North Carolina Schools & Education

Public school metrics and education data for all 100 counties.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Avg Graduation Rate

88.0%

Avg Per-Pupil Spending

$6,969

Avg School Score

40/100

Total Schools

2,715

333 districts

State Score Context

How North Carolina Counties Are Distributed

100 of 100 counties have enough NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data to receive a county school score. Use this distribution to understand whether the state has a concentrated cluster of high, midrange, or lower measured signals.

Scored county coverage

Counties with complete enough data for the composite score

100%

Higher measured signal

Score range 70-100

Midrange measured signal

Score range 40-69

Lower measured signal

Score range 0-39

Scores are comparative signals from available federal data, not ratings of individual schools.

Best school counties

Best Counties for Public School Research in North Carolina

For a first-pass answer to parent searches about where the best schools are in North Carolina, start with county-level evidence, then open individual school and district records. SchoolsByCounty ranks counties by public education signals, not by private opinions or paid school ratings.

Short answer for North Carolina

Hyde County is the strongest county-level starting point in North Carolina by the current SchoolsByCounty score, with a measured school signal of 88/100. This is a county comparison signal, not a promise that every school in the county is the best fit for every family.

Ranking methodology

100 of 100 counties have enough federal education data for a county school score. The ranking favors counties with stronger available graduation-rate and school-finance signals, then asks parents to verify individual school fit locally. The table below should help parents choose what to compare next; it should not replace attendance-boundary checks, program eligibility, commute, services, or direct district confirmation.

State average per-pupil spending in this dataset: $6,969.

Top measured county school signals

Ranked by the county school score where enough federal data is available.

1Hyde CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $10,35688/100 2Tyrrell CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $9,65586/100 3Jones CountyGraduation 97.0% · Spending $8,39384/100 4Pamlico CountyGraduation 95.7% · Spending $8,30680/100 5Orange CountyGraduation 92.3% · Spending $8,62972/100 6Dare CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $7,34968/100 7Alleghany CountyGraduation 92.0% · Spending $8,02566/100

Graduation-focused starting point

Jones County

97.0%

Jones County has the strongest reported county graduation-rate signal in North Carolina. Use this as a broad county context, then review individual high-school records.

Funding context to inspect

Hyde County

$10,356

Hyde County reports the highest per-pupil spending among counties with available data. Higher spending is context, not a guarantee of student fit.

Counties to research carefully

Wilson County

15/100

Wilson County has one of the lowest measured county school signals in North Carolina. Review missing data, district context, and individual school records before drawing conclusions.

District research

Compare North Carolina public school districts before narrowing by address

North Carolina has 333 public school district records and 2,715 school records in the NCES file. Use the district hub to sort large district systems by enrollment, school count, county context, and generated district-guide coverage.

View District Rankings

Regional comparison guides

Compare North Carolina Counties in Real Relocation Shortlists

These static guides connect North Carolina county profiles to common metro-area school decisions. Each guide gives a direct answer, side-by-side NCES metrics, and links back into county profiles for deeper school and district research.

Research Triangle

Which Research Triangle county should parents put first on a school shortlist?

Compare Wake, Durham, and Orange county school metrics for families weighing Research Triangle school and housing tradeoffs.

Open guide

Custom comparison

Build a three-county school comparison

Compare any North Carolina county with other county profiles using the same school score, graduation-rate, and spending fields.

