1
What's the most underrated thing about James Kenan High that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
758
High
DISTRICT 634 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DUPLIN COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370120000498
James Kenan High
1241 NC 24 & 50, Warsaw, NC 28398 · (910) 293-4218 · Duplin County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL758 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 14% of North Carolina public high schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-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
15.3:1
49 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.0:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
755 students
DISTRICT 100% · 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 | 236 | 31% |
| Grade 10 | 180 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 186 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 156 | 21% |
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · 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
32.1%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
27.3%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 32 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 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
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
28.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-19.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 29% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 48% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 James Kenan High
James Kenan High's state test result (28.6% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Kenan High this school | 758 | 99.6% | 28.6% |
| Wallace-Rose Hill High Teachey | 738 | 99.6% | 20.8% |
| Union High Rose Hill | 494 | 99.2% | 32.6% |
| Robert B Glenn High School Kernersville | 1,396 | 99.8% | 21.6% |
| Graham High Graham | 828 | 99.6% | 25.6% |
| Thomasville High Thomasville | 590 | 99.5% | 19.9% |
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 James Kenan High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 28.6% | #407 of 468 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 27.3% | #310 of 464 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 32.1% | #420 of 448 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 758 | #262 of 598 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.3:1 | #77 of 473 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.1% | #234 of 474 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.6% | #95 of 527 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +12.8% | #58 of 164 |
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
758
+59 (+8%) vs 2020
+26% since 1990-91, when it was 600
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
was 16.6:1
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 | 758 | 49.4 | 15.3:1 | 100% (755) |
| 2023-24 | 775 | 46 | 16.9:1 | 100% (772) |
| 2022-23 | 784 | 47 | 16.7:1 | 100% (781) |
| 2020-21 | 699 | 42 | 16.6:1 | 100% (696) |
| 2017-18 | 672 | 40.4 | 16.6:1 | 98% (656) |
| 2015-16 | 724 | 40 | 18.1:1 | 72% (524) |
| 2010-11 | 533 | 41 | 13.0:1 | 74% (394) |
| 2000-01 | 594 | 38 | 15.6:1 | 52% (309) |
| 1990-91 | 600 | 41 | 14.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James Kenan High.
Since 2017-18: students up 13% (672 to 758); teachers up 22% (40.4 to 49.4).
About James Kenan High
James Kenan High is a mid-sized high school. Its address is in Warsaw, North Carolina. Total enrollment is 758 students, and the grades served are 9 through 12.
James Kenan High is one of 13 schools in Duplin County Schools, which enrolls 9,822 students in total.
More than half of the students at James Kenan High are Hispanic (53%). The remaining shares are 29% Black and 15% White. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Duplin County's population at about 23%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, James Kenan High scores 61%.
James Kenan High reports a ratio of 15.3 students per teacher, from 49.4 full-time-equivalent teachers. By comparison, the average for high schools in North Carolina is 19.6:1. Student poverty is often measured by lunch eligibility; at James Kenan High, 100% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Duplin County is similar, at 100%.
On the allk12 Grade, James Kenan High lands at D, ahead of 14% of North Carolina public high schools.
On BeatsExpectations, which compares test results with what a school's student poverty level would predict, James Kenan High ranks in the bottom 10% in North Carolina. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 28.6%, against a prediction of 48.4%.
Duplin County is the school's county. There, median household income comes to about $55,148, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 18%, and roughly 15% of residents are in poverty. There are 13 public schools in the county, enrolling about 9,822, James Kenan High among them.
About 2.1 miles separate James Kenan High from the closest public school, Warsaw Elementary. The five-mile area around James Kenan High holds 2 other public schools. Local comparison: James Kenan High ranks 9th of 9 nearby schools, at 28.6% versus a 48.7% average.
Its location is classified as Rural: Distant by the National Center for Education Statistics.
The school's enrollment rose 8% from 2020-21 to 2024-25. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (15.3:1) than in 2020-21 (16.6:1).
Use the discussion section to ask about homework, tutoring, and testing dates at James Kenan High. You can also rate the school on this page.
Duplin County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
49,335
Census ACS
Median income
$55,148
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
13
9,822 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Duplin County Schools
- Wallace ElementaryElementary · 1,120 students
- Rose Hill-Magnolia ElementaryElementary · 1,118 students
- Beulaville ElementaryElementary · 877 students
- B F Grady ElementaryElementary · 865 students
- East Duplin HighHigh · 864 students
- Warsaw ElementaryElementary · 808 students
Nearby schools
- Warsaw Elementary2.1 mi · 808
- Duplin Early College High4.5 mi · 199
- Kenansville Elementary5.1 mi · 599
- Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary9.4 mi · 1,118
- North Duplin Jr Sr High10.6 mi · 609
- North Duplin Elementary10.7 mi · 730
Frequently asked questions
About James Kenan HighWhat is the total enrollment at James Kenan High?
James Kenan High enrolls approximately 758 students in grades 09-12.
Is James Kenan High an elementary, middle, or high school?
James Kenan High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does James Kenan High have?
James Kenan High employs 49 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.3:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at James Kenan High?
At James Kenan High, the student body is approximately 15% White, 53% Hispanic, 29% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is James Kenan High in?
James Kenan High is part of Duplin County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.