Eugene Ashley High

Eugene Ashley High is a large public high school in Wilmington, North Carolina, serving 1,893 students in grades 9–12 as part of New Hanover County Schools. The school holds a 3-star rating and ranks at the 53rd percentile statewide, placing it just above the midpoint among North Carolina high schools — a step back from the 67th–74th percentile range it occupied from 2015 to 2018. About 40% of students now qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, up from roughly 34% two years earlier, showing growing economic need among the student body.

Academically, Eugene Ashley's clearest strength is Math I. In 2025–2026, 57.6% of students passed the Math I exam — well above the district rate of 47.6% and the state rate of 42.1%, and higher than every nearby traditional high school including John T Hoggard High at 56.8%. However, that advantage fades by Math III, where Ashley's pass rate of 66.2% trails the state average of 68.9%. Biology and English II scores sit near state averages, but large year-to-year swings in Biology make single-year results hard to interpret. The most telling comparison may be Hoggard, which serves a similarly mixed-income population yet posts a stronger overall ranking (68th percentile), a higher graduation rate, and far lower chronic absenteeism.

Attendance is Eugene Ashley's defining challenge. A troubling 38% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, roughly 14 points above both district and state averages. That figure closely mirrors Emsley A Laney High and New Hanover High — schools with far higher poverty rates — suggesting Ashley's attendance problems stem less from student poverty than from school climate and engagement issues. The graduation rate has also declined, from 90.5% in 2021–2022 to 87.7%, now slightly below the state average. Outcomes for specific student groups have been volatile: results for African American and special education students fell sharply in the most recent year, while English Language Learners posted notable gains — a pattern that suggests supports for some groups may not be consistently sustained from year to year.