Open compare tool

All North Carolina Counties

County-level school score, graduation rate, and per-pupil spending for North Carolina.
County	School Score	Graduation Rate	Per-Pupil Spending
Hyde County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $10,356	88/100	95.0%	$10,356
Tyrrell County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $9,655	86/100	95.0%	$9,655
Jones County Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $8,393	84/100	97.0%	$8,393
Pamlico County Graduation 95.7% Per pupil $8,306	80/100	95.7%	$8,306
Orange County Graduation 92.3% Per pupil $8,629	72/100	92.3%	$8,629
Dare County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $7,349	68/100	95.0%	$7,349
Alleghany County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $8,025	66/100	92.0%	$8,025
Macon County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $7,090	64/100	95.0%	$7,090
Yancey County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,852	64/100	92.0%	$7,852
Greene County Graduation 91.0% Per pupil $8,152	62/100	91.0%	$8,152
Gates County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,694	62/100	92.0%	$7,694
Scotland County Graduation 91.0% Per pupil $7,952	60/100	91.0%	$7,952
Watauga County Graduation 93.0% Per pupil $7,192	60/100	93.0%	$7,192
Madison County Graduation 91.0% Per pupil $7,728	58/100	91.0%	$7,728
Clay County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,296	57/100	92.0%	$7,296
Jackson County Graduation 93.0% Per pupil $6,931	56/100	93.0%	$6,931
Currituck County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $6,407	56/100	95.0%	$6,407
Surry County Graduation 93.9% Per pupil $6,637	55/100	93.9%	$6,637
Mitchell County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,098	54/100	92.0%	$7,098
Buncombe County Graduation 90.8% Per pupil $7,356	52/100	90.8%	$7,356
Montgomery County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,845	51/100	92.0%	$6,845
Graham County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $8,141	50/100	87.0%	$8,141
Pender County Graduation 93.0% Per pupil $6,402	50/100	93.0%	$6,402
Polk County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $8,030	49/100	87.0%	$8,030
Chowan County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,698	49/100	92.0%	$6,698
Johnston County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,643	48/100	92.0%	$6,643
Moore County Graduation 93.8% Per pupil $6,053	48/100	93.8%	$6,053
Henderson County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,599	48/100	92.0%	$6,599
Union County Graduation 93.0% Per pupil $5,994	45/100	93.0%	$5,994
Perquimans County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,346	45/100	92.0%	$6,346
Onslow County Graduation 91.0% Per pupil $6,705	44/100	91.0%	$6,705
Burke County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,212	43/100	92.0%	$6,212
Bladen County Graduation 89.2% Per pupil $7,074	43/100	89.2%	$7,074
McDowell County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $7,475	42/100	87.0%	$7,475
Chatham County Graduation 87.9% Per pupil $7,274	42/100	87.9%	$7,274
Beaufort County Graduation 88.1% Per pupil $7,170	42/100	88.1%	$7,170
Haywood County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $6,938	41/100	89.0%	$6,938
Wake County Graduation 90.2% Per pupil $6,574	41/100	90.2%	$6,574
Guilford County Graduation 88.8% Per pupil $6,917	40/100	88.8%	$6,917
Northampton County Graduation 82.9% Per pupil $7,824	38/100	82.9%	$7,824
Vance County Graduation 91.3% Per pupil $6,064	38/100	91.3%	$6,064
Warren County Graduation 78.2% Per pupil $8,234	38/100	78.2%	$8,234
Rowan County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $6,720	38/100	89.0%	$6,720
New Hanover County Graduation 88.0% Per pupil $6,880	37/100	88.0%	$6,880
Caldwell County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $6,674	37/100	89.0%	$6,674
Bertie County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $7,542	37/100	84.0%	$7,542
Hertford County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,996	36/100	87.0%	$6,996
Rutherford County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $6,576	36/100	89.0%	$6,576
Alexander County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,992	36/100	87.0%	$6,992
Iredell County Graduation 90.9% Per pupil $6,004	36/100	90.9%	$6,004
Anson County Graduation 86.0% Per pupil $7,133	35/100	86.0%	$7,133
Stanly County Graduation 90.1% Per pupil $6,095	35/100	90.1%	$6,095
Swain County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,915	35/100	87.0%	$6,915
Transylvania County Graduation 83.0% Per pupil $7,527	35/100	83.0%	$7,527
Yadkin County Graduation 88.0% Per pupil $6,682	35/100	88.0%	$6,682
Ashe County Graduation 85.0% Per pupil $7,194	34/100	85.0%	$7,194
Martin County Graduation 83.1% Per pupil $7,441	34/100	83.1%	$7,441
Columbus County Graduation 87.1% Per pupil $6,763	34/100	87.1%	$6,763
Avery County Graduation 77.0% Per pupil $7,859	34/100	77.0%	$7,859
Cleveland County Graduation 88.0% Per pupil $6,603	34/100	88.0%	$6,603
Halifax County Graduation 85.4% Per pupil $7,095	33/100	85.4%	$7,095
Durham County Graduation 80.2% Per pupil $7,673	33/100	80.2%	$7,673
Rockingham County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $6,332	33/100	89.0%	$6,332
Carteret County Graduation 86.0% Per pupil $6,998	33/100	86.0%	$6,998
Catawba County Graduation 89.5% Per pupil $6,209	33/100	89.5%	$6,209
Cabarrus County Graduation 89.4% Per pupil $6,204	33/100	89.4%	$6,204
Forsyth County Graduation 85.8% Per pupil $6,993	33/100	85.8%	$6,993
Hoke County Graduation 88.0% Per pupil $6,501	33/100	88.0%	$6,501
Randolph County Graduation 89.6% Per pupil $6,157	33/100	89.6%	$6,157
Lincoln County Graduation 90.1% Per pupil $5,855	32/100	90.1%	$5,855
Cherokee County Graduation 76.0% Per pupil $7,722	32/100	76.0%	$7,722
Pitt County Graduation 86.0% Per pupil $6,882	32/100	86.0%	$6,882
Stokes County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,659	31/100	87.0%	$6,659
Wilkes County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,633	31/100	87.0%	$6,633
Camden County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,606	31/100	87.0%	$6,606
Person County Graduation 84.4% Per pupil $7,009	30/100	84.4%	$7,009
Davie County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,549	30/100	87.0%	$6,549
Craven County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,496	30/100	87.0%	$6,496
Gaston County Graduation 88.5% Per pupil $6,151	30/100	88.5%	$6,151
Nash County Graduation 86.7% Per pupil $6,609	30/100	86.7%	$6,609
Robeson County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,478	30/100	87.0%	$6,478
Lee County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,400	29/100	87.0%	$6,400
Caswell County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,381	28/100	87.0%	$6,381
Richmond County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $6,903	28/100	84.0%	$6,903
Washington County Graduation 82.0% Per pupil $7,103	28/100	82.0%	$7,103
Alamance County Graduation 84.5% Per pupil $6,801	28/100	84.5%	$6,801
Davidson County Graduation 87.3% Per pupil $6,133	27/100	87.3%	$6,133
Brunswick County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $6,769	26/100	84.0%	$6,769
Mecklenburg County Graduation 83.4% Per pupil $6,776	25/100	83.4%	$6,776
Cumberland County Graduation 85.0% Per pupil $6,485	25/100	85.0%	$6,485
Lenoir County Graduation 85.0% Per pupil $6,406	24/100	85.0%	$6,406
Edgecombe County Graduation 82.2% Per pupil $6,793	24/100	82.2%	$6,793
Harnett County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $5,985	24/100	87.0%	$5,985
Wayne County Graduation 81.0% Per pupil $6,828	23/100	81.0%	$6,828
Franklin County Graduation 85.0% Per pupil $6,277	22/100	85.0%	$6,277
Pasquotank County Graduation 79.8% Per pupil $6,748	21/100	79.8%	$6,748
Duplin County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $6,268	20/100	84.0%	$6,268
Granville County Graduation 84.7% Per pupil $6,159	20/100	84.7%	$6,159
Sampson County Graduation 80.9% Per pupil $6,654	20/100	80.9%	$6,654
Wilson County Graduation 79.6% Per pupil $6,288	15/100	79.6%	$6,288

