Enrollment
215
High
DISTRICT 885 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PENDER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370357002906
Pender Early College High
100 East Industrial Drive, Burgaw, NC 28425 · (910) 362-7925 · Pender County
GRADES 09–13HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL215 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 99% 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.
- A+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
50.8:1
4 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 31.0:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
212 students
DISTRICT 82% · 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 | 62 | 29% |
| Grade 10 | 45 | 21% |
| Grade 11 | 47 | 22% |
| Grade 12 | 48 | 22% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · 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+)Math
90.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 91 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
91.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+42.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 91% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 49% 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 42 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 →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
215
-16 (-7%) vs 2020
+14% since 2010-11, when it was 188
Student : Teacher
50.8:1
was 21.0:1
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 | 215 | 4.2 | 50.8:1 | 99% (212) |
| 2023-24 | 193 | 9.5 | 20.3:1 | 34% (65) |
| 2022-23 | 203 | 9 | 22.6:1 | 36% (73) |
| 2020-21 | 231 | 11 | 21.0:1 | 25% (57) |
| 2017-18 | 223 | 11 | 20.3:1 | 37% (83) |
| 2015-16 | 211 | 12 | 17.6:1 | 36% (75) |
| 2010-11 | 188 | 10 | 18.8:1 | 52% (98) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pender Early College High.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (223 to 215); teachers down 62% (11 to 4.2).
About Pender Early College High
Pender Early College High is a small high school in Burgaw, North Carolina, one of the schools in Pender County Schools. A total of 215 students attend the school, which covers grades 9 through 13. Against the 761-student average for high schools in North Carolina, enrollment here is 72% lower.
Pender County Schools is the local district for Pender Early College High. It runs 19 schools with 11,073 students.
Roughly 65% of students at Pender Early College High are White. The rest of enrollment is 23% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, and 5% Black. Among all residents of Pender County, the White share is about 75%. Pender Early College High's diversity index is 52%, against a US figure of 70%.
At Pender Early College High, 4.2 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 50.8:1. On average, high schools in North Carolina have 19.6:1, compared with 50.8:1 here. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 99% of enrollment. The gap from the 70% average for public schools in Pender County is 29 points.
Pender Early College High is graded A+ by allk12, scoring above 99% of North Carolina public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. Pender Early College High beats its 48.7% prediction with 91.0%, a top-10% result in North Carolina.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Pender County show that the median household income is $80,396, about 31% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. Besides Pender Early College High, Pender County has 18 other public schools.
The school nearest to Pender Early College High is Burgaw Middle, at a distance of about 0.1 miles. There are 2 other public schools within five miles. Pender Early College High places 1st of 9 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
Locale data from NCES put Pender Early College High in rural territory some distance from an urban area (Rural: Distant).
Enrollment has fallen by 16 students since 2020-21, to 215. Students per teacher rose from 21.0 in 2020-21 to 50.8 in 2024-25.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss school safety, transportation, and start times at Pender Early College High. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Pender County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
65,550
Census ACS
Median income
$80,396
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
11,073 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pender County Schools
- Topsail HighHigh · 1,945 students
- Surf City ElementaryElementary · 857 students
- Topsail MiddleMiddle · 837 students
- Surf City MiddleMiddle · 752 students
- Heide Trask HighHigh · 732 students
- Pender HighHigh · 648 students
Other schools in Burgaw
- Pender HighHigh · 648 students
- C.F. Pope ElementaryElementary · 530 students
- Malpass Corner ElementaryElementary · 513 students
- Burgaw MiddleMiddle · 236 students
- West Pender MiddleMiddle · 209 students
Nearby schools
- Burgaw Middle0.1 mi · 236
- C.F. Pope Elementary0.9 mi · 530
- Pender High5.1 mi · 648
- Heide Trask High7.5 mi · 732
- Malpass Corner Elementary8.0 mi · 513
- Rocky Point Elementary8.4 mi · 403
Frequently asked questions
About Pender Early College HighHow large is Pender Early College High?
Pender Early College High enrolls approximately 215 students in grades 09-13.
What age range does Pender Early College High serve?
Pender Early College High serves students from grade 09 through grade 13.
How many students per teacher at Pender Early College High?
Approximately 50.8:1 students per teacher at Pender Early College High.
What is the student diversity at Pender Early College High?
Student demographics at Pender Early College High are roughly 65% White, 23% Hispanic, 5% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Pender Early College High in?
Pender Early College High is part of Pender County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.