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High Schools in New Hanover County Schools

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At a glance

DistrictNew Hanover County Schools84^th of 246 North Carolina districtsFull district overview →

Schools

8,576

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedIsaac M Bear Early College High School53^rd of 662 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC up 59 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC 10.2 students per teacher

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Newly ranked this year

J. C. Roe Academy

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

0★

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

Summary:

New Hanover County Schools operates nine high schools in the Wilmington, North Carolina area serving about 8,576 students in grades 6 through 12 across traditional comprehensive schools, early colleges, a technical academy, and alternative programs. The district ranks 84th of 246 statewide, yet individual schools range from the 92nd to the 3rd percentile. Isaac M Bear Early College High School stands out as the strongest school in the district, ranked 53rd in the state with a 5-star rating and 100% Math I proficiency. SEA-Technical follows closely at 57th with five stars, posting 93-96% proficiency in every subject despite a 98.68% poverty rate. Wilmington Early College High is also a top performer, ranking 119th with four stars and 100% Math III proficiency.

Among the four large traditional zoned high schools enrolling about 89% of district high schoolers, John T Hoggard High stands out at 213th statewide, the only one exceeding district and state averages in every tested subject. Eugene Ashley High follows at 310th, and Emsley A Laney High at 378th with just 39% Math I proficiency. New Hanover High sits at the bottom of the traditional group with a 1-star rating, an 81.6% graduation rate, and 22.4% Math I proficiency. Poverty tracks performance among these neighborhood schools: John T Hoggard High has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate at 36.17%, while Emsley A Laney High and New Hanover High both exceed 95%. Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC and J. C. Roe Academy serve alternative missions and are not directly comparable.

The clearest insight is that poverty alone does not determine outcomes: the district's highest-poverty schools — SEA-Technical and Wilmington Early College High — are among its best, while some traditional schools struggle with lower poverty rates. Chronic absenteeism is a far more reliable warning signal, with top performers at 8-9% and struggling schools at 38-42%. Math I is the district's biggest academic weakness, and trends point in opposite directions: SEA-Technical climbed from 104th to 57th in two years, while New Hanover High slid from the 32nd to the 19th percentile, making it the district's most urgent improvement priority.

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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 8th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Emsley A Laney High	Public	9-12	2700 N College Rd	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-2089	2,243	111	20.2	95.3%	1,243 (55.4%)	409 (18.2%)	415 (18.5%)	40 (1.8%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	132 (5.9%)	43.8	378^th of 662 public high schools	42.9%		42.9	351^st of 641 public high schools	45.2%	27	56.3	70.7	39.0	56.5				$8,690	$533	$8,157
John T Hoggard High	Public	9-12	4305 Shipyard Blvd	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-2072	2,082	106	19.5	36.2%	1,358 (65.2%)	269 (12.9%)	315 (15.1%)	37 (1.8%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	98 (4.7%)	65.8	213^th of 662 public high schools	67.8%		59.6	229^th of 641 public high schools	64.3%	16	69.2	74.4	56.8	77.5				$8,673	$593	$8,080
New Hanover High	Public	9-12	1307 Market St	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 251-6100	1,437	91	15.7	98.5%	523 (36.4%)	457 (31.8%)	381 (26.5%)	15 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (4.1%)	23.3	533^rd of 662 public high schools	19.5%		29.2	461^st of 641 public high schools	28.1%	72	41.6	47.6	22.4	59.1				$10,692	$741	$9,950
J. C. Roe Academy	Public	6-12	2875 Worth Drive	Wilmington	28412	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 395-4472	14	12	1.2	78.6%	1 (7.1%)	5 (35.7%)	3 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (35.7%)	2.6	644^th of 662 public high schools	2.7%					(n/a)	18.2	20.0	538.5	15.4	7.7	23.1	15.4	$34,575	$1,445	$33,130
Eugene Ashley High	Public	9-12	555 Halyburton Memorial Parkwy	Wilmington	28412	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 790-2360	1,893	94	20.0	40.2%	1,346 (71.1%)	129 (6.8%)	280 (14.8%)	31 (1.6%)	5 (0.3%)	5 (0.3%)	97 (5.1%)	52.9	310^th of 662 public high schools	53.2%		48.8	309^th of 641 public high schools	51.8%	1	59.2	66.8	57.6	66.2				$8,956	$596	$8,360
Isaac M Bear Early College High School	Public	9-12	630 MacMillan Avenue	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-1387	260	11	24.7	25.8%	162 (62.3%)	10 (3.8%)	47 (18.1%)	23 (8.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.2%)	92	53^rd of 662 public high schools	92.0%		95.2	21^st of 641 public high schools	96.7%	32	360.2	561.8	100.0	98.6				$9,555	$284	$9,271
Wilmington Early College High	Public	9-12	4500 Blue Clay Rd	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 362-7789	270	13	20.6	98.9%	146 (54.1%)	57 (21.1%)	48 (17.8%)	8 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.1%)	83.4	119^th of 662 public high schools	82.0%		84.2	114^th of 641 public high schools	82.2%	5	69.3	92.1	79.2	100.0				$8,673	$273	$8,400
Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC	Public	9-12	3702 Princess Place Drive	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 251-6161	150	15	10.2	98.0%	46 (30.7%)	53 (35.3%)	40 (26.7%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.0%)	33.9	448^th of 662 public high schools	32.3%		22.9	507^th of 641 public high schools	20.9%	59	54.5	60.9	40.7	40.9				$21,178	$2,660	$18,517
SEA-Technical	Public	9-12	5301 Sidbury Road	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 530-6300	227	17	13.6	98.7%	144 (63.4%)	26 (11.5%)	38 (16.7%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.2%)	91.9	57^th of 662 public high schools	91.4%		89.1	86^th of 641 public high schools	86.6%	29	93.2	95.5	88.9	96.4				$13,361	$253	$13,108

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington	0.96 mi	1	138^th
Wilmington Preparatory Academy	1.32 mi	1	236^th
D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy	1.58 mi	1	246^th
Classical Charter Schools of Wilmington	1.7 mi	1	231^st
Wilmington School of the Arts	2.09 mi	1	80^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.