Skip to content

Find a town

B

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 Hatteras.

PK–55 elementary schoolsThis district

6–123 schoolsThis district

123 high schoolsThis 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.