Top Rankings
Dare County Schools School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:
Category
Attribute
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
Student Attention
Lowest student:teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 3 public middle schools serving 1,378 students in Dare County Schools School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 8/10, which is in the top 30% of public middle schools in North Carolina.
Public Middle Schools in Dare County Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of 62% (versus the North Carolina public middle school average of 48%), and reading proficiency score of 60% (versus the 50% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 28% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the North Carolina public middle school average of 56% (majority Black and Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
11 Schools
882 Schools
# Students
5,102 Students
494,023 Students
# Teachers
414 Teachers
31,644 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
12:1
12:1
District Rank
Dare County Schools School District, which is ranked within the top 50% of all 320 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 93% has decreased from 95% over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#100 out of 325 school districts
(Top 50%)
(Top 50%)

Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
57%
51%

Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
57%
50%

Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
71%
63%

Graduation Rate
93%
86%

Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.45
0.71
# American Indian Students
5 Students
5,633 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
34 Students
19,933 Students
% Asian Students
1%
4%
# Hispanic Students
1,021 Students
98,873 Students
% Hispanic Students
20%
20%
# Black Students
71 Students
122,407 Students
% Black Students
1%
25%
# White Students
3,644 Students
215,701 Students
% White Students
72%
44%
# Hawaiian Students
n/a
646 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
327 Students
30,848 Students
% of Two or more races Students
6%
6%
Students by Grade:
# Students in PK Grade:
137
1,882
# Students in K Grade:
301
16,660
# Students in 1st Grade:
344
16,806
# Students in 2nd Grade:
359
17,050
# Students in 3rd Grade:
353
16,530
# Students in 4th Grade:
382
16,849
# Students in 5th Grade:
377
19,618
# Students in 6th Grade:
405
111,560
# Students in 7th Grade:
378
116,793
# Students in 8th Grade:
392
119,029
# Students in 9th Grade:
413
12,380
# Students in 10th Grade:
442
10,877
# Students in 11th Grade:
437
9,420
# Students in 12th Grade:
382
8,569
# Ungraded Students:
-
-
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $13,260 is higher than the state median of $11,187. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $12,873 is higher than the state median of $11,612. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
Total Revenue
$68 MM
$17,307 MM

Spending
$66 MM
$17,964 MM

Revenue / Student
$13,260
$11,187

Spending / Student
$12,873
$11,612

Best Dare County Schools School District Public Middle Schools (2025)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
First Flight Middle School
(Math: 67% | Reading: 70%)
Rank:
Rank:
9/
Top 20%10
109 Veterans Drive
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(252) 441-8888
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(252) 441-8888
Grades: 6-8
| 619 students
Rank: #22.
Manteo Middle School
(Math: 57% | Reading: 50%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
1000 N Hwy 64
Manteo, NC 27954
(252) 473-5549
Manteo, NC 27954
(252) 473-5549
Grades: 6-8
| 396 students
Rank: #33.
Cape Hatteras Secondary School
(Math: 50-54% | Reading: 50%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
48576 Highway 12
Buxton, NC 27920
(252) 995-5730
Buxton, NC 27920
(252) 995-5730
Grades: 6-12
| 363 students
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