Summary:
Zip code 27954 in Manteo, NC is served by three public schools—Manteo Elementary School (PK–5), Manteo Middle School (6–8), and Manteo High School (9–12)—all belonging to Dare County Schools, a district ranked 78th of 246 in North Carolina with a 68th-percentile rating. While the district is above average overall, individual schools in Manteo vary considerably, making it helpful for parents to look past the district-level picture.
Manteo High is the academic standout in the zip code, with a 94.4% graduation rate and strong Math III and English II scores; however, its state ranking has slipped from the 74th percentile in 2023–24 to the 57th percentile in 2025–26, and over half of its students are chronically absent. Manteo Middle falls in the middle—it earned a 3-star rating and a 52nd-percentile ranking, with solid 8th-grade science and reading, but it dipped sharply in 7th-grade math and 6th-grade reading. Manteo Elementary is the most at-risk school, ranked in the 34th percentile with a 2-star rating; it trails its district in most tested areas, and over half its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, though it did show some year-over-year improvement in 3rd-grade math and reading.
The most alarming pattern is absenteeism: it rises from 26.2% at the elementary level to 34.3% at middle school and 51.0% at high school—more than double the state average. This is especially puzzling because Manteo Elementary has the highest poverty rate but the lowest absenteeism, suggesting high school disengagement may be driving the problem rather than economic need alone. A related concern is the large math gap at Manteo High, where only 39.1% of students pass Math I versus 82.9% passing Math III. For parents, Manteo High offers the strongest outcomes overall, but its chronic absenteeism and foundational math struggles deserve close attention, as do the declining rankings at all three schools.
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