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Carteret County Public Schools

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At a glance

31^stof 246 North Carolina districts▲ 2

Better than 87% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 9 Middle 4 High 4Grades PK, KG-12

107 Safrit Dr
Beaufort, NC 28516-9017·(252) 728-4583·All North Carolina district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 87.4% of districts

Schools

7,847

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedCroatan High80^th of 662 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

Morehead Elementary at Camp Glenn up 232 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary 11.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare North Carolina districts →See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

Carteret County Public Schools serves roughly 7,847 students through 17 schools in North Carolina's coastal Carteret County: 9 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 4 high schools. The district is strong overall, ranking 31st of 246 North Carolina districts (87th percentile) and earning a 4-star rating, but it also serves a high-poverty population — 12 of the 17 schools have free/reduced lunch rates above 95%.

Families will find standout options at every level. White Oak Elementary is the district's top elementary school (91st percentile) with math proficiency above 85% in grades 3 and 5, far exceeding state averages. Broad Creek Middle leads the middle schools (92nd percentile) with a 7th-grade math proficiency of 94.2% versus 56.2% statewide. Among high schools, Croatan High is the strongest comprehensive option, posting a 92.4% graduation rate and biology proficiency of 90.8% compared with 58.5% statewide. Middle schools are consistently strong district-wide, with all four ranking between the 74th and 92nd percentiles. Importantly, poverty does not define outcomes: East Carteret High serves nearly 98% free/reduced lunch students yet earned the district's highest Math III proficiency (97.5%), and high-poverty Bogue Sound Elementary ranks in the 84th percentile.

