Enrollment
260
High
DISTRICT 953 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370333002888
Isaac M Bear Early College High School
630 MacMillan Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403 · (910) 350-1387 · New Hanover County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL260 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 95% of North Carolina public high schools
- A+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats 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
24.8:1
11 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
26%
67 students
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 82%
Community
0
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 | 66 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 77 | 30% |
| Grade 11 | 57 | 22% |
| Grade 12 | 60 | 23% |
Student demographics
57%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
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)Math
94.1%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 94 of every 100 students at this school do math at grade level. The North Carolina average is about 52 of 100.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
92.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
71.0%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+21.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 93% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 71% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 22 points, placing it in North Carolina's top 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 Isaac M Bear Early College High School
Isaac M Bear Early College High School's state test result (92.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaac M Bear Early College High School this school | 260 | 25.8% | 92.5% |
| Crossroads Arts and Science Early Colleg Statesville | 225 | 28.9% | N/A |
| Discovery High School Newton | 146 | 29.5% | 78.5% |
| Craven Early College High New Bern | 221 | 33.9% | 88.1% |
| Collaborative College for Technology Statesville | 232 | 23.7% | N/A |
| Cabarrus Early College of Technology Concord | 236 | 32.2% | 88.6% |
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 Isaac M Bear Early College High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In New Hanover County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 92.5% | #3 of 468 | #1 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 94.1% | #3 of 464 | #1 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 260 | #434 of 598 | #7 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 24.8:1 | #424 of 473 | #8 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.6% | #297 of 474 | #5 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 25.8% | #492 of 527 | #9 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +14.5% | #48 of 164 | 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
260
+25 (+11%) vs 2020
+14% since 2010-11, when it was 228
Student : Teacher
24.8:1
was 23.5:1
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 | 260 | 10.5 | 24.8:1 | 26% (67) |
| 2023-24 | 251 | 9.8 | 25.5:1 | 22% (54) |
| 2022-23 | 226 | 10.9 | 20.7:1 | 17% (39) |
| 2020-21 | 235 | 10 | 23.5:1 | 17% (41) |
| 2017-18 | 227 | 10 | 22.7:1 | 28% (64) |
| 2015-16 | 225 | 10 | 22.5:1 | 40% (91) |
| 2010-11 | 228 | 9 | 25.3:1 | 29% (67) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Isaac M Bear Early College High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 15% (227 to 260); teachers up 5% (10 to 10.5).
About Isaac M Bear Early College High School
Wilmington, North Carolina, is home to Isaac M Bear Early College High School, a small high school. Enrolled students number 260 students, in grades 9 through 12. Statewide, high schools in North Carolina average about 761 students each.
Isaac M Bear Early College High School belongs to New Hanover County Schools, a district of 42 schools and 24,791 students.
Isaac M Bear Early College High School is 62% White by enrollment. Other groups include 18% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 6% multiracial, and 4% Black. The county population is about 77% White. Isaac M Bear Early College High School's diversity index is 57%, against a US figure of 70%.
Its 10.5 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 24.8:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 19.6:1 average for high schools in North Carolina. The school's lunch program data list 26% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Public schools in New Hanover County average 67%.
The allk12 Grade for Isaac M Bear Early College High School is A+. Compared with North Carolina public high schools, the school scored higher than 95% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
In North Carolina, Isaac M Bear Early College High School is one of the top 10% of schools on BeatsExpectations, with an average proficiency rate on state tests of 92.5% compared with a predicted 71.0%.
New Hanover County has about 235,229 residents, and the median household income is $75,166, about 45% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. In all, New Hanover County has 50 public schools and roughly 27,460 students.
The next-closest public school is Winter Park Model Elementary, about 0.6 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Isaac M Bear Early College High School is 1st of 6 on proficiency.
By NCES locale, the school is City: Mid-size, or inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment at Isaac M Bear Early College High School grew 11% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 235 to 260 students. There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (24.8:1) than in 2020-21 (23.5:1).
Community posts for Isaac M Bear Early College High School can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. 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
- Emsley A Laney HighHigh · 2,243 students
- 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
Other schools in Wilmington
- Emsley A Laney HighHigh · 2,243 students
- 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
Nearby schools
- Winter Park Model Elementary0.6 mi · 311
- Roland-Grise Middle1.1 mi · 878
- Wilmington School of the Arts1.1 mi · 297
- Wilmington Preparatory Academy1.4 mi · 91
- College Park Elementary1.5 mi · 470
- John T Hoggard High1.6 mi · 2,082
Frequently asked questions
About Isaac M Bear Early College High SchoolHow many students attend Isaac M Bear Early College High School?
Isaac M Bear Early College High School enrolls approximately 260 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Isaac M Bear Early College High School serve?
Isaac M Bear Early College High School serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Isaac M Bear Early College High School?
Approximately 24.8:1 students per teacher at Isaac M Bear Early College High School.
What is the student diversity at Isaac M Bear Early College High School?
Student demographics at Isaac M Bear Early College High School are roughly 62% White, 18% Hispanic, 4% Black, 9% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Isaac M Bear Early College High School?
Isaac M Bear Early College High School 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.