High Schools in Carteret County Public Schools

The Carteret County Public Schools district serves the coastal North Carolina area with four high school settings: traditional campuses West Carteret High, Croatan High, and East Carteret High for grades 9–12, plus the much smaller Bridges School, which serves grades 6–12. Together these schools enroll roughly 2,646 students, and the district’s 4-star, 31st-place ranking among 246 North Carolina districts puts it in the 87th percentile. Most End-of-Course subject results also run well above state averages.

Croatan High is the district’s clear academic leader, ranking 80th among 662 North Carolina high schools (88th percentile, 4 stars). It has the highest graduation rate at 92.4%, the lowest chronic absenteeism at 17.6%, and only 27.9% of students receiving free/reduced lunch. It also tops local schools on every End-of-Course test. East Carteret High is smaller and serves a far poorer student body—97.7% free/reduced lunch—but its math results are exceptional: 97.5% proficiency in Math III and 78.2% in Math I. A lower student–teacher ratio and higher per-pupil spending likely help. West Carteret High, however, is the traditional school most in need of attention, ranking 224th in the state. Its 83.0% graduation rate and 29.8% chronic absenteeism are the worst among traditional campuses, and its Math I proficiency of 39.6% is the sole local score below the state average.

Across the three traditional high schools, 11 of 12 subject results beat the state average, so Carteret County Public Schools is generally a strong academic district. The clear exception is Math I, especially at West Carteret High, where proficiency fell from 45.4% to 39.6% even as other subjects improved. Chronic absenteeism tracks with weaker outcomes and deserves attention, while Croatan High’s steady rise over two years offers a useful model. Bridges School should be interpreted separately: its 11 students, $50,386 per-pupil spending, and 66.6% chronic absenteeism reflect a deliberately intensive alternative setting, not a typical neighborhood high school.