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

No. Use the Stanly 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 Stanly 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 Stanly County?

Start with the 24 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Stanly County Schools & Education

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

Stanly County, North Carolina

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

School Score

35/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

90.1%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

90.1%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 88.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,095

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,969

School Score

35/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 40/100

State Score Position

#52

of 100 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Stanly County

Measured School Summary

Despite a lower school score of 35/100, Stanly County maintains a strong graduation rate of 90.1%, suggesting effective student support systems.

Funding Context

At $6,095 per pupil, Stanly County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 13% below the North Carolina average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 2.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 13% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Stanly 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

24 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

35/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #52 of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data.

Completion

90.1%

2.1 pts above the state average

Funding context

$6,095

$874 below the state average

School coverage

2 districts 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

Stanly County has 24 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 Stanly 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

Stanly County Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 23 of 24 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

#52

of 100 North Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 5 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.

Stanly County Schools

Elementary to high school visible

8,643 students

Elementary 11Middle 4High 7Other 1

23 listed schools in this county slice.

Gray Stone Day School

High school only in this slice

751 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 1Other 0

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Stanly County Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 23 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 Stanly County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Stanly 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 Stanly 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.

Broad Educational Infrastructure

Stanly County supports 9,394 students through a network of 24 public schools across two districts. The county features 11 elementary, four middle, and eight high schools, plus one additional specialized facility. This wide variety of schools ensures that families have diverse choices for their children's education.

Rural Schooling with Personal Scale

The county balances 15 rural schools with nine located in town settings, providing a mix of environments. With an average school size of 391 students, the campuses tend to be smaller and more intimate than the state average. West Stanly High is the largest traditional school, followed closely by the Gray Stone Day charter campus.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Stanly County

Reported Enrollment

9,394

24 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

4% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary11

Middle4

High8

Other1

2 School Districts in Stanly County

Stanly County Schools

Gray Stone Day School

1 school

751 students

24 Public Schools in Stanly 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

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Showing 20 of 24 matching schools

Public schools in Stanly County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
West Stanly High	Record	Stanly County Schools	Oakboro, 28129Rural: Distant	9–12	High	762
Gray Stone Day	Record	Gray Stone Day School	Misenheimer, 28109Rural: Distant	6–12	Charter	751
West Stanly Middle School	Record	Stanly County Schools	Locust, 28097Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	619
North Stanly High	Record	Stanly County Schools	New London, 28127Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	591
Central Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Albemarle, 28001Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	546
North Stanly Middle	Record	Stanly County Schools	New London, 28127Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	487
Locust Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Locust, 28097Town: Fringe	KG–5	Primary	486
South Stanly High	Record	Stanly County Schools	Norwood, 28128Rural: Distant	9–12	High	442
Badin Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Badin, 28009Rural: Distant	KG–5	Primary	427
Albemarle Middle	Record	Stanly County Schools	Albemarle, 28001Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	409
Stanfield Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Stanfield, 28163Town: Fringe	KG–5	Primary	394
Albemarle High	Record	Stanly County Schools	Albemarle, 28001Town: Distant	9–12	High	390
South Stanly Middle	Record	Stanly County Schools	Norwood, 28128Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	353
Aquadale Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Norwood, 28128Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	352
Endy Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Albemarle, 28001Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	348
Oakboro Choice STEM	Record	Stanly County Schools	Oakboro, 28129Rural: Distant	KG–8	Primary	344
Norwood Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Norwood, 28128Rural: Distant	KG–5	Primary	342
East Albemarle Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Albemarle, 28001Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	319
Richfield Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Richfield, 28137Rural: Fringe	KG–5	Primary	316
Millingport Elementary	Record	Stanly County Schools	Albemarle, 28001Rural: Distant	KG–5	Primary	194

West Stanly High

Stanly County Schools

Oakboro, 28129 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High762 students

Gray Stone Day

Gray Stone Day School

Misenheimer, 28109 / Rural: Distant

Record6–12Charter751 students

West Stanly Middle School

Stanly County Schools

Locust, 28097 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle619 students

North Stanly High

Stanly County Schools

New London, 28127 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High591 students

Central Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Albemarle, 28001 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary546 students

North Stanly Middle

Stanly County Schools

New London, 28127 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle487 students

Locust Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Locust, 28097 / Town: Fringe

RecordKG–5Primary486 students

South Stanly High

Stanly County Schools

Norwood, 28128 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High442 students

Badin Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Badin, 28009 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary427 students

Albemarle Middle

Stanly County Schools

Albemarle, 28001 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle409 students

Stanfield Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Stanfield, 28163 / Town: Fringe

RecordKG–5Primary394 students

Albemarle High

Stanly County Schools

Albemarle, 28001 / Town: Distant

Record9–12High390 students

South Stanly Middle

Stanly County Schools

Norwood, 28128 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle353 students

Aquadale Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Norwood, 28128 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary352 students

Endy Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Albemarle, 28001 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary348 students

Oakboro Choice STEM

Stanly County Schools

Oakboro, 28129 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–8Primary344 students

Norwood Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Norwood, 28128 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary342 students

East Albemarle Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Albemarle, 28001 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary319 students

Richfield Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Richfield, 28137 / Rural: Fringe

RecordKG–5Primary316 students

Millingport Elementary

Stanly County Schools

Albemarle, 28001 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary194 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,095

State avg $6,969

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Stanly 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 Stanly County?

Stanly County has a school score of 35/100, 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 Stanly County?

The high school graduation rate in Stanly County is 90.1%, 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 Stanly County spend per student?

Stanly County spends $6,095 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 Stanly County, North Carolina — FAQ

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

What is the school experience like in Stanly County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Anson County

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North Carolina

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Transylvania County

North Carolina

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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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