New Hanover High

New Hanover High is a traditional public high school in downtown Wilmington, NC, serving about 1,437 students in grades 9-12 as part of New Hanover County Schools. The school currently ranks 533rd out of 662 North Carolina high schools, placing it in the 19th percentile with a 1-star rating, making it the lowest-performing traditional high school in the Wilmington area when compared with nearby schools like John T Hoggard High (68th percentile), Eugene Ashley High (53rd), Emsley A Laney High (43rd), and North Brunswick High (50th).

New Hanover's test scores fall below district and state averages in every subject, but the most striking weakness is Math I. Just 22.4% of students scored proficient on the Math I end-of-course exam, compared with 47.6% for the district and 42.1% statewide — roughly 20 to 25 points behind. The previous year, Math I proficiency was only 14.1%, showing this is an ongoing challenge. English II (47.6% proficient) and Biology (41.6%) also trail nearby schools substantially. Emsley A Laney High, a similar large comprehensive school serving a comparably high-poverty student body, posted a 70.7% English II proficiency rate and a 56.3% Biology rate.

New Hanover's graduation rate is 81.6%, well below the district's 89.4% and the state's 88.8%. Chronic absenteeism affects 38.0% of students, far exceeding the state average of 24.2%. Nearly all students (98.5%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does have relatively favorable staffing, with a student-teacher ratio of 15.7 — lower than several neighboring high schools. The encouraging context is that Emsley A Laney High serves a similar high-poverty population with similar absenteeism yet achieves a 91.5% graduation rate and notably higher test scores, showing that strong improvement is possible within the same district and community.