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

No. Use the Richmond 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 Richmond 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 Richmond County?

Start with the 15 listed public schools and 1 district entry, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Richmond County Schools & Education

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

Richmond County, North Carolina

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

School Score

28/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

84.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

84.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 88.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,903

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,969

School Score

28/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 40/100

State Score Position

#84

of 100 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Richmond County

Measured School Summary

Richmond County faces educational challenges with a school score of 28/100 and a graduation rate of 84.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $6,903 per pupil, Richmond County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 30% below the North Carolina average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 4.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 1% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Richmond 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 1 district 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

28/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #84 of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data.

Completion

84.0%

4.0 pts below the state average

Funding context

$6,903

$66 below the state average

School coverage

1 district represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Richmond County has 15 public schools across 1 district, 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 Richmond 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

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

State position

#84

of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 12 points below 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.

Richmond County Schools

Elementary to high school visible

6,678 students

Elementary 7Middle 4High 3Other 1

15 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Richmond County Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 15 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 Richmond County?

Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?

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

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

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

Data Story

Richmond County Composite School Score Trails State Average by Twelve Points

Education data brief for Richmond County, North Carolina.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:School score

The composite school score in Richmond County is 28.1, which is 12.2 points lower than the North Carolina state average of 40.3 and 21.9 points below the national median of 50.0. The county's 6,678 students are served by a single district, Richmond County Schools, which operates 15 schools with no charter presence. Richmond Senior High is the largest school, enrolling 1,286 students. The graduation rate is 84.0%, trailing both the state average of 88.0% and the national average of 87.0%. Per-pupil expenditure is $6,903, nearly matching the state average of $6,969 but remaining well below the national average of $13,000. Schools are evenly distributed between town (8) and rural (7) locales. These figures are based on NCES directory and Census data. Compare these findings with individual school-level reports available through the NCES Common Core of Data.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Richmond County

Reported Enrollment

6,678

15 schools reporting

School Districts

district

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary7

Middle4

High3

Other1

1 School District in Richmond County

Richmond County Schools

Guide

15 schools

6,678 students enrolled

Open district guide

15 Public Schools in Richmond County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

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

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 15 of 15 matching schools

Public schools in Richmond County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Richmond Senior High	Profile	Richmond County Schools	Rockingham, 28380Rural: Fringe	10–12	High	1,286
Rockingham Middle	Record	Richmond County Schools	Rockingham, 28379Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	616
East Rockingham Elementary	Record	Richmond County Schools	Rockingham, 28379Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	514
Fairview Heights Elementary	Record	Richmond County Schools	Hamlet, 28345Town: Distant	PK–5	Primary	504
Richmond 9th Grade Academy	Record	Richmond County Schools	Hamlet, 28345Rural: Fringe	9	Other	491
L J Bell Elementary	Record	Richmond County Schools	Rockingham, 28379Town: Distant	PK–5	Primary	476
Washington Street Elementary	Record	Richmond County Schools	Rockingham, 28379Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	434
Hamlet Middle	Record	Richmond County Schools	Hamlet, 28345Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	425
Monroe Avenue Elementary	Record	Richmond County Schools	Hamlet, 28345Town: Distant	PK–5	Primary	407
Mineral Springs Elementary	Record	Richmond County Schools	Ellerbe, 28338Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	371
Richmond Early College High	Record	Richmond County Schools	Hamlet, 28345Town: Distant	9–UG	High	295
West Rockingham Elementary	Record	Richmond County Schools	Rockingham, 28379Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	285
Cordova Middle	Record	Richmond County Schools	Cordova, 28330Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	270
Ellerbe Middle	Record	Richmond County Schools	Ellerbe, 28338Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	212
Ashley Chapel Educational Center	Record	Richmond County Schools	Rockingham, 28379Rural: Fringe	6–12	Alternative	92

Richmond Senior High

Richmond County Schools

Rockingham, 28380 / Rural: Fringe

Profile10–12High1,286 students

Rockingham Middle

Richmond County Schools

Rockingham, 28379 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle616 students

East Rockingham Elementary

Richmond County Schools

Rockingham, 28379 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary514 students

Fairview Heights Elementary

Richmond County Schools

Hamlet, 28345 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary504 students

Richmond 9th Grade Academy

Richmond County Schools

Hamlet, 28345 / Rural: Fringe

Record9Other491 students

L J Bell Elementary

Richmond County Schools

Rockingham, 28379 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary476 students

Washington Street Elementary

Richmond County Schools

Rockingham, 28379 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary434 students

Hamlet Middle

Richmond County Schools

Hamlet, 28345 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle425 students

Monroe Avenue Elementary

Richmond County Schools

Hamlet, 28345 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary407 students

Mineral Springs Elementary

Richmond County Schools

Ellerbe, 28338 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary371 students

Richmond Early College High

Richmond County Schools

Hamlet, 28345 / Town: Distant

Record9–UGHigh295 students

West Rockingham Elementary

Richmond County Schools

Rockingham, 28379 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary285 students

Cordova Middle

Richmond County Schools

Cordova, 28330 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle270 students

Ellerbe Middle

Richmond County Schools

Ellerbe, 28338 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle212 students

Ashley Chapel Educational Center

Richmond County Schools

Rockingham, 28379 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–12Alternative92 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,903

State avg $6,969

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Richmond 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 Richmond County?

Richmond County has a school score of 28/100, which is a lower 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 Richmond County?

The high school graduation rate in Richmond County is 84.0%, which is below 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 Richmond County spend per student?

Richmond County spends $6,903 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.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Caswell County

North Carolina

+0 pts

28/100

School score

Lee County

North Carolina

+0 pts

29/100

School score

Washington County

North Carolina

-0 pts

28/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 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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