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Kinston High

Public Grades 9-12

604^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 6% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Kinston High is a public high school located in Kinston, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 706 students. The school is part of the Lenoir County Public Schools district, which is ranked 165 out of 242 districts in the state.

Kinston High consistently ranks in the bottom half of North Carolina high schools, with a statewide ranking between 550-604 out of 594-641 schools over the past 5 years. The school's performance on End-of-Course (EOC) exams is significantly below the state and district averages, with proficiency rates as low as 13.3% in Biology and 13.6% in Math I, compared to the state averages of 48.3% and 34.4%, respectively. Kinston High's four-year graduation rate has ranged from 85.4% to 90.3% over the past few years, slightly below the state average.

While the nearby South Lenoir High and North Lenoir High schools also serve high-poverty populations, they generally outperform Kinston High on academic measures. The exceptional performance of the Lenoir County Early College High School, located just 4 miles from Kinston High, highlights the potential for high-quality educational programs to drive academic success, even in high-poverty communities.

659

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,743

Per pupil spending ?

99.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2601 N Queen St
Kinston, NC 28501-1799

(252) 527-8067

District: Lenoir County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Kinston High:

Elementary:	Northeast Elementary
	Northwest Elementary
	Southeast Elementary
Middle:	Rochelle Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

86.9%

Hispanic:

5.0%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Kinston High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (21% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg39%

North Carolina avg53%

604^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4High Schools in the Lenoir County Public Schools

165^th of 242Lenoir County Public Schools 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	8.7	604 of 641	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	588 of 640	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.0	598 of 626	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.1	589 of 621	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.2	550 of 594	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	454 of 514	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	4.8	440 of 469	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	4.8	443 of 476	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.6	456 of 507	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	7.8	465 of 531	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	7.0	432 of 451	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.9	424 of 505	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.4	425 of 502	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.1	418 of 506	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.6	366 of 499	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.9	385 of 490	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	27.5	386 of 477	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.3	335 of 453	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	43.6	286 of 431	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	406 of 440	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	359 of 437	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	395 of 434	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	396 of 430	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	283 of 364	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.4	287 of 369	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.6	334 of 359	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	50.2	111 of 334	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.5	32 of 364	91.2%	★★★★★
2018	14.0	344 of 349	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	586 of 610	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	556 of 602	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	562 of 588	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.2	572 of 594	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	426 of 475	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.7	452 of 475	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.8	437 of 449	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	5.0	407 of 412	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	379 of 403	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.3	402 of 403	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	0.1	398 of 398	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	97 of 100	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.0	314 of 462	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	310 of 454	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	13.7	567 of 606	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	557 of 613	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	576 of 597	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	517 of 544	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	370 of 432	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.7	381 of 446	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.3	404 of 424	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	578 of 601	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	577 of 607	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.9	579 of 602	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	561 of 585	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	444 of 481	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	443 of 488	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.9	447 of 463	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	5.4	243 of 249	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	338 of 352	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2021)67th percentile+59 vs school

Hispanic (2025)32nd percentile+26 vs school

African American (2025)8th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)2nd percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II36%-23 vs state

Math III20%-46 vs state

Math I14%-21 vs state

Biology13%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kinston High

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 7th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th 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%)	8.7	604^th of 641 public high schools	5.8%		10.7	588^th of 640 public high schools	8.1%	16	13.3	36.2	13.6	20.5						$10,743	$1,412	$9,331
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%)	89.4	83^rd of 641 public high schools	87.1%		87.8	98^th of 640 public high schools	84.7%	15	75.4	93.4	68.8	93.8						$8,270	$445	$7,825
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%)	26.4	483^rd of 641 public high schools	24.6%		16.4	543^rd of 640 public high schools	15.2%	60	33.7	44.8	19.1	58.6						$9,635	$1,181	$8,454
Ayden-Grifton High	Public	9-12	7653 NC 11 South	Ayden	28513	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 746-4183	757	47	15.9	99.6%	299 (39.5%)	300 (39.6%)	117 (15.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.0%)	25.1	494^th of 641 public high schools	22.9%		21.8	503^rd of 640 public high schools	21.4%	9	26.0	48.4	16.6	58.1						$10,854	$1,280	$9,574
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%)	31.6	435^th of 641 public high schools	32.1%		30.1	448^th of 640 public high schools	30.0%	13	41.8	48.0	21.7	58.3						$10,185	$1,319	$8,866
Greene Early College High	Public	9-12	818 Highway 91	Snow Hill	28580	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 747-9044	166	9	18.4	98.2%	43 (25.9%)	28 (16.9%)	90 (54.2%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	71.6	173^rd of 641 public high schools	73.0%		85.6	111^th of 640 public high schools	82.7%	62	52.5	82.5	60.6	77.5						$9,040	$301	$8,739
Greene Central High	Public	9-12	140 School Drive	Snow Hill	28580	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 747-3814	776	51	15.0	99.6%	206 (26.5%)	291 (37.5%)	249 (32.1%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.2%)	11.3	593^rd of 641 public high schools	7.5%		14.4	556^th of 640 public high schools	13.1%	37	26.0	34.7	10.7	31.8						$11,712	$1,688	$10,024
Eastern Wayne High	Public	9-12	1135 New Hope Road	Goldsboro	27534	Wayne County	Wayne County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 751-7120	781	41	18.9	98.1%	97 (12.4%)	474 (60.7%)	160 (20.5%)	13 (1.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.4%)	37.5	394^th of 641 public high schools	38.5%		21.1	508^th of 640 public high schools	20.6%	114	25.6	38.2	55.8	62.6						$9,800	$921	$8,879
Edgewood Cmty Developmental	Public	9-12	1135 E. New Hope Rd	Goldsboro	27534	Wayne County	Wayne County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 731-5970	38	3	11.5	92.1%	10 (26.3%)	17 (44.7%)	7 (18.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.9%)								(n/a)										$24,484	$5,963	$18,522
Wayne Middle / High Academy	Public	6-12	1135 E. New Hope Rd	Goldsboro	27534	Wayne County	Wayne County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 580-3609	92	7	13.7	96.7%	11 (12.0%)	62 (67.4%)	13 (14.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.3%)	5.6	618^th of 641 public high schools	3.6%		2.8	625^th of 640 public high schools	2.3%	7	6.7	11.6	14.6	22.7	11.1	8.3	22.2	14.6	15.0	$17,211	$1,677	$15,535

Frequently Asked Questions about Kinston High

Is Kinston High a good school?

Kinston High ranks in the bottom 5.8% of North Carolina high schools.

What district is Kinston High in?

Lenoir County Public Schools

What schools feed into Kinston High?

Kinston High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Northeast Elementary
Elementary : Northwest Elementary
Elementary : Southeast Elementary
Middle : Rochelle Middle

How many students attend Kinston High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 659 students attended Kinston High.

What is the racial makeup of Kinston High?

Students at Kinston High are 87% African American, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% White, 1% Asian.

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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.