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Porters Neck Elementary

Q: Is Porters Neck Elementary a good school?

Porters Neck Elementary ranks 246 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

246^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Porters Neck Elementary is a K-5 school in Wilmington, North Carolina, serving 666 students in the New Hanover County Schools district. It is a consistently strong performer, ranking 246th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (84th percentile) with a 4-star rating. Reading proficiency in 3rd and 4th grades runs about 14 points above the district average, and math and science scores also clear both district and state benchmarks in most grade levels.

Attendance is one standout differentiator. Only 6.4% of students were chronically absent in the most recent year, versus 23.8% districtwide, and Porters Neck’s rate has improved every year — from 16.1% four years earlier — suggesting school practices and family engagement are making a real difference. Comparisons with nearby schools are revealing as well: Ogden Elementary and Wrightsville Beach Elementary rank in the top few percentiles statewide, ahead of Porters Neck, while Murrayville Elementary and South Topsail Elementary serve much higher concentrations of economically disadvantaged students and still post rankings close to Porters Neck’s.

Porters Neck’s strongest results are with its gifted and talented students (top 4% statewide) and its special education students, whose statewide percentile jumped from 59th to 86th in the latest year. The clearest area to watch is consistency: Hispanic, low-income, and African American students show lower statewide percentile rankings than the school’s overall numbers would suggest, and the school’s overall state rank slipped from 156th to 246th in the most recent testing year. In a school of 666 students, single-year subgroup results can swing meaningfully, so these are early signals rather than final verdicts. Addressing them would take Porters Neck from excellent to especially effective.

666

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

22.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

416 Edgewater Club Rd
Wilmington, NC 28411

(910) 251-2975

District: New Hanover County Schools

Students who attend Porters Neck Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Holly Shelter Middle
High:	Emsley A Laney High

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.6%

Hispanic:

8.7%

African American:

4.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Porters Neck Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2021 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (73% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of North Carolina elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2021

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg61%

246^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▼ down 8 pts since 2021

From top 9% (2021) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary 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	79.6	246 of 1492	83.5%	★★★★☆
2025	86.3	156 of 1490	89.5%	★★★★☆
2024	85.5	174 of 1505	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	85.0	164 of 1502	89.1%	★★★★☆
2022	82.6	212 of 1514	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	89.7	129 of 1489	91.3%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	25.3	769 of 924	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	62.7	146 of 634	77.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	264 of 1447	81.8%	★★★★☆
2025	85.3	147 of 1451	89.9%	★★★★☆
2024	82.9	181 of 1455	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	84.9	152 of 1459	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	76.8	273 of 1458	81.3%	★★★★☆
2021	85.7	154 of 1440	89.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.3	30 of 743	96.0%	★★★★★
2025	69.8	140 of 710	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	61.8	277 of 669	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.4	250 of 582	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.6	121 of 500	75.8%	★★★★☆
2021	77.3	16 of 494	96.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.1	609 of 981	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	92.3	31 of 951	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	68.8	197 of 915	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	34.6	630 of 893	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	83.1	82 of 843	90.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.6	614 of 1434	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.2	534 of 1437	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.2	201 of 1450	86.1%	★★★★☆
2023	77.0	217 of 1437	84.9%	★★★★☆
2022	62.1	405 of 1366	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	74.9	199 of 1329	85.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.6	261 of 1451	82.0%	★★★★☆
2025	83.7	184 of 1450	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.4	168 of 1464	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	82.5	190 of 1461	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	85.0	168 of 1464	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	89.4	116 of 1444	92.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.6	115 of 815	85.9%	★★★★☆
2025	49.4	338 of 821	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.2	326 of 801	59.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.8	375 of 1146	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	76.1	240 of 1172	79.5%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	214 of 1166	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.3	163 of 1183	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	78.4	211 of 1194	82.3%	★★★★☆
2021	83.6	144 of 1172	87.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)96th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2026)86th percentile~ school

Male (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)77th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)67th percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)57th percentile-26 vs school

Hispanic (2026)38th percentile-46 vs school

African American (2024)17th percentile-72 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics75%+12 vs state

Science75%+8 vs state

Reading71%+14 vs state

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Schools Near Porters Neck Elementary

