Lake Forest Academy

Set in Wilmington, North Carolina, Lake Forest Academy is a minimally staffed elementary school, part of New Hanover County Schools. It teaches 45 students across grades K through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 90% smaller than the state mean of about 467.

Within New Hanover County Schools, which oversees 42 schools and 24,791 students, Lake Forest Academy is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Lake Forest Academy lists that 47% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 31% White, 13% multiracial, 7% Hispanic, 2% Native American. The wider county runs roughly 11% Black, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Lake Forest Academy has 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 3.2:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 14.9:1 average. About 93% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, New Hanover County runs at roughly 67%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

In the area at large, census data for New Hanover County shows median household earnings sit near $75,166, roughly 45% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Lake Forest Academy is one of 50 public schools in New Hanover County (combined enrollment of about 27,460 students).

Sunset Park Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The campus sits in a city-core setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 4%: 47 students in 2018 compared to 45 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment ticked down from 62% to 47% over that span.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.