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Wilmington Early College High

Q: Is Wilmington Early College High a good school?

Wilmington Early College High ranks 114 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

114^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 82% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Wilmington Early College High is a public high school located in Castle Hayne, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 254 students. This school is part of the New Hanover County Schools district, which is ranked 78 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Wilmington Early College High consistently outperforms the New Hanover County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in end-of-course (EOC) test scores across various subjects, including Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 86% proficiency in EOC English II, compared to 63.8% for the district and 59.6% for the state. The school also has a strong statewide ranking, placing in the top 100 high schools in North Carolina for several years, and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger in the 2022-2023 school year.

Despite the school's impressive academic achievements, Wilmington Early College High serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged student population, with consistently high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, above 98% in recent years. The school's performance is particularly strong across different student subgroups, including female students, male students, African American students, Hispanic students, and white students. However, the school's performance for gifted and talented students is relatively weaker, an area that the school may want to focus on improving.

270

Students ?

20.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,673

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4500 Blue Clay Rd
Castle Hayne, NC 28429

(910) 362-7789

District: New Hanover County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.1%

African American:

21.1%

Hispanic:

17.8%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Wilmington Early College High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2021 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (80% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2021

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg56%

North Carolina avg53%

114^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 12 pts since 2021

From top 6% (2021) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 8High Schools in the New Hanover County Schools

78^th 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	84.2	114 of 641	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	95 of 640	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	95.1	24 of 626	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	86.1	100 of 621	83.9%	★★★★☆
2021	94.4	35 of 594	94.1%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	78.7	74 of 440	83.2%	★★★★☆
2024	96.6	28 of 437	93.6%	★★★★★
2023	97.9	19 of 434	95.6%	★★★★★
2022	88.2	51 of 430	88.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.8	132 of 610	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	82.7	117 of 602	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	94.7	20 of 588	96.6%	★★★★★
2022	82.7	101 of 594	83.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	49.3	268 of 412	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	78.5	45 of 403	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	16 of 403	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	60.6	185 of 398	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	92.5	45 of 462	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	84.2	72 of 454	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	96.3	28 of 449	93.8%	★★★★★
2022	74.7	92 of 436	78.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	83.6	95 of 606	84.3%	★★★★☆
2024	88.7	89 of 613	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	97.0	28 of 597	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	83.5	81 of 544	85.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	90.0	84 of 601	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	92.8	61 of 607	90.0%	★★★★★
2023	95.2	38 of 602	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	90.4	80 of 585	86.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	81 of 542	85.1%	★★★★☆
2024	87.5	81 of 553	85.4%	★★★★☆
2023	94.3	17 of 537	96.8%	★★★★★
2022	83.4	91 of 534	83.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)90th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)86th percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)85th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile~ school

African American (2025)83rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)78th percentile-4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)35th percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III97%+30 vs state

English II86%+26 vs state

Math I70%+36 vs state

Biology62%+14 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, April 21, 2016

The administration has no respect students privacy. Uses general terms to bypass and confidentiality. Would not recommend doing any counseling or private talk anywhere near any faculty or staff - definitely not near the principal. Close Quote

by a student
Monday, February 1, 2010

Awesome school! Great diversity and also great teachers to help you when you need it. Freshman year is pretty hard, but your student will get use to it after that year. Close Quote

