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Lenoir County Public Schools

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At a glance

163^rdof 246 North Carolina districts▲ 2

Better than 33% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 9 Middle 3 High 4 Alternative 1Grades PK, KG-12

2017 W Vernon Avenue
Kinston, NC 28502·(252) 527-1109·All North Carolina district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 33.7% of districts

Schools

8,331

Students

Top rankedLenoir County Early College High116^th of 662 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

Northwest Elementary up 135 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Southwood Elementary 11.4 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

0★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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

Summary:

Lenoir County Public Schools serves roughly 8,331 students across 17 schools in eastern North Carolina — 9 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 4 high schools, and 1 alternative school. This is a very high-poverty district, with every school reporting a free/reduced-price lunch rate above 95%, and the district overall ranks 163rd of 246 North Carolina districts with a 2-star rating. Beneath that average, however, performance varies enormously, from top-tier schools that beat state averages to some of the lowest-ranked schools in the state.

Lenoir County Early College High is the district's clear academic leader, ranking in the 82nd percentile statewide (4 stars) with test scores 20 to 30 points above state averages on Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. At the elementary level, Moss Hill Elementary stands out with an 83rd-percentile rank (4 stars) and 4th-grade math proficiency near 90%. Banks Elementary, Northwest Elementary, and Southwood Elementary offer solid mid-tier choices. Woodington Middle is the district's best middle school, ranking at the 54th percentile and improving sharply from the previous year, while South Lenoir High is the strongest traditional high school, with Math III proficiency above the state average.

Several schools face serious challenges: Kinston High and Rochelle Middle both rank near the very bottom of their peer groups with 0 stars, while Southeast Elementary and Northeast Elementary sit in the 11th percentile statewide. Lenoir County Learning Academy, the alternative school, has the district's highest chronic absenteeism and lowest graduation rate. Absenteeism closely tracks low performance, and middle-school math is a district-wide weakness. Encouragingly, 5th-grade science proficiency exceeds the state average, graduation rates at Kinston High and North Lenoir High beat the state average, and the success of high-poverty schools like Lenoir County Early College High and Moss Hill Elementary proves strong results are possible district-wide.

