Pender Early College High

Pender Early College High operates as a tiny senior high in Burgaw, North Carolina, run under Pender County Schools. Current enrollment sits at 215 students spanning grades 9 through 13. That puts it 72% leaner than the typical public school in North Carolina, which averages around 761 students.

Pender County Schools runs 19 schools in total, collectively educating 11,073 students. Pender Early College High is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Pender Early College High lists that 65% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 23% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 5% Black. The wider county runs roughly 75% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 4 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 50.8:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 19.6:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Pender County (around 70%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Pender Early College High is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 48.7%; this one delivers 91.0%, a residual of +42.3 points.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Pender County indicate median household earnings sit near $80,396, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Pender Early College High is one of 19 public schools in Pender County (combined enrollment of about 11,073 students).

Burgaw Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Pender Early College High. On composite proficiency, Pender Early College High comes 1st of 9 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 40.9%.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 4%: 223 students in 2018 compared to 215 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 17% to 23% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 20.3:1 in 2018 to 50.8:1 today.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.