Schools Near Wilmington Early College 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 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th 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
Wilmington Early College High	Public	9-12	4500 Blue Clay Rd	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 362-7789	270	13	20.6	98.9%	146 (54.1%)	57 (21.1%)	48 (17.8%)	8 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.1%)	84.2	114^th of 641 public high schools	82.2%		88.3	95^th of 640 public high schools	85.2%	19	62.5	86.0	70.0	96.9								$8,673	$273	$8,400
SEA-Technical	Public	9-12	5301 Sidbury Road	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 530-6300	227	17	13.6	98.7%	144 (63.4%)	26 (11.5%)	38 (16.7%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.2%)	89.1	86^th of 641 public high schools	86.6%		87	104^th of 640 public high schools	83.8%	18	75.0	83.3	85.7	98.4								$13,361	$253	$13,108
Emsley A Laney High	Public	9-12	2700 N College Rd	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-2089	2,243	111	20.2	95.3%	1,243 (55.4%)	409 (18.2%)	415 (18.5%)	40 (1.8%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	132 (5.9%)	42.9	351^st of 641 public high schools	45.2%		47.4	315^th of 640 public high schools	50.8%	36	38.9	60.2	32.2	65.9								$8,690	$533	$8,157
Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington	Public, Charter	6-12	4100 Sunglow Drive	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 338-5258	362	35	10.2	98.9%	151 (41.7%)	96 (26.5%)	70 (19.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	39 (10.8%)	34.7	415^th of 641 public high schools	35.3%		46.4	321^st of 640 public high schools	49.8%	94	32.4	63.9	32.0	50.0	56.8	56.3	53.2	68.2	60.9	61.3	67.7
Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC	Public	9-12	3702 Princess Place Drive	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 251-6161	150	15	10.2	98.0%	46 (30.7%)	53 (35.3%)	40 (26.7%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.0%)	22.9	507^th of 641 public high schools	20.9%		28.3	465^th of 640 public high schools	27.3%	42	26.9	45.8	30.8	30.0								$21,178	$2,660	$18,517
New Hanover High	Public	9-12	1307 Market St	Wilmington	28401	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 251-6100	1,437	91	15.7	98.5%	523 (36.4%)	457 (31.8%)	381 (26.5%)	15 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (4.1%)	29.2	461^st of 641 public high schools	28.1%		32	432^nd of 640 public high schools	32.5%	29	34.9	44.1	14.1	70.7								$10,692	$741	$9,950
Isaac M Bear Early College High School	Public	9-12	630 MacMillan Avenue	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-1387	260	11	24.7	25.8%	162 (62.3%)	10 (3.8%)	47 (18.1%)	23 (8.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.2%)	95.2	21^st of 641 public high schools	96.7%		91.3	63^rd of 640 public high schools	90.2%	42	91.0	98.5	94.1	100.0								$9,555	$284	$9,271
Heide Trask High	Public	9-12	14328 NC Hwy 210	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 602-6810	732	33	21.8	99.6%	300 (41.0%)	111 (15.2%)	281 (38.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.9%)	18.8	530^th of 641 public high schools	17.3%		33.3	420^th of 640 public high schools	34.4%	110	23.0	47.6	21.2	42.2								$10,484	$771	$9,712
John T Hoggard High	Public	9-12	4305 Shipyard Blvd	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-2072	2,082	106	19.5	36.2%	1,358 (65.2%)	269 (12.9%)	315 (15.1%)	37 (1.8%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	98 (4.7%)	59.6	229^th of 641 public high schools	64.3%		66.3	198^th of 640 public high schools	69.1%	31	50.1	70.3	39.3	75.9								$8,673	$593	$8,080
North Brunswick High	Public	9-12	114 Scorpion Drive	Leland	28451	Brunswick County	Brunswick County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 371-2261	1,620	89	18.1	99.8%	809 (49.9%)	314 (19.4%)	352 (21.7%)	3 (0.2%)	13 (0.8%)	4 (0.2%)	125 (7.7%)	43.8	346^th of 641 public high schools	46.0%		45.1	332^nd of 640 public high schools	48.1%	14	55.0	54.5	29.8	62.4								$10,133	$1,075	$9,059

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilmington Early College High

What district is Wilmington Early College High in?

New Hanover County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Wilmington Early College High?

Students at Wilmington Early College High are 54% White, 21% African American, 18% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Wilmington Early College High a good school?

Wilmington Early College High ranks 114^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Wilmington Early College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 270 students attended Wilmington Early College High.

Rate Wilmington Early College High!

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Schools in Castle Hayne, NC

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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.