The clearest concerns involve attendance and 9th-grade math. West Carteret High has the district's lowest graduation rate (83.0%), the highest chronic absenteeism among traditional high schools (29.8%), and Math I proficiency of just 39.6% — below the state average of 42.1%. Chronic absenteeism closely tracks performance across the district, making it a strong early-warning indicator. The most encouraging trend is upward momentum at Morehead Elementary at Camp Glenn, which jumped from the 62nd to 79th percentile, and Newport Middle, which rose from the 50th to 74th percentile over the past two years.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Atlantic Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	151 School Dr	Atlantic	28511	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 225-3961	88	9	9.4	95.5%	82 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.3%)	71.1	395^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.5%		76	306^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.5%	89					57.1	70.0	90.0				64.3	60.0	70.0				90.0		$17,133	$1,662	$15,471
Beaufort Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Carraway Dr	Beaufort	28516	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 728-3316	346	27	12.7	99.1%	236 (68.2%)	41 (11.8%)	27 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.8%)	56.8	629^th of 1492 public elementary schools	57.8%		77.1	293^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	80.3%	336					59.3	61.9	74.1				54.2	47.6	65.5				70.7		$11,123	$1,431	$9,692
Beaufort Middle	Public	6-8	100 Carraway Dr	Beaufort	28516	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 728-4520	260	22	12.0	98.8%	178 (68.5%)	26 (10.0%)	20 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	35 (13.5%)	72.3	194^th of 778 public middle schools	75.1%		67.3	228^th of 773 public middle schools	70.5%	34								70.1	71.3	74.3				63.2	56.3	67.6		71.6	$10,973	$814	$10,160
East Carteret High	Public	9-12	3263 Hwy 70 E	Beaufort	28516	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 728-3514	521	30	17.3	97.7%	407 (78.1%)	39 (7.5%)	37 (7.1%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.5%)	78.3	145^th of 662 public high schools	78.1%		79.1	138^th of 641 public high schools	78.5%	7	78.9	66.9	78.2	97.5															$11,795	$560	$11,235
Harkers Island Elementary	Public	K-5	1163 Island Rd	Harkers Island	28531	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 728-3755	95	7	13.1	96.8%	89 (93.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.2%)	66.7	473^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	68.3%		73.7	335^th of 1490 public elementary schools	77.5%	138					72.2	68.8	55.6				61.1	81.3	55.6				77.8		$13,268	$1,408	$11,860
Morehead City Middle	Public	6-8	400 Barbour Rd	Morehead City	28557	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 726-1126	506	34	15.0	99.4%	361 (71.3%)	24 (4.7%)	83 (16.4%)	11 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.1%)	75.1	178^th of 778 public middle schools	77.1%		74.5	169^th of 773 public middle schools	78.1%	9								61.6	74.0	66.5				61.6	69.3	70.8		76.2	$9,647	$477	$9,170
Newport Elementary	Public	K-5	219 Chatham St	Newport	28570	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 223-4201	621	49	12.7	99.5%	437 (70.4%)	39 (6.3%)	68 (11.0%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	4 (0.6%)	67 (10.8%)	62.4	543^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	63.6%		62.2	529^th of 1490 public elementary schools	64.5%	14					62.5	66.4	64.3				60.2	59.1	59.8				77.7		$10,259	$1,539	$8,720
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	174 Marshallberg Rd	Smyrna	28579	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 729-2301	262	22	11.9	98.9%	247 (94.3%)	2 (0.8%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	63.6	525^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.8%		71.2	371^st of 1490 public elementary schools	75.1%	154					87.5	83.3	73.7	51.0	51.8	67.3	56.3	66.7	68.4	57.1	62.5	73.5	73.7	73.5	$11,100	$1,229	$9,871
West Carteret High	Public	9-12	4700 Country Club Rd	Morehead City	28557	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 726-1176	1,095	47	23.1	99.0%	770 (70.3%)	75 (6.8%)	150 (13.7%)	13 (1.2%)	3 (0.3%)	10 (0.9%)	74 (6.8%)	64.4	224^th of 662 public high schools	66.2%		57.3	249^th of 641 public high schools	61.2%	25	75.3	73.5	39.6	79.1															$10,075	$730	$9,345
White Oak Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	555 WB McLean Dr	Cape Carteret	28584	Onslow County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 393-3990	784	45	17.6	29.5%	677 (86.4%)	10 (1.3%)	44 (5.6%)	12 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (5.0%)	88.5	140^th of 1492 public elementary schools	90.6%		84	191^st of 1490 public elementary schools	87.2%	51					85.5	71.5	85.0				77.2	77.7	78.3				83.3		$8,636	$484	$8,153
Morehead Elementary at Camp Glenn	Public	4-5	3316 Arendell St	Morehead City	28557	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 726-1131	253	19	13.6	97.6%	168 (66.4%)	15 (5.9%)	44 (17.4%)	5 (2.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.9%)	75.2	316^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.8%		61	548^th of 1490 public elementary schools	63.2%	232						70.4	72.0					69.6	66.9				73.7		$10,861	$1,127	$9,734
Morehead City Primary	Public	PK, KG-3	4409 Country Club Rd	Morehead City	28557	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 247-2448	502	42	11.9	98.4%	341 (67.9%)	30 (6.0%)	79 (15.7%)	9 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.4%)								(n/a)					69.7						68.0								$10,820	$1,016	$9,804
Broad Creek Middle	Public	6-8	2382 Hwy 24	Newport	28570	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 247-3135	722	43	16.7	30.1%	595 (82.4%)	6 (0.8%)	82 (11.4%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.2%)	89.5	59^th of 778 public middle schools	92.4%		89.5	60^th of 773 public middle schools	92.2%	1								86.2	94.2	74.2				71.4	78.1	77.5		81.6	$8,447	$680	$7,767
Bogue Sound Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3323 Hwy 24	Newport	28570	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 393-1279	416	31	13.3	99.3%	319 (76.7%)	6 (1.4%)	61 (14.7%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.5%)	80.5	238^th of 1492 public elementary schools	84.0%		86.3	154^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.7%	84					75.7	76.2	83.3				57.1	68.3	74.4				84.6		$11,438	$1,048	$10,390
Croatan High	Public	9-12	1 Cougar Ln	Newport	28570	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 393-7022	1,019	44	23.4	27.9%	855 (83.9%)	9 (0.9%)	97 (9.5%)	16 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (4.0%)	89.8	80^th of 662 public high schools	87.9%		84.8	112^th of 641 public high schools	82.5%	32	90.8	93.1	81.0	94.4															$9,671	$682	$8,989
Newport Middle	Public	6-8	500 E Chatham St	Newport	28570	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 223-3482	346	25	13.7	98.8%	230 (66.5%)	21 (6.1%)	53 (15.3%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	37 (10.7%)	70.9	202^nd of 778 public middle schools	74.0%		49.6	388^th of 773 public middle schools	49.8%	186								61.2	74.2	53.4				62.1	70.8	61.2		80.2	$11,529	$749	$10,780
Bridges School	Public	6-12	140 Vashti Dr	Morehead City	28557	Carteret County	Carteret County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 808-3040	11	3	3.6	72.7%	7 (63.6%)	3 (27.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)								(n/a)																			$50,386	$4,316	$46,070

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Tiller School	19.48 mi	1	27^th
Hyde County Schools	26.01 mi	3	117^th
Arapahoe Charter School	28.61 mi	1
Pamlico County Schools	29.64 mi	4	132^nd
Craven County Board of Education	30.54 mi	26	142^nd

See the top NC North Carolina districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.