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Carolina Beach Elementary

Public Grades K-5
91st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 94% of North Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Carolina Beach Elementary is a public elementary school in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, serving 432 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. This high-performing school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state, with academic achievement significantly exceeding district and state averages, particularly in mathematics.

Carolina Beach Elementary's strong performance is evident across multiple metrics. The school's proficiency rates on state assessments are 10-30 percentage points higher than the New Hanover County Schools district and North Carolina state averages, with mathematics proficiency ranging from 77.1% to 89.9% across grades 3-5. The school also excels in serving specific student subgroups, such as special education students and low socioeconomic status students, ranking among the top schools in the state for these populations. Additionally, Carolina Beach Elementary maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio and higher spending per student compared to the district and state.

While Carolina Beach Elementary outperforms many nearby schools, including Holly Tree Elementary, Pine Valley Elementary, and Masonboro Elementary, the nearby Brunswick County Schools district generally has lower academic performance. However, Masonboro Elementary, ranked among the top 10 elementary schools in North Carolina, has even higher proficiency rates than Carolina Beach Elementary in several subject areas and grade levels. Additionally, the school's performance for certain student subgroups, such as white students and gifted and talented students, has been more variable over the past three school years.

383
Students ?
14.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$10,071
Per pupil spending ?
33.4%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 400 South 4th St
       Carolina Beach, NC  28428

(910) 458-4340

District: New Hanover County Schools


Students who attend Carolina Beach Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Charles P Murray Middle
High:    Eugene Ashley High
Racial breakdown:

White:
91.1%
Hispanic:
4.7%
Two or more races:
2.1%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Carolina Beach Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 87th percentile in 2015 → 94th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the North Carolina average (80% vs 57% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 6% of North Carolina elementary schools
Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school80%
District avg63%
North Carolina avg57%
91st of 1,490
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Top 6%▲ up 7 pts since 2015
From top 13% (2015) to top 6% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 24Elementary Schools in the New Hanover County Schools
78th of 242New Hanover County 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202591.291 of 149093.9%★★★★★
202486.2163 of 150589.2%★★★★☆
202384.0184 of 150287.7%★★★★☆
202280.6240 of 151484.1%★★★★☆
202178.4268 of 148982.0%★★★★☆
201985.6159 of 147389.2%★★★★☆
201882.8188 of 143486.9%★★★★☆
201778.4251 of 142982.4%★★★★☆
201677.8270 of 142581.1%★★★★☆
201582.8190 of 144086.8%★★★★☆
201478.2268 of 139080.7%★★★★☆
201384.6163 of 140388.4%★★★★☆
201272.1363 of 138873.8%★★★★☆
201173.9326 of 138176.4%★★★★☆
201069.5403 of 136370.4%★★★★☆
200971.8362 of 135473.3%★★★★☆
200865.1448 of 132466.2%★★★☆☆
200769.2365 of 129371.8%★★★★☆
200666.6398 of 127668.8%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202251.0242 of 63461.8%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202585.2149 of 145189.7%★★★★☆
202485.9140 of 145590.4%★★★★★
202381.1199 of 145986.4%★★★★☆
202275.7290 of 145880.1%★★★★☆
202171.7334 of 144076.8%★★★★☆
201975.8286 of 142479.9%★★★★☆
201877.9260 of 140581.5%★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202570.6110 of 71084.5%★★★★☆
202471.816 of 66997.6%★★★★★
202359.1302 of 58248.1%★★☆☆☆
201953.4413 of 61232.5%★★☆☆☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
201966.78 of 3073.3%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202594.222 of 143798.5%★★★★★
202471.9287 of 145080.2%★★★★☆
202377.3214 of 143785.1%★★★★☆
202267.9310 of 136677.3%★★★★☆
202183.1117 of 132991.2%★★★★★
201980.9147 of 136189.2%★★★★☆
201871.2288 of 133278.4%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202592.376 of 145094.8%★★★★★
202483.1186 of 146487.3%★★★★☆
202384.0169 of 146188.4%★★★★☆
202281.9202 of 146486.2%★★★★☆
202179.9235 of 144483.7%★★★★☆
201990.586 of 143094.0%★★★★★
201884.7161 of 141388.6%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202581.565 of 82192.1%★★★★★
202478.678 of 80190.3%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202576.1238 of 117279.7%★★★★☆
202468.8335 of 116671.3%★★★★☆
202366.7363 of 118369.3%★★★☆☆
202260.8436 of 119463.5%★★★☆☆
202156.0493 of 117257.9%★★★☆☆
201969.7323 of 118372.7%★★★★☆
201870.6328 of 117872.2%★★★★☆
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)
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)98th percentile+5 vs school
Male (2025)95th percentile~ school
Special Education (2025)92nd percentile~ school
Female (2025)90th percentile-4 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2025)85th percentile-9 vs school
White (2025)80th percentile-14 vs school
Homeless (2019)73rd percentile-16 vs school
Disabled (2022)62nd percentile-22 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?
Science86%+24 vs state
Mathematics82%+21 vs state
Reading77%+24 vs state

5.0
2 ratings · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Open Quote This is the BEST school by far that my grandchildren have ever attended! The only warning would be the lice eppidemic that infests this entire county. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Carolina Beach Elementary

Students at Carolina Beach Elementary are 91% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 383 students attended Carolina Beach Elementary.

Students who attend Carolina Beach Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Charles P Murray Middle
High : Eugene Ashley High

Yes. Carolina Beach Elementary ranks in the top 6.1% of North Carolina elementary schools.


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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.





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