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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
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
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
758
+86 (+13%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
was 16.6:1
% White
15%
was 15%
% Hispanic
53%
was 46%
% Black
29%
was 36%
% Asian
1%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About James Kenan High
James Kenan High is a 9-12 campus of mid-sized scale in Warsaw, North Carolina, one of the schools within Duplin County Schools, hosting 758 students in grades 9 through 12.
James Kenan High is one of 13 schools operated by Duplin County Schools, a district that instructs 9,822 students overall.
In terms of who attends, James Kenan High logs that the largest single group is Hispanic at 53%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder consists of 29% Black, 15% White. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 23%.
Looking at the economic backdrop, James Kenan High logs 49 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.3:1. The state averages around 19.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.
On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), James Kenan High falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 48.4%; this one comes in at 28.6%, -19.9 points off the demographic line.
Across the wider county, Duplin County reports that median household income runs about $55,148, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. James Kenan High is one of 13 public schools in Duplin County (combined enrollment of about 9,822 students).
Nearest neighbor: Warsaw Elementary, around 2.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around James Kenan High. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts James Kenan High at 9th of 9; the average score across the group is 48.7%.
James Kenan High operates from a low-density location.
Over the past 7-year window. James Kenan High's enrollment has expanded 13% since 2018, when it stood at 672 (now 758). Over the same period, the Black share edged down from 36% to 29%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 16.6:1 in 2018 to 15.3:1 in 2025.
Inside the community feed, members of the James Kenan High community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.
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.