Southeast Elementary

As a close-knit elementary school in Kinston, North Carolina, Southeast Elementary enrolls 326 students from grades pre-K through 5, overseen by Lenoir County Public Schools. That puts it 30% smaller than the typical public school in North Carolina, which averages around 467 students.

Lenoir County Public Schools comprises 17 schools with combined enrollment of 8,331 students; Southeast Elementary is among them.

In terms of who attends, Southeast Elementary records that 83% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. Beyond that, the school reports 7% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 39% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Southeast Elementary has 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.6:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 14.9:1 average. Roughly 97% of students at Southeast Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Southeast Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 49.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 40.7%.

Across the wider county, Lenoir County reports that the typical household earns roughly $45,143 per year, about 16% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Southeast Elementary is one of 18 public schools in Lenoir County (combined enrollment of about 8,480 students).

Nearest neighbor: Rochelle Middle, around 0.6 miles off. 7 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Southeast Elementary ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 47.2%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Five-year trend. Southeast Elementary's enrollment has ticked up 43% since 2018, when it stood at 228 (now 326). The Black share of enrollment contracted from 94% to 83% over that span. Class-load math has widened: from 8.3:1 in 2018 to 13.6:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.