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Columbus County Schools

At a glance

177^thof 242 North Carolina districts▲ 6

Better than 26% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 7 Middle 1 High 4Grades PK, KG-13

2586 James B. White Hwy North
Whiteville, NC 28472·(910) 642-5168·All North Carolina district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 26.9% of districts

Schools

5,440

Students

Top rankedOld Dock Elementary339^th of 1,490 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Old Dock Elementary up 197 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Chadbourn Elementary 13 students per teacher

✦

Newly ranked this year

Tabor City School

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

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

Summary:

The Columbus County Schools district in North Carolina consists of 12 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 4 high schools. The district as a whole is ranked 177 out of 242 districts in the state and is rated 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

A few schools stand out in the district. Old Dock Elementary consistently performs in the top 25% of North Carolina elementary schools, with particularly strong math and reading proficiency rates. Columbus Career and College Academy has shown significant improvement, moving from a 2-star to a 4-star rating over the past three years and maintaining high proficiency rates in end-of-course exams. Nakina Middle has maintained a 3-star rating and performs above the district and state averages in many subject areas, especially in reading proficiency.

However, the data also reveals significant disparities in academic performance across the district, with many schools struggling with low proficiency rates, particularly in math and reading. The high rates of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 97.11% to 99.63%, suggest that poverty is a significant challenge for these schools and may be a contributing factor to their low academic performance. While there are pockets of success, the district as a whole faces significant challenges in supporting student learning and achievement.

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
East Columbus Junior-Senior High	Public	7-12	32 Gator Lane	Lake Waccamaw	28450	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 646-4094	576	34	17.0	99.5%	152 (26.4%)	184 (31.9%)	106 (18.4%)	1 (0.2%)	71 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (10.8%)	27.8	474^th of 641 public high schools	26.1%		15.8	546^th of 640 public high schools	14.7%	72	31.4	40.7	19.3	68.6					26.5	25.0					24.5	40.4		44.9	$10,383	$1,233	$9,149
South Columbus High	Public	9-12	40 Stallion Drive	Tabor City	28463	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 653-4073	669	43	15.7	99.4%	409 (61.1%)	157 (23.5%)	80 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.7%)	29	463^rd of 641 public high schools	27.8%		31.3	439^th of 640 public high schools	31.4%	24	39.4	46.2	32.9	45.9															$9,661	$1,025	$8,636
Acme Delco Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	16337 Old Lake Road	Riegelwood	28456	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 655-2957	349	22	16.2	99.1%	130 (37.2%)	96 (27.5%)	82 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.3%)	5 (1.4%)	21 (6.0%)	27.2	1131^st of 1490 public elementary schools	24.1%		23	1230^th of 1505 public elementary schools	18.3%	99					47.5	38.1	32.6	27.5			40.0	50.0	52.2	37.3			60.9		$10,358	$1,643	$8,715
Chadbourn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	409 E Third Avenue	Chadbourn	28431	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 654-3825	233	18	13.0	98.7%	55 (23.6%)	127 (54.5%)	26 (11.2%)	2 (0.9%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (8.6%)	39.3	932^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	37.4%		39	953^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	36.7%	21					72.5	79.3	34.3				35.0	58.6	40.0				28.6		$12,202	$2,284	$9,918
Hallsboro-Artesia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1337 Giles Byrd Road	Hallsboro	28442	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 646-3510	394	23	17.0	98.2%	102 (25.9%)	90 (22.8%)	60 (15.2%)	1 (0.3%)	73 (18.5%)	1 (0.3%)	67 (17.0%)	39.3	931^st of 1490 public elementary schools	37.5%		38.4	963^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	36.0%	32					64.2	55.1	22.6	46.8			45.3	57.1	37.7	53.2			56.6		$10,419	$1,866	$8,554
Old Dock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	12489 New Britton Hwy	Whiteville	28472	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 642-2084	265	20	13.3	98.9%	161 (60.8%)	19 (7.2%)	63 (23.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	2 (0.8%)	16 (6.0%)	73.4	339^th of 1490 public elementary schools	77.2%		62.4	536^th of 1505 public elementary schools	64.4%	197					94.3	64.4					60.4	53.3							$10,629	$1,731	$8,898
West Columbus High	Public	9-12	7294 Andrew Jackson Hwy SW	Cerro Gordo	28430	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 654-6111	459	33	13.9	97.6%	205 (44.7%)	187 (40.7%)	33 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.4%)	18.8	529^th of 641 public high schools	17.5%		17.1	537^th of 640 public high schools	16.1%	8	12.2	31.0	36.2	45.6															$11,672	$1,304	$10,369
Williams Township	Public	PK, KG-8	10400 James B White Hwy	Whiteville	28472	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 653-3791	659	44	15.0	99.5%	546 (82.9%)	62 (9.4%)	32 (4.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.3%)	46.8	806^th of 1490 public elementary schools	45.9%		45.9	821^st of 1505 public elementary schools	45.4%	15					65.7	66.7	57.1	47.2	25.7	41.1	30.0	51.7	58.9	47.2	31.1	43.8	62.5	45.2	$9,580	$1,302	$8,278
Columbus Career and College Academy	Public	9-12	4564 Chadbourn Hwy	Whiteville	28472	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 788-6281	230	12	18.4	98.7%	133 (57.8%)	41 (17.8%)	47 (20.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	71.8	171^st of 641 public high schools	73.3%		56.1	255^th of 640 public high schools	60.2%	84	58.7	76.8	75.0	71.9															$6,813	$326	$6,488
Nakina Middle	Public	5-8	9822 Seven Creeks Hwy	Nakina	28455	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 642-8301	194	12	16.3	97.4%	117 (60.3%)	15 (7.7%)	54 (27.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	54.3	336^th of 773 public middle schools	56.5%		59	293^rd of 793 public middle schools	63.1%	43							46.3	45.5	39.5	23.5			57.4	63.6	68.4	74.5	53.7	64.0	$9,493	$1,505	$7,989
West Columbus School	Public	PK, KG-8	7685 Andrew Jackson Hwy SW	Cerro Gordo	28430	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(910) 654-4250	814	49	16.5	99.6%	417 (51.2%)	250 (30.7%)	72 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	67 (8.2%)	21	1259^th of 1490 public elementary schools	15.5%		21.4	1259^th of 1505 public elementary schools	16.3%						65.2	36.0	31.2	35.8	26.6	28.6	34.8	40.0	39.0	32.1	37.6	43.8	50.6	40.0
Tabor City School	Public	PK, KG-8	203 Stake Road	Tabor City	28463	Columbus County	Columbus County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(910) 653-3618	598	37	16.3	99.5%	274 (45.8%)	264 (44.1%)	41 (6.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	14 (2.3%)	22.6	1231^st of 1490 public elementary schools	17.4%					(n/a)					47.3	27.1	39.3	58.7	38.3	25.4	23.0	52.5	39.3	45.7	37.0	29.9	37.7	37.3

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Thomas Academy	1.7 mi	1
Bladen County Schools	10.81 mi	12	211^th
Whiteville City Schools	11.17 mi	5	145^th
Classical Charter Schools of Whiteville	16.16 mi	1	173^rd
STEM Education for a Global Society-SEGS	16.94 mi	1

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.