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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)				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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Porters Neck Elementary	Public	K-5	416 Edgewater Club Rd	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 251-2975	666	42	16.0	22.4%	530 (79.6%)	30 (4.5%)	58 (8.7%)	16 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.4%)	79.6	246^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.5%		86.3	156^th of 1490 public elementary schools	89.5%	90	74.8	79.1	71.4			71.5	73.6	65.7			75.2
Ogden Elementary	Public	K-5	3637 Middle Sound Rd	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 686-6464	619	39	15.9	17.6%	541 (87.4%)	7 (1.1%)	36 (5.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (5.0%)	94.7	47^th of 1492 public elementary schools	96.8%		96.8	22^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	98.5%	25	561.6	92.1	88.2			84.9	83.3	80.0			86.4	$9,099	$487	$8,612
Dr Hubert Eaton Senior Elementary	Public	K-5	6701 Gordon Road	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 397-1544	461	32	14.2	30.4%	342 (74.2%)	31 (6.7%)	39 (8.5%)	13 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.2%)	91	98^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.4%		91.7	86^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.2%	12	87.7	86.8	90.2			70.4	76.5	73.8			91.8	$10,965	$754	$10,211
John J Blair Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6510 Market Street	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2045	451	34	13.1	—	184 (40.8%)	58 (12.9%)	138 (30.6%)	23 (5.1%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.8%)	34.6	1017^th of 1492 public elementary schools	31.8%		35.3	995^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.2%	22	47.7	57.6	60.3			46.2	50.0	39.7			63.2	$10,293	$831	$9,462
Murrayville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	225 Mabee Way	Wilmington	28411	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 790-5067	573	40	14.2	—	297 (51.8%)	79 (13.8%)	129 (22.5%)	27 (4.7%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (6.3%)	76.7	287^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.8%		66.6	454^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.5%	167	81.3	71.1	78.4			66.7	61.1	64.9			78.4	$9,901	$832	$9,069
Wrightsville Beach Elementary	Public	K-5	220 Coral Drive	Wrightsville Beach	28480	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 256-3171	280	19	14.4	8.9%	256 (91.4%)	2 (0.7%)	9 (3.2%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	95.9	26^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.3%		97.6	12^th of 1490 public elementary schools	99.2%	14	88.0	561.0	94.1			80.0	87.2	90.2			94.1	$11,028	$419	$10,609
College Park Elementary	Public	K-5	5001 Oriole Drive	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2058	470	35	13.2	—	93 (19.8%)	175 (37.2%)	153 (32.6%)	11 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.7%)	8.6	1437^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.7%		13.4	1374^th of 1490 public elementary schools	7.8%	63	42.2	46.7	31.0			26.6	32.0	25.4			40.8	$17,443	$1,558	$15,885
Bradley Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	6211 Greenville Loop	Wilmington	28409	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2051	344	28	12.1	98.0%	163 (47.4%)	11 (3.2%)	161 (46.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	52.7	682^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	54.3%		58.2	595^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.1%	87	51.9	66.0	73.6			46.3	50.0	60.4			75.5	$11,533	$978	$10,555
Wilmington Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	134 Cinema Drive	Wilmington	28403	New Hanover County	Wilmington Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 799-6776	91	12	7.7	—	9 (9.9%)	65 (71.4%)	11 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.6%)	2.8	1487^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.3%		28.6	1108^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.6%	379	8.3	18.2	16.7	7.1	38.5	25.0	27.3	33.3	21.4	61.5	33.3
South Topsail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	997 Hoover Road	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-2756	618	38	16.1	—	475 (76.9%)	19 (3.1%)	67 (10.8%)	8 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (7.3%)	82.1	214^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.7%		77	297^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.1%	83	80.4	74.2	85.1			66.7	64.5	73.4			85.1	$10,357	$486	$9,871

Frequently Asked Questions about Porters Neck Elementary

What schools do graduates of Porters Neck Elementary attend?

Students who attend Porters Neck Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Holly Shelter Middle
High : Emsley A Laney High

What district is Porters Neck Elementary in?

New Hanover County Schools

Is Porters Neck Elementary a good school?

Porters Neck Elementary ranks 246^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Porters Neck Elementary?

Students at Porters Neck Elementary are 80% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Porters Neck Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 666 students attended Porters Neck Elementary.

Rate Porters Neck Elementary!

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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.