Hanover County shows median household income runs about $75,166, about 45% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Across New Hanover County's 50 public schools (combined enrollment of about 27,460 students), Holly Shelter Middle is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Castle Hayne Elementary, roughly 0.1 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Holly Shelter Middle. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Holly Shelter Middle ranks 5th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 60.1%.

Holly Shelter Middle operates from an outlying location.

Five-year trend. Holly Shelter Middle's enrollment has expanded 27% since 2018, when it stood at 630 (now 801). The Hispanic share of enrollment climbed from 18% to 24% over that span.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.