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Wilmington School of the Arts

Q: Is Wilmington School of the Arts a good school?

Wilmington School of the Arts ranks 553 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Virtual Grades K-7

553^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Wilmington School of the Arts is a K–7 school in Wilmington, NC serving 297 students that has made one of the most dramatic academic turnarounds in North Carolina. In 2022–2023, the school ranked near the very bottom of the state with a zero-star rating and test proficiency rates in the single digits for some grades. By 2025–2026, it climbed to the 63rd percentile statewide, ranking 553rd out of 1,492 schools with a 3-star rating. Operating as its own single-school district, the school serves a majority lower-income population, with just over 58% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Reading is the school's clear academic strength. Across grades 3–7, roughly 65.7% of students read at grade level, about 10 points above the statewide average. For example, 72.3% of 4th graders and 68.3% of 5th graders are reading proficiently, compared to 57.7% and 55.3% statewide. Math is the weaker subject: schoolwide math proficiency sits near 57% versus 61.2% statewide, and the gap widens in 5th grade (51.2% vs. 62.9%). Science is close to the state average at 63.4% proficiency. Notably, the school's economically disadvantaged students rank in the 79th percentile statewide, a strong signal that it serves lower-income families unusually well compared to similar schools across North Carolina.

Against nearby schools, Wilmington School of the Arts holds its own despite serving a much higher-poverty student body. In 5th grade reading, it posted 68.3% proficiency, beating Holly Tree Elementary (67.3%) and Cape Fear Center for Inquiry (64.6%), both schools with far lower free-lunch rates. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 18% is well below the state average of 24.2% and far better than nearby high-poverty schools like R Freeman School of Engineering (40.6%). While math performance keeps the school from ranking among the region's elite, its steady improvement and strong reading results make it a compelling option for Wilmington-area families.

297

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

58.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1306 Floral Pkwy
Wilmington, NC 28406

(910) 399-3712

District: Wilmington School of the Arts

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.6%

Two or more races:

12.8%

Hispanic:

10.8%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Wilmington School of the Arts to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2022 → 63rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 39 percentile points since 2022

✓Above the North Carolina median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

553^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▲ up 39 pts since 2022

From bottom 24% (2022) to top 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

367^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 47%

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

80^th of 246Wilmington School of the Arts among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.7	553 of 1492	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.0	730 of 1490	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.9	717 of 1505	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	4.5	1483 of 1502	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.3	1150 of 1514	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.8	370 of 1447	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	63.8	472 of 1451	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.9	1051 of 1458	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.1	297 of 1434	79.3%	★★★★☆
2025	55.2	579 of 1437	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	540 of 1450	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	9.2	1401 of 1437	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.6	744 of 1451	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.6	883 of 1450	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.7	636 of 1464	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	334 of 815	59.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	806 of 1146	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.9	816 of 1172	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.3	622 of 1166	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	0.6	1182 of 1183	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)79th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)74th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2026)59th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)49th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile-33 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile+27 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Reading67%+11 vs state

Science63%-4 vs state

Mathematics58%-3 vs state

2.0

4 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★3

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What people are saying

by a principal
Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Great students, great families and great staff working together in a caring environment focused on growing students in academics and the arts. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Disappointed to say the least. No real added arts curriculum outside of what is already taught at a normal public school, staff not very professional and play favorites, no proper AIG identification or services, no disciple for physical acts towards other children, no growth in instruction, poorly managed by a cliquey inexperienced Board, pulled my child and would not recommend this school to any parent for any child Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Poorly managed, my child has regressed academically, had a strong Board of Directors now it is more like a PTA made up of parents and spouses. I will be pulling my child and sending him back to his regular public school. There is nothing unique or added to the arts curriculum which we really hoped for since it is deemed a school of the arts. I would not recommend this school to any parent. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, December 16, 2021

As a parent, I was very disappointed. There was no real structure, the building and classrooms where chaotic and not conducive to learning. Also- there seems to be a core group of parents running the school, they seem to bully both administrators and the Board of Directors and other parents opinions were not valued and often ostracized. Close Quote

