Enrollment
227
High
DISTRICT 953 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370333003439
SEA-Tech
5301 Sidbury Road, Castle Hayne, NC 28429 · (910) 530-6300 · New Hanover County
GRADES 09–13HIGH41-RURALTITLE ICAREER AND TECHNICAL SCHOOL227 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 93% of North Carolina public high schools
- ATest 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
13.7:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
224 students
DISTRICT 72% · 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 | 41 | 18% |
| Grade 10 | 60 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 48 | 21% |
| Grade 12 | 52 | 23% |
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · 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
83.3%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
85.7%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 83 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 86 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
81.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+32.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 81% 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 33 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 →
Schools most like SEA-Tech
SEA-Tech's state test result (81.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEA-Tech this school | 227 | 98.7% | 81.3% |
| Cleveland ECHS Shelby | 225 | 98.7% | 84.0% |
| Richmond Early College High Hamlet | 294 | 99.0% | N/A |
| Rockingham Co Early College High Wentworth | 344 | 99.1% | 89.2% |
| Brunswick County Early College Bolivia | 332 | 99.1% | 90.5% |
| Columbus Career and College Academy Whiteville | 230 | 98.7% | 70.2% |
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 SEA-Tech ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In New Hanover County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 81.3% | #45 of 468 | #2 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 85.7% | #26 of 464 | #2 of 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 83.3% | #66 of 448 | #2 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 227 | #462 of 598 | #8 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.7:1 | #33 of 473 | #2 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 55.2% | #309 of 474 | #6 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.7% | #243 of 527 | #3 of 9 |
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
227
+34 (+18%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
was 17.6:1
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 | 227 | 16.6 | 13.7:1 | 99% (224) |
| 2023-24 | 265 | 15.9 | 16.7:1 | 99% (262) |
| 2022-23 | 230 | 13.3 | 17.4:1 | 99% (227) |
| 2020-21 | 193 | 11 | 17.6:1 | 98% (190) |
| 2017-18 | 44 | 5.7 | 7.7:1 | 52% (23) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for SEA-Tech.
Since 2017-18: students up 416% (44 to 227); teachers up 191% (5.7 to 16.6).
About SEA-Tech
SEA-Tech operates as a small high school in Castle Hayne, North Carolina. A federal count lists 227 students at the school, in grades 9 through 13. Average enrollment for high schools in North Carolina is about 761, so this school runs 70% smaller than that.
SEA-Tech is one school in New Hanover County Schools, a system of 42 schools with 24,791 students.
By race and ethnicity, SEA-Tech is 63% White. The school is also 17% Hispanic, 11% Black, 6% multiracial, and 2% Asian. That is lower than the 77% White share among all New Hanover County residents. By the diversity index, SEA-Tech comes in at 55%.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 13.7:1, with 16.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average ratio among high schools in North Carolina is 19.6:1, higher than at this school. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 99% of enrollment. For comparison, public schools in New Hanover County average 67%.
The allk12 Grade for SEA-Tech is A. Compared with North Carolina public high schools, the school scored higher than 93% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. SEA-Tech beats its 48.7% prediction with 81.3%, a top-10% result in North Carolina.
Census estimates describe New Hanover County this way: median household income is about $75,166, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 45%, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. The public schools of New Hanover County number 50 and enroll about 27,460.
Wilmington Early College High is the public school closest to SEA-Tech, about 0.9 miles away. SEA-Tech has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. SEA-Tech ranks 1st of 9 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 81.3% against a local average of 60.6%.
The school's locale code, Rural: Fringe, means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 18%, from 193 to 227. The school's ratio fell from 17.6:1 to 13.7:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Posts about school safety, transportation, and start times are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
New Hanover County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
235,229
Census ACS
Median income
$75,166
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
45%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
50
27,460 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in New Hanover County Schools
- Emsley A Laney HighHigh · 2,243 students
- John T Hoggard HighHigh · 2,082 students
- Eugene Ashley HighHigh · 1,893 students
- New Hanover HighHigh · 1,437 students
- Charles P Murray MiddleMiddle · 907 students
- Roland-Grise MiddleMiddle · 878 students
Other schools in Castle Hayne
- Holly Shelter MiddleMiddle · 801 students
- Castle Hayne ElementaryElementary · 531 students
- Wilmington Early College HighHigh · 270 students
Nearby schools
- Wilmington Early College High0.9 mi · 270
- Holly Shelter Middle1.9 mi · 801
- Castle Hayne Elementary2.0 mi · 531
- Emma B Trask Middle2.2 mi · 611
- Emsley A Laney High2.3 mi · 2,243
- Murrayville Elementary2.5 mi · 573
Frequently asked questions
About SEA-TechHow many students attend SEA-Tech?
SEA-Tech enrolls approximately 227 students in grades 09-13.
What grades does SEA-Tech serve?
SEA-Tech serves grades 09-13.
How many teachers does SEA-Tech have?
SEA-Tech employs 17 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at SEA-Tech?
At SEA-Tech, the student body is approximately 63% White, 17% Hispanic, 11% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is SEA-Tech public or private?
SEA-Tech is a public K-12 school, overseen by New Hanover County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.