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Dare County Schools

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 6 towns

Serves Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores, Manteo and Duck.

Students

4,968

Schools

12

Spent per student

$15,072

NC $13,045

Students per teacher

14:1

Free or reduced lunch

46%

Debt

$12.8M

fiscal 2024

The gist

What stands out about Dare County Schools

School Grade B: better than 64% of North Carolina districts
Graduation rate (4-year) 7 pts above the state
Spends 16% more per student than the NC average
14 students per teacher
Enrollment down 5.4% since 2020
Debt of $12.8M, about $2,586 per student

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Buxton.

PK–5Cape Hatteras Elementary SchoolThis district

6–12Cape Hatteras Secondary SchoolThis district

Test scores vs. NC

2020–21

Math proficiency44%

State average 41.9%

Reading / language arts48%

State average 47.2%

Graduation rate (4-year)95%

State average 87.7%

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024

$15,072 per student · 16% above NC

Spending

Classroom instruction 64%Support & administration 32%Other 3%

Paid for by

Local (mostly property tax) 41%State 50%Federal 9%

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time

5,250’20

5,244’21

5,181’22

5,102’23

4,968’24

Down 5.4% since 2020.

Students

White 71%Hispanic 21%Two or more races 6%Black 1%Asian <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

12 public schools.

Manteo Elementary School

Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Manteo

636 students13:1

Kitty Hawk Elementary School

Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Kitty Hawk

487 students14:1

Nags Head Elementary School

Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Nags Head

484 students13:1

First Flight Elementary School

Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Kill Devil Hills

285 students10:1

Cape Hatteras Elementary School

Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Buxton

284 students12:1

First Flight Middle School

Middle · Grades 6–8 · Kill Devil Hills

604 students13:1

Manteo Middle School

Middle · Grades 6–8 · Manteo

383 students12:1

First Flight High School

High · Grades 9–12 · Kill Devil Hills

874 students20:1

Manteo High School

High · Grades 9–12 · Manteo

528 students19:1

Cape Hatteras Secondary School

High · Grades 6–12 · Buxton

364 students16:1

Dare Learning Academy

High · Grades 9–12 · Kill Devil Hills

39 students24:1

Dare Early College

Grades M · Manteo

Towns served

Kill Devil Hills 7,761Kitty Hawk 3,724Nags Head 3,160Southern Shores 3,139Manteo 2,020Duck 669

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES directory and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Neighbor ratings are opinions.