Summary:
Wilmington School of the Arts is a single K–7 public school in Wilmington, NC, serving 297 students and operating as its own district, Wilmington School of the Arts, which means school and district data are identical. This small arts-focused school has become a standout in Reading, outperforming the North Carolina state average in four of five tested grades during 2025–2026, with an average Reading proficiency of 65.7% compared to the state’s 55.9%. The strongest grade is 4th, where 72.3% of students are proficient in Reading, a full 14.6 points above the state. Even 3rd and 5th graders post double-digit advantages over state averages, and 6th grade improved remarkably from 40.9% to 66.7% in one year. Only 7th grade Reading dips slightly below the state average at 54.5%.
Mathematics is the main concern. Overall Math proficiency sits at 57.0%, roughly 4 points below the state’s 61.2%. While 4th graders beat the state by 4.6 points, 5th graders are nearly 12 points behind, with just 51.2% proficient. Science also trails the state, but 5th grade Science jumped from 36.4% to 63.4% in 2025–2026, narrowing the gap with the state to just 4.3 points. The school’s overall state ranking improved from the 51st percentile to the 63rd percentile in the latest year, a notable jump. Because each grade level has only roughly 35–45 students, these big swings can reflect just a handful of students, so families should look at multi-year trends rather than single-year changes.
On the positive side, chronic absenteeism is 18.0%, well below the state’s 24.2%, even though 58.25% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student-to-teacher ratio is a comfortable 14.7. This school offers a clear literacy strength with strong engagement, but Math and Science need monitoring. For parents, this means a school where reading instruction is clearly working, while math and science may require extra support at home or from the school.
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