Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

SEA-Technical

Public Grades 9-12

57^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 91% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

SEA-Technical is a small public high school in Castle Hayne, NC, serving 227 students in grades 9–12 within the New Hanover County Schools district, and it has earned a remarkable 5-star ranking for 2025–2026. What makes this achievement so striking is that the school serves a student body where nearly 99% qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet it consistently posts academic results that rival the state's selective early college high schools.

The school's test scores paint a picture of exceptional academic performance. On 2025–2026 End-of-Course exams, SEA-Technical students achieved a 93.2% proficiency rate in Biology, 95.5% in English II, 88.9% in Math I, and 96.4% in Math III. These numbers far outpace both the district and state averages, and they are dramatically higher than those at nearby traditional schools like Emsley A Laney High, located just 2.3 miles away. While Laney serves a similarly high-poverty population, its test scores are roughly half of SEA-Technical's in key subjects. SEA-Technical also boasts a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.8%, a fraction of the 23.8% district average and the 38.2% rate seen at Laney, indicating an unusually strong culture of engagement and attendance.

Perhaps the most compelling story is the school's consistent growth and its success with students who are traditionally underserved. SEA-Technical's statewide ranking has climbed every year, from the 67th percentile in 2021–2022 to the 91st percentile today. The school ranks an extraordinary 13th in the state for the performance of its low socio-economic status students, a powerful indicator of equitable outcomes. This is especially notable when compared to schools like New Hanover High and Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC, which have similar poverty rates but significantly lower academic achievement and much higher absenteeism. With a favorable 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio, SEA-Technical provides a level of individual attention that appears to make a profound difference, proving that demographic background does not have to determine educational success.

227

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

5301 Sidbury Road
Castle Hayne, NC 28429

(910) 530-6300

District: New Hanover County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.4%

Hispanic:

16.7%

African American:

11.5%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare SEA-Technical to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 76th percentile in 2021 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (94% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of North Carolina high schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2021

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school94%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg60%

57^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 9%▲ up 15 pts since 2021

From top 24% (2021) to top 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

84^th of 246New 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
2026	91.9	57 of 662	91.4%	★★★★★
2025	89.1	86 of 641	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	87.0	104 of 640	83.8%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	145 of 626	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	65.1	205 of 621	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.1	141 of 594	76.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	67.2	97 of 434	77.6%	★★★★☆
2022	55.2	139 of 430	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.1	37 of 629	94.1%	★★★★★
2025	86.6	88 of 610	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	87.6	84 of 602	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	68.2	173 of 588	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	49.4	287 of 594	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.5	97 of 407	76.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	70.3	100 of 449	77.7%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	101 of 436	76.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	96.7	13 of 620	97.9%	★★★★★
2025	93.9	60 of 606	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	89.8	85 of 613	86.1%	★★★★☆
2023	77.9	111 of 597	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	74.6	107 of 544	80.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.9	59 of 624	90.5%	★★★★★
2025	89.4	87 of 601	85.5%	★★★★☆
2024	85.0	113 of 607	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.7	126 of 602	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.1	134 of 585	77.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	88.3	60 of 551	89.1%	★★★★☆
2025	82.1	97 of 542	82.1%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	74 of 553	86.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	128 of 537	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	68.6	172 of 534	67.8%	★★★☆☆

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 (2026)98th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)94th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)91st percentile~ school

White (2026)89th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2023)78th percentile~ school

African American (2023)78th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)76th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III96%+27 vs state

English II96%+31 vs state

Biology93%+35 vs state

Math I89%+47 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate SEA-Technical and help other families decide.

Rate SEA-Technical

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near SEA-Technical

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
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	—	144 (63.4%)	26 (11.5%)	38 (16.7%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.2%)	91.9	57^th of 662 public high schools	91.4%		89.1	86^th of 641 public high schools	86.6%	29	93.2	95.5	88.9	96.4								$13,361	$253	$13,108
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	—	146 (54.1%)	57 (21.1%)	48 (17.8%)	8 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.1%)	83.4	119^th of 662 public high schools	82.0%		84.2	114^th of 641 public high schools	82.2%	5	69.3	92.1	79.2	100.0								$8,673	$273	$8,400
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%)	43.8	378^th of 662 public high schools	42.9%		42.9	351^st of 641 public high schools	45.2%	27	56.3	70.7	39.0	56.5								$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	—	151 (41.7%)	96 (26.5%)	70 (19.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	39 (10.8%)	30.8	473^rd of 662 public high schools	28.5%		34.7	415^th of 641 public high schools	35.3%	58	48.1	56.3	46.2	31.4	42.0	56.5	65.6	52.0	63.0	67.2	75.4
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	—	46 (30.7%)	53 (35.3%)	40 (26.7%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.0%)	33.9	448^th of 662 public high schools	32.3%		22.9	507^th of 641 public high schools	20.9%	59	54.5	60.9	40.7	40.9								$21,178	$2,660	$18,517
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	—	300 (41.0%)	111 (15.2%)	281 (38.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.9%)	21.7	541^st of 662 public high schools	18.3%		18.8	530^th of 641 public high schools	17.3%	11	39.1	49.2	26.8	52.4								$10,484	$771	$9,712
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	—	523 (36.4%)	457 (31.8%)	381 (26.5%)	15 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (4.1%)	23.3	533^rd of 662 public high schools	19.5%		29.2	461^st of 641 public high schools	28.1%	72	41.6	47.6	22.4	59.1								$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%)	92	53^rd of 662 public high schools	92.0%		95.2	21^st of 641 public high schools	96.7%	32	360.2	561.8	100.0	98.6								$9,555	$284	$9,271
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%)	65.8	213^th of 662 public high schools	67.8%		59.6	229^th of 641 public high schools	64.3%	16	69.2	74.4	56.8	77.5								$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	—	809 (49.9%)	314 (19.4%)	352 (21.7%)	3 (0.2%)	13 (0.8%)	4 (0.2%)	125 (7.7%)	49.7	332^nd of 662 public high schools	49.8%		43.8	346^th of 641 public high schools	46.0%	14	62.6	60.0	41.4	75.5								$10,133	$1,075	$9,059

Frequently Asked Questions about SEA-Technical

What district is SEA-Technical in?

New Hanover County Schools

Is SEA-Technical a good school?

Yes. SEA-Technical ranks in the top 8.6% of North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend SEA-Technical?

In the 2024-25 school year, 227 students attended SEA-Technical.

What is the racial makeup of SEA-Technical?

Students at SEA-Technical are 63% White, 17% Hispanic, 11% African American, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate SEA-Technical!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina High School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Castle Hayne, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for SEA-Technical!

Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.