Schools Near Wilmington School of the Arts

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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)				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	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
Wilmington School of the Arts	Public, Virtual, Charter	K-7	1306 Floral Pkwy	Wilmington	28406	New Hanover County	Wilmington School of the Arts	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(910) 399-3712	297	20	14.7	58.2%	192 (64.6%)	26 (8.8%)	32 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	5 (1.7%)	38 (12.8%)	61.7	553^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	62.9%		51	730^th of 1490 public elementary schools	51.0%	177	62.2	66.0	51.2	55.6	50.0		66.7	72.3	68.3	66.7	54.5		63.4
Edwin A Alderman Elementary	Public	K-5	2025 Independence Blvd	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2031	255	22	11.4	98.8%	108 (42.4%)	89 (34.9%)	32 (12.5%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.1%)	12.1	1395^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.5%		12.1	1392^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	6.6%	3	35.9	31.8	35.0				41.0	31.8	32.5				57.5		$14,178	$1,969	$12,209
Winter Park Model Elementary	Public	K-5	204 S MacMillan Ave	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2159	311	25	12.3	99.0%	136 (43.7%)	45 (14.5%)	108 (34.7%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.5%)	63.8	522^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	65.0%		55.1	653^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	56.2%	131	72.2	69.8	75.5				55.6	52.4	61.2				73.5		$15,516	$1,728	$13,788
Forest Hills Global Elementary	Public	K-5	602 Colonial Drive	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 251-6190	340	32	10.7	99.1%	43 (12.6%)	146 (42.9%)	130 (38.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.3%)	22.6	1234^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.3%		13.5	1373^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	7.9%	139	45.2	59.3	64.4				14.3	38.9	28.8				44.1		$14,096	$1,993	$12,103
Lake Forest Academy	Public	K-8	1802 S 15th Street	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 772-2515	45	14	3.2	93.3%	14 (31.1%)	21 (46.7%)	3 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (13.3%)								(n/a)															$44,023	$483	$43,539
Wilmington Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	134 Cinema Drive	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	Wilmington Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 799-6776	91	12	7.7		9 (9.9%)	65 (71.4%)	11 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.6%)	2.8	1487^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.3%		28.6	1108^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.6%	379	8.3	18.2	16.7	7.1	38.5		25.0	27.3	33.3	21.4	61.5		33.3
A H Snipes Academy of Arts/Des	Public, Magnet	K-5	2150 Chestnut Street	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(910) 251-6175	342	27	12.7	99.1%	37 (10.8%)	216 (63.2%)	60 (17.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.2%)	8.5	1439^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.6%		14.6	1353^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	9.2%	86	50.0	25.0	29.6				32.4	21.4	25.9				50.0		$15,103	$2,324	$12,779
Holly Tree Elementary	Public	K-5	3020 Web Trace	Wilmington	28409	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 790-2250	383	28	13.5	26.1%	289 (75.5%)	28 (7.3%)	44 (11.5%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.4%)	83.9	191^st of 1492 public elementary schools	87.2%		83.2	200^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.6%	9	82.8	73.4	81.8				71.9	70.3	67.3				83.6		$10,025	$585	$9,440
R Freeman School of Engineering	Public, Magnet	K-5	2601 Princess Place Drive	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(910) 251-6011	241	22	10.8	98.8%	7 (2.9%)	170 (70.5%)	44 (18.3%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.5%)	0.9	1492^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	0.0%		1.1	1488^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.1%	4	13.5	9.8	21.1				9.6	21.4	15.8				34.2		$16,676	$2,332	$14,344
The International School at Gregory	Public, Magnet	K-8	1106 Ann St	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(910) 251-6185	514	37	13.7	99.4%	171 (33.3%)	114 (22.2%)	198 (38.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.4%)	51.8	700^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.1%		58.3	594^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.1%	106	43.9	51.7	69.8	65.3	60.5	79.3	40.4	48.3	69.8	67.3	73.7	75.9	79.2	79.3	$18,192	$1,517	$16,675

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilmington School of the Arts

What is the racial makeup of Wilmington School of the Arts?

Students at Wilmington School of the Arts are 65% White, 13% Two or more races, 11% Hispanic, 9% African American, 2% Pacific Islander, 1% American Indian.

What district is Wilmington School of the Arts in?

Wilmington School of the Arts

Is Wilmington School of the Arts a good school?

Wilmington School of the Arts ranks 553^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Wilmington School of the Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 297 students attended Wilmington School of the Arts.

Rate Wilmington School of the Arts!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.