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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
Kinston High	Public	9-12	2601 N Queen St	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-8067	659	41	16.0	99.1%	16 (2.4%)	573 (86.9%)	33 (5.0%)	8 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	27 (4.1%)	6	623^rd of 662 public high schools	5.9%		8.7	604^th of 641 public high schools	5.8%	19	20.0	37.4	6.3	31.0															$10,743	$1,412	$9,331
Northwest Elementary	Public	K-5	1701 Old Well Rd	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-5143	504	31	16.2	99.4%	35 (6.9%)	374 (74.2%)	41 (8.1%)	19 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.9%)	51.3	710^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.4%		44.1	845^th of 1490 public elementary schools	43.3%	135					65.3	47.2	68.9				44.0	51.4	56.8				86.5		$8,808	$1,369	$7,440
Rochelle Middle	Public	6-8	301 N Rochelle Blvd	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-4290	517	26	20.0	96.9%	9 (1.7%)	448 (86.7%)	29 (5.6%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.3%)	10.1	723^rd of 778 public middle schools	7.1%		15.5	681^st of 773 public middle schools	11.9%	42								30.1	23.3	10.6				38.2	28.0	30.4		54.9	$11,035	$1,690	$9,345
Southeast Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 McDaniels Street	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-4210	326	24	13.5	96.9%	24 (7.4%)	269 (82.5%)	17 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.9%)	17.3	1329^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.9%		18.8	1298^th of 1490 public elementary schools	12.9%	31					13.5	48.5	29.2				24.3	39.4	58.3				54.2		$12,465	$2,728	$9,737
Banks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2148 Falling Creek Rd	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-9470	436	32	13.5	99.3%	167 (38.3%)	151 (34.6%)	87 (20.0%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.7%)	64.2	515^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.5%		63.3	507^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.0%	8					72.1	60.7	70.3				55.9	62.3	57.8				78.1		$9,503	$1,056	$8,446
Contentnea-Savannah School	Public	PK, KG-8	3400 Ferrell Road	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-8591	789	55	14.2	99.6%	249 (31.6%)	362 (45.9%)	144 (18.3%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (3.5%)	42	877^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.2%		39.5	927^th of 1490 public elementary schools	37.8%	50					60.0	59.5	57.5	46.8	27.5	31.6	46.3	55.4	46.6	48.6	38.2	43.2	75.3	57.9	$9,328	$1,658	$7,670
E B Frink Middle	Public	6-8	102 N Martin Luther King Jr Dr	La Grange	28551	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 566-3326	488	32	15.0	99.4%	160 (32.8%)	204 (41.8%)	96 (19.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.3%)	38.9	488^th of 778 public middle schools	37.3%		30.9	539^th of 773 public middle schools	30.3%	51								45.7	53.1	50.4				48.9	50.3	48.9		59.1	$8,445	$1,333	$7,111
La Grange Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	402 W Railroad St	La Grange	28551	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 566-4036	547	32	17.1	99.5%	130 (23.8%)	236 (43.1%)	144 (26.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.2%)	36.5	968^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.1%		33.5	1027^th of 1490 public elementary schools	31.1%	59					68.3	46.9	59.8				54.0	51.0	42.5				54.0		$9,939	$1,422	$8,517
Moss Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	6040 Hwy 55 West	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 569-5071	371	28	13.2	99.2%	214 (57.7%)	64 (17.3%)	74 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.1%)	79.4	249^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.3%		84.3	186^th of 1490 public elementary schools	87.5%	63					73.3	89.8	68.7				65.0	78.0	62.7				83.6		$9,954	$1,536	$8,418
North Lenoir High	Public	9-12	2400 Institute Road	La Grange	28551	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-9184	957	59	16.3	99.7%	332 (34.7%)	390 (40.8%)	195 (20.4%)	7 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (3.3%)	18.4	565^th of 662 public high schools	14.7%		26.4	483^rd of 641 public high schools	24.6%	82	30.7	37.9	29.2	56.5															$9,635	$1,181	$8,454
Pink Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2666 HC Turner Road	Pink Hill	28572	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 568-4176	437	30	14.4	99.3%	220 (50.3%)	35 (8.0%)	166 (38.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.2%)	43.8	848^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.2%		54.1	669^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.1%	179					60.8	40.3	58.4				50.0	50.7	56.4				72.7		$10,287	$1,414	$8,873
South Lenoir High	Public	9-12	3355 Old Hwy 11 South	Deep Run	28525	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 568-6161	721	48	15.1	99.6%	392 (54.4%)	117 (16.2%)	170 (23.6%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.1%)	33.5	452^nd of 662 public high schools	31.7%		31.6	435^th of 641 public high schools	32.1%	17	49.0	49.7	26.6	72.0															$10,185	$1,319	$8,866
Southwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1245 Hwy 58 South	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-9081	218	19	11.4	98.6%	140 (64.2%)	34 (15.6%)	32 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.5%)	49.1	744^th of 1492 public elementary schools	50.1%		50.7	739^th of 1490 public elementary schools	50.4%	5					67.6	50.0	75.0				58.8	44.4	47.2				69.4		$10,722	$2,082	$8,640
Woodington Middle	Public	6-8	4939 Hwy 258 South	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-9570	584	35	16.8	99.5%	289 (49.5%)	111 (19.0%)	144 (24.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.3%)	53.7	361^st of 778 public middle schools	53.6%		38.2	483^rd of 773 public middle schools	37.5%	122								54.7	59.9	50.5				58.0	55.1	54.1		71.6	$8,277	$1,227	$7,051
Lenoir County Learning Academy	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	2529 Cedar Dell Lane	Kinston	28504	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-4264	66	10	6.7	95.5%	17 (25.8%)	33 (50.0%)	4 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (16.7%)								(n/a)			7.1												7.7	9.1			$18,901	$1,991	$16,911
Lenoir County Early College High	Public	9-12	231 Hwy 58 South	Kinston	28502	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 233-6870	246	8	29.8	98.8%	101 (41.1%)	58 (23.6%)	68 (27.6%)	12 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	83.9	116^th of 662 public high schools	82.5%		89.4	83^rd of 641 public high schools	87.1%	33	86.7	82.5	63.3	97.0															$8,270	$445	$7,825
Northeast Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1002 E Highland Ave	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-4166	465	27	17.2	99.4%	11 (2.4%)	412 (88.6%)	23 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.9%)	17.7	1324^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.3%		15.3	1345^th of 1490 public elementary schools	9.7%	21					49.2	25.3	48.9				38.1	22.8	36.2				72.3		$9,018	$1,456	$7,563

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
NC Health and Human Services	2.9 mi	11
Pitt County Schools	9.65 mi	40	112^th
Greene County Schools	11.83 mi	6	221^st
Craven County Board of Education	16.41 mi	26	142^nd
Wayne County Public Schools	16.84 mi	33	110^th

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.