Can I use Beaufort County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Beaufort County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Beaufort County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Beaufort County?

Start with the 15 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Beaufort County Schools & Education

Name: Beaufort County, North Carolina Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Beaufort County, North Carolina

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

School Score

42/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

88.1%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

88.1%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 88.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,170

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,969

School Score

42/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 40/100

State Score Position

#36

of 100 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Beaufort County

Measured School Summary

Beaufort County performs at an average level with a school score of 42/100 and a solid graduation rate of 88.1%.

Funding Context

At $7,170 per pupil, Beaufort County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 4% above the North Carolina average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 0.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 3% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Beaufort County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

15 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

42/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #36 of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data.

Completion

88.1%

0.1 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,170

$201 above the state average

School coverage

2 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Beaufort County has 15 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Beaufort County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Dominant-district county

Beaufort County Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 14 of 15 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

#36

of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 2 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Beaufort County Schools

Elementary to high school visible

5,975 students

Elementary 7Middle 2High 5Other 0

14 listed schools in this county slice.

Washington Montessori

Other grade structure

403 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 0Other 1

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Beaufort County Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 14 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Beaufort County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Beaufort County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Beaufort County, North Carolina

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

A Robust Educational Network in Beaufort

Beaufort County manages 15 public schools serving 6,378 students across two districts. This diverse system includes seven elementary, two middle, and five high schools, plus an alternative school.

Strong Outcomes and Competitive Funding

With an 88.1% graduation rate, Beaufort County exceeds both state and national averages. The county also invests $7,170 per pupil, which is higher than the state's $6,969 average expenditure.

District Excellence and Charter Options

Beaufort County Schools is the largest district, serving nearly 6,000 students across 14 schools. Washington Montessori adds variety as a charter school, representing roughly 7% of the total school landscape.

Town and Country School Settings

While 13 schools are rural, two are located in town settings, providing a choice of environments. Washington High is the county's largest school with 839 students, while average school enrollment stays near 425.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Beaufort County

Reported Enrollment

6,378

15 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

7% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary7

Middle2

High5

Other1

2 School Districts in Beaufort County

Beaufort County Schools

Washington Montessori

1 school

403 students

15 Public Schools in Beaufort County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

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

Search schools

Level

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Showing 15 of 15 matching schools

Public schools in Beaufort County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Washington High	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Washington, 27889Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	839
P S Jones Middle	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Washington, 27889Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	727
Bath Elementary	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Bath, 27808Rural: Distant	KG–8	Primary	528
Chocowinity Primary	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Chocowinity, 27817Rural: Fringe	PK–4	Primary	493
Eastern Elementary	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Washington, 27889Town: Distant	PK–1	Primary	475
John Small Elementary	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Washington, 27889Rural: Fringe	4–5	Primary	453
Southside High	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Chocowinity, 27817Rural: Distant	9–12	High	422
Washington Montessori	Record	Washington Montessori	Washington, 27889Rural: Fringe	KG–12	Charter	403
John C Tayloe Elementary	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Washington, 27889Town: Distant	2–3	Primary	395
Northeast Elementary	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Pinetown, 27865Rural: Remote	PK–8	Primary	388
Northside High	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Pinetown, 27865Rural: Remote	9–12	High	376
Chocowinity Middle	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Chocowinity, 27817Rural: Fringe	5–8	Middle	368
Beaufort Co Early College High	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Washington, 27889Rural: Fringe	9–UG	High	282
S W Snowden Elementary	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Aurora, 27806Rural: Distant	PK–8	Primary	190
B C Ed Tech Center	Record	Beaufort County Schools	Chocowinity, 27817Rural: Distant	6–12	Alternative	39

Washington High

Beaufort County Schools

Washington, 27889 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High839 students

P S Jones Middle

Beaufort County Schools

Washington, 27889 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle727 students

Bath Elementary

Beaufort County Schools

Bath, 27808 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–8Primary528 students

Chocowinity Primary

Beaufort County Schools

Chocowinity, 27817 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–4Primary493 students

Eastern Elementary

Beaufort County Schools

Washington, 27889 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–1Primary475 students

John Small Elementary

Beaufort County Schools

Washington, 27889 / Rural: Fringe

Record4–5Primary453 students

Southside High

Beaufort County Schools

Chocowinity, 27817 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High422 students

Washington Montessori

Washington, 27889 / Rural: Fringe

RecordKG–12Charter403 students

John C Tayloe Elementary

Beaufort County Schools

Washington, 27889 / Town: Distant

Record2–3Primary395 students

Northeast Elementary

Beaufort County Schools

Pinetown, 27865 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–8Primary388 students

Northside High

Beaufort County Schools

Pinetown, 27865 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High376 students

Chocowinity Middle

Beaufort County Schools

Chocowinity, 27817 / Rural: Fringe

Record5–8Middle368 students

Beaufort Co Early College High

Beaufort County Schools

Washington, 27889 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–UGHigh282 students

S W Snowden Elementary

Beaufort County Schools

Aurora, 27806 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–8Primary190 students

B C Ed Tech Center

Beaufort County Schools

Chocowinity, 27817 / Rural: Distant

Record6–12Alternative39 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,170

State avg $6,969

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Beaufort County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

How should I read the school score in Beaufort County?

Beaufort County has a school score of 42/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Beaufort County?

The high school graduation rate in Beaufort County is 88.1%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Beaufort County spend per student?

Beaufort County spends $7,170 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Beaufort County, North Carolina — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Beaufort County, North Carolina?

Beaufort County manages 15 public schools serving 6,378 students across two districts. This diverse system includes seven elementary, two middle, and five high schools, plus an alternative school.

How do schools in Beaufort County perform academically?

With an 88.1% graduation rate, Beaufort County exceeds both state and national averages. The county also invests $7,170 per pupil, which is higher than the state's $6,969 average expenditure.

What are the major school districts in Beaufort County, North Carolina?

What is the school experience like in Beaufort County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Chatham County

North Carolina

+1 pts

42/100

School score

McDowell County

North Carolina

+1 pts

42/100

School score

Haywood County

North Carolina

-1 pts

41/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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.

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