Public schools in North Carolina
2,705 operating public schools in 335 school districts and other education agencies, school year 2024–25.
Operating schoolsDefinition
2,705
Enrollment (sum of schools)Definition
1,550,037
Teachers (FTE, sum of schools)Definition
95,944.7
Students per teacher FTEDefinition
16.2
Charter schoolsDefinition
213
Largest districts by enrollment
Sorted by enrollment (a size measure, not a quality ranking). 37 North Carolina districts have full profiles so far; search all 335.
| District | City | Schools | Students | Students / FTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County Schools | Raleigh | 198 | 163,176 | 15.4 |
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools | Charlotte | 186 | 145,014 | 16.8 |
| Guilford County Schools | Greensboro | 120 | 67,620 | 15.3 |
| Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools | Winston Salem | 81 | 51,745 | — |
| Cumberland County Schools | Fayetteville | 86 | 49,002 | 16.9 |
| Union County Public Schools | Monroe | 52 | 41,272 | 16.7 |
| Johnston County Public Schools | Clayton | 48 | 37,320 | 17.4 |
| Cabarrus County Schools | Concord | 43 | 35,264 | 16.5 |
| Durham Public Schools | Durham | 57 | 31,797 | — |
| Gaston County Schools | Gastonia | 56 | 30,995 | 16 |
| Onslow County Schools | Jacksonville | 39 | 27,397 | 16 |
| New Hanover County Schools | Wilmington | 42 | 24,791 | 15.4 |
| Pitt County Schools | Greenville | 40 | 24,470 | 15.6 |
| Alamance-Burlington Schools | Burlington | 38 | 22,661 | 16.7 |
| Buncombe County Schools | Asheville | 45 | 22,452 | 15.2 |
Schools by locale
| Group | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|
| City | 29.4% | |
| Suburb | 17.9% | |
| Town | 12.5% | |
| Rural | 40.2% |
Schools by level
| Group | Schools | Bar |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 1,469 | |
| High | 611 | |
| Middle | 478 | |
| Other | 139 | |
| Secondary | 6 | |
| Ungraded | 2 |
Sources for this page
- NCES Common Core of Data (CCD), School Directory 2024–25, version 1a. File
ccd_sch_029_2425_w_1a_073025.zip, last checked 2026-11-06. - NCES CCD School Membership 2024–25, version 1a. File
ccd_sch_052_2425_l_1a_073025.zip, last checked 2026-11-06. - NCES CCD School Staff 2024–25, version 1a. File
ccd_sch_059_2425_l_1a_073025.zip, last checked 2026-11-06. - NCES EDGE Public School Geocodes 2024–25. File
EDGE_GEOCODE_PUBLICSCH_2425.zip, last checked 2026-11-06.
Figures are republished from official files without adjustment, except where a page says a value is summed or derived. See methodology and definitions & limitations. Spotted a problem? Report a data issue.