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School District

New Hanover County Schools

#26 in Best School Districts in North Carolina
  • B
    Overall Grade
  • Wilmington, NC
  • 41 reviews
B
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    B
  2. Diversity
    A
  3. Teachers
    B
  4. College Prep
    A-
  5. Clubs & Activities
    B
  6. Health & Safety
    C
  7. Administration
    B-
  8. Sports
    A-
  9. Food
    C-
  10. Resources & Facilities
    C+
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New Hanover County Schools is an above average, public school district located in Wilmington, NC. It has 26,192 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to state test scores, 55% of students are at least proficient in math and 53% in reading.
Address
6410 Carolina Beach Road
Wilmington, NC 28412
Telephone
(910) 763-5431
Website
nhcs.net

New Hanover County Schools Rankings

Niche ranks nearly 100,000 schools and districts based on statistics and millions of opinions from students and parents.
  • Elementary
  • Middle
  • High

Academics

Percent Proficient - Reading
53%
Percent Proficient - Math
55%
Average Graduation Rate
83%
Average SAT
1190
789 responses
Average ACT
26
491 responses
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Students

Diversity
A
Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses on school culture and diversity from students and parents.
Students
26,192
Free or Reduced Lunch
51%
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Teachers

Student-Teacher Ratio
16:1
National
17:1
Average Teacher Salary
$39,923
Teachers in First/Second Year
9.5%

Finances

Total Expenses
$228,862,000
Expenses Per Student
$9,677/ student
National
$12,239
Education Expenses
  • Instruction
    59%
  • Support Services
    36%
  • Other
    5%

New Hanover County Schools Reviews

41 reviews
All Categories
My high school experience was great. I thought E.A. Laney was a great school with even better teachers. Athletics were awesome and it was a blast playing with and against other schools.
The one thing I dislike is the equality of sports. Football brings in the most profit to schools, but I think that other sports should be treated more fairly. I played soccer in high school and my coaches couldn't afford to get us team t-shirts or even extra practice cones. It was a very tight budget. Yet football players get more special treatment. Some of the food is donation, but they also host large fundraisers, get their players quality sports attire they are able to keep, and get huge pep rally's. I understand football is a great tradition sport to bring in money and get the school together! But they do get special care from faculty compared to less income sports and maybe if the same attention was given to the other sports, even they could get the school greater income during their seasons, too.
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I have attended schools in three different North Carolina counties. The overall vibe of New Hanover is very negative, both in the interactions of the students and teachers. That being said, I have had some great teachers through the years. I feel prepared for college thanks to my teachers in the Lyceum Academy at New Hanover High School.

The schools in New Hanover County are extremely unevenly supported. Many schools depend heavily on PTA monies, therefore there are extreme differences in each school's facilities, resources and overall culture. Many people in the area choose private schools for this reason.
My experience with New Hanover County schools has been good and positive. I'm lucky enough to be apart of a county that offers many different educational and performance opportunities. The arts in the program is magnificent and it's something I've been a part of since Kindergarten. The circular for these programs are well taught and do help us in the future. Overall, most of my teachers have been nothing but kind. One thing that could be changed however is the Drivers Education programs. The wait to register for the program was incredibly stressful and I had a terrible experience. I took this class July Freshmen year and wasn't called to drive until Sophmore year, late December because my form got lost. I just hope that no one will have to go through the stress and disappointment I went through.