— = data not available for this county.

Compare county school profiles in North Carolina

Use the comparison tool to review school scores, graduation rates, and spending side by side.

Compare Counties

Frequently Asked Questions About North Carolina Schools

Which North Carolina counties have the highest graduation rates?

Jones County (97.0%), Pamlico County (95.7%), and Currituck County (95.0%) currently lead North Carolina among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in North Carolina?

Across North Carolina counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $6,969. The highest current county values are Hyde County ($10,356), Tyrrell County ($9,655), and Orange County ($8,629). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

Which regional school comparisons include North Carolina counties?

Research Triangle include North Carolina counties in curated regional school comparisons. Use these guides for broad county shortlists, then verify school assignment and district rules locally.

What are the best school counties in North Carolina?

Hyde County, Tyrrell County, Jones County have the strongest measured county-level school signals in North Carolina, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data. These are county context rankings, not individual school ratings.

Which North Carolina county has the strongest measured school score?

Hyde County has the highest school score in North Carolina with a score of 88/100, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data.

What is the average graduation rate in North Carolina?

The average high school graduation rate across North Carolina counties is 88.0%, based on NCES data.

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

Back to All States

Explore more data for North Carolina

Property Tax Cost of Living Crime Income Health Disaster Risk Water Quality Weather County Score