District guide
Pender County Schools public schools
Parent-focused district context for Pender County, NC: school list, grade pathway, enrollment scale, profile links, and the local checks to make before using the district in a housing decision.
Direct answer for parents
What Pender County Schools tells you before choosing a home
Pender County Schools is listed with 19 public schools and 10,941 reported students in the current NCES file. Treat this as a district-level research page: it helps you understand scale, grade coverage, and school records, but it does not confirm the school assigned to a specific address.
The current district file lists 9 primary, 5 middle, 4 high, 1 other schools. Verify transition grades, feeder patterns, transfer policies, and program eligibility with the district.
19 district schools are associated with Pender County in the current file, about 100% of listed county schools. Confirm address-level assignment locally.
Grade pathway
District school mix by level
Use this section to separate elementary, middle, high, and other school records before comparing commute, programs, and assignment rules.
9
5,055 reported students
5
2,410 reported students
4
3,377 reported students
1
99 reported students
Parent checks for Pender County Schools
These are the local questions that matter after the public data narrows the field.
Confirm the assigned school
Use official attendance-zone or address lookup tools before assuming a school serves a home.
Check transition grades
Elementary choices can split into different middle or high school paths, especially in large districts.
Verify choice-program rules
Charter, magnet, virtual, and transfer options can require applications, lotteries, or eligibility checks.
Compare similar schools
Compare schools at the same level before treating enrollment, grade span, or school type as a quality signal.
School records
Largest listed schools in Pender County Schools
Sorted by reported enrollment. Profile links appear where SchoolsByCounty has generated an individual school page; listed-only records still preserve NCES grade, type, city, and enrollment fields.
| School | Level | Grades | City | Enrollment | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topsail High Regular | High | 9–12 | Hampstead | 1,777 | Profile |
| Surf City Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Hampstead | 808 | Listed only |
| Topsail Middle Regular | Middle | 5–8 | Hampstead | 807 | Listed only |
| Heide Trask High Regular | High | 9–12 | Rocky Point | 720 | Listed only |
| Surf City Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Hampstead | 705 | Listed only |
| Pender High Regular | High | 9–12 | Burgaw | 677 | Listed only |
| Topsail Annandale Elementary School Regular | Primary | PK–4 | Hampstead | 631 | Listed only |
| North Topsail Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Hampstead | 608 | Listed only |
| South Topsail Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Hampstead | 557 | Listed only |
| Cape Fear Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Rocky Point | 545 | Listed only |
| C.F. Pope Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Burgaw | 532 | Listed only |
| Penderlea Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–8 | Willard | 495 | Listed only |
| Malpass Corner Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Burgaw | 480 | Listed only |
| Cape Fear Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Rocky Point | 462 | Listed only |
| Rocky Point Elementary Regular | Primary | PK–5 | Rocky Point | 399 | Listed only |
| Burgaw Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Burgaw | 257 | Listed only |
| Pender Early College High Regular | High | 9–UG | Burgaw | 203 | Listed only |
| West Pender Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Burgaw | 179 | Listed only |
| Pender Innovative Learning Academy Alternative | Other | KG–12 | Rocky Point | 99 | Listed only |
Communities in the district file
NCES city fields are directory fields, not attendance boundaries. Use them to orient the district footprint, then verify the exact home-to-school assignment.
County coverage
Some districts can include records associated with more than one county. The route is anchored to the district's primary county record in the current data.
Pender County Schools FAQ
What schools are included for Pender County Schools?
Pender County Schools includes 19 public schools in the current NCES district file. The current district file lists 9 primary, 5 middle, 4 high, 1 other schools.
Does this Pender County Schools page show exact attendance zones?
No. SchoolsByCounty publishes district and school records from public data. Attendance boundaries, transportation, transfers, magnet eligibility, and charter rules must be confirmed with Pender County Schools or local assignment tools.
Is Pender County Schools ranked as the best district in Pender County?
No. This is a district guide, not a recommendation or ranking. Use it to understand the district's listed schools, grade spans, enrollment scale, and available school profiles before verifying local fit.
How many Pender County Schools schools have detailed profiles?
1 school in this district currently link to detailed SchoolsByCounty profiles. Other schools remain listed with NCES directory fields.
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.