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Pender Early College High

Public Grades 9-12

30^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 95% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Pender Early College High is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Burgaw, North Carolina, part of the Pender County Schools district. This exceptional school has consistently ranked among the top 30 high schools in the state, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pender Early College High significantly outperforms the Pender County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in end-of-course test scores across all subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 91.1% proficiency in Biology EOC, compared to 56.7% for the Pender County Schools district and 48.3% for the state. The school also excels in supporting the academic achievement of various student subgroups, ranking within the top 25 high schools in North Carolina for female students, top 6 for Hispanic students, and top 48 for low socioeconomic status students.

While the school's graduation rate data is not provided, its consistent top rankings in the state suggest it likely has very high graduation rates, potentially exceeding the 87.7% four-year graduation rate reported for the other high schools in the Pender County Schools district. Pender Early College High also serves a more economically diverse student population, with a relatively low percentage of free and reduced lunch recipients compared to the other high schools in the district. This exceptional performance, combined with the school's unique early college model, makes Pender Early College High a standout institution that provides its students with a high-quality educational experience and strong preparation for college and beyond.

215

Students ?

50.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,865

Per pupil spending ?

98.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 East Industrial Drive
Burgaw, NC 28425

(910) 362-7925

District: Pender County Schools

Feeder schools for Pender Early College High:

Elementary:	C.F. Pope Elementary
	Cape Fear Elementary
	Malpass Corner Elementary
	North Topsail Elementary
	More...
	Penderlea Elementary
	Rocky Point Elementary
	South Topsail Elementary
	Topsail Annandale Elementary School
Middle:	Burgaw Middle
	Cape Fear Middle
	Topsail Middle
	West Pender Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.1%

Hispanic:

23.3%

Two or more races:

5.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Pender Early College High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2021 → 95th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (94% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of North Carolina high schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Pender County Schools

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 51 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school94%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg53%

30^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 5%▼ down 4 pts since 2021

From top 1% (2021) to top 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4High Schools in the Pender County Schools

115^th of 242Pender 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	94.3	30 of 641	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.5	22 of 640	96.6%	★★★★★
2023	95.4	20 of 626	96.8%	★★★★★
2022	96.1	16 of 621	97.4%	★★★★★
2021	98.2	4 of 594	99.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	93.9	25 of 610	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	94.9	18 of 602	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	95.0	15 of 588	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	95.4	13 of 594	97.8%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	79.6	55 of 412	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	80 of 403	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	76.6	79 of 403	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	82.5	25 of 398	93.7%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	97.9	6 of 462	98.7%	★★★★★
2024	99.0	1 of 454	99.8%	★★★★★
2022	98.9	6 of 436	98.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	95.6	48 of 606	92.1%	★★★★★
2024	97.5	23 of 613	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.5	34 of 597	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	98.8	16 of 544	97.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	92.0	69 of 601	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	95.9	25 of 607	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	97.7	1 of 602	99.8%	★★★★★
2022	97.2	8 of 585	98.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	91.0	42 of 542	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.9	18 of 553	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	30 of 537	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	94.8	14 of 534	97.4%	★★★★★

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)99th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)96th percentile~ school

White (2025)92nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)92nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)89th percentile-7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)87th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II98%+39 vs state

Math III95%+28 vs state

Biology91%+43 vs state

Math I91%+56 vs state

5.0

5 ratings · 3 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, September 18, 2018

I've had one child graduate from PECHS and one currently enrolled. It is a great school. The staff really care about the students succeeding. My daughters both like the school because they are allowed to express themselves without the typical peer pressure. Close Quote

by a teacher
Friday, January 1, 2010

Pender Early College is the best school I have ever worked for. We don't just teach subjects ,rather we teach students how to learn for themselves in all content areas. Close Quote

by a teacher
Monday, October 19, 2009

Pender Early college students continue to excel in Algebra I, Algebra II, and English I. Our students scored higher than the district and state in these areas on the EOC exams. Close Quote

Schools Near Pender 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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pender Early College High	Public	9-12	100 East Industrial Drive	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 362-7925	215	4	50.8	98.6%	140 (65.1%)	10 (4.7%)	50 (23.3%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.6%)	94.3	30^th of 641 public high schools	95.3%		95.5	22^nd of 640 public high schools	96.6%	8	91.1	98.2	90.9	94.9	$7,865	$425	$7,440
Pender High	Public	9-12	5380 NC Hwy 53 W	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 259-0162	648	29	22.1	98.5%	265 (40.9%)	201 (31.0%)	151 (23.3%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.7%)	13.9	576^th of 641 public high schools	10.1%		17.5	534^th of 640 public high schools	16.6%	42	28.2	29.2	6.6	47.0	$10,022	$530	$9,492
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
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
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
Wallace-Rose Hill High	Public	9-12	602 High School Road	Teachey	28464	Duplin County	Duplin County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 285-7501	738	42	17.4	99.6%	140 (19.0%)	205 (27.8%)	364 (49.3%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.0%)	11.5	590^th of 641 public high schools	8.0%		18.8	524^th of 640 public high schools	18.1%	66	15.8	30.4	17.0	43.4	$12,968	$891	$12,077
Topsail High	Public	9-12	245 St. Johns Church Road	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-2755	1,945	67	29.0	23.5%	1,603 (82.4%)	60 (3.1%)	148 (7.6%)	15 (0.8%)	6 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	110 (5.7%)	79.4	136^th of 641 public high schools	78.8%		76.8	145^th of 640 public high schools	77.3%	9	75.2	77.5	56.7	83.6	$8,065	$589	$7,476
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Pender Early College High

What schools feed into Pender Early College High?

Pender Early College High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : C.F. Pope Elementary
Elementary : Cape Fear Elementary
Elementary : Malpass Corner Elementary
Elementary : North Topsail Elementary
Elementary : Penderlea Elementary
Elementary : Rocky Point Elementary
Elementary : South Topsail Elementary
Elementary : Topsail Annandale Elementary School
Middle : Burgaw Middle
Middle : Cape Fear Middle
Middle : Topsail Middle
Middle : West Pender Middle

What district is Pender Early College High in?

Pender County Schools

How many students attend Pender Early College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 215 students attended Pender Early College High.

Is Pender Early College High a good school?

Yes! Pender Early College High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 30^th of 641 North Carolina high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Pender Early College High?

Students at Pender Early College High are 65% White, 23% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 5% African American, 1% Asian.

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Schools in Burgaw, 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.