North Carolina Public School Statistics
Statewide totals for North Carolina public schools from the NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment and staffing for the 2023–24 school year, finance for fiscal year 2024, and the state’s largest districts.
North Carolina reported 1,544,289 public school students in the 2023–24 school year, attending 2,697 public schools run by 335 local education agencies with enrolled students. Enrollment is the denominator behind almost every other statistic on this page: it drives the student–teacher ratio, frames the diploma count, and — through state funding formulas — shapes the revenue totals reported in the finance files. Because the CCD is a census of state administrative records rather than a sample survey, these totals are the official counts states themselves submitted to the federal government, with the school year printed next to each figure.
North Carolina at a glance
| Public school enrollment (2023–24) | 1,544,289 students |
|---|---|
| Public schools (2023–24) | 2,697 |
| Local education agencies with enrollment | 335 |
| Classroom teachers, FTE (2023–24) | 100,994 |
| Student–teacher ratio (2023–24) | 15.3 to 1 |
| Regular diplomas awarded (2023–24) | 109,161 |
| Per-pupil current spending (FY2024, NPEFS) | $13,782 |
| Total current expenditures (FY2024, NPEFS) | $19,898,565,874 |
| Total revenues (FY2024, NPEFS) | $20,426,659,272 |
The finance rows are labeled FY2024 because the National Public Education Financial Survey reports by fiscal year; fiscal year 2024 is the finance counterpart of the 2023–24 school year. The membership and staffing rows come from the 2023–24 CCD state files. Keeping those labels attached is deliberate — see why the years differ across files.
Staffing statewide
North Carolina schools employed 100,994 full-time-equivalent classroom teachers in 2023–24, a student–teacher ratio of 15.3 to 1. That ratio is an average across very different settings — small rural schools, large suburban campuses and specialized programs all blend into one number — so it is best used to compare states in the same year, or one state across years, rather than to predict any individual classroom. District-level ratios for the state’s largest districts are on their district pages, linked in the table below.
Spending and revenue
The NPEFS file reports $19,898,565,874 in total current expenditures and $20,426,659,272 in total revenues for North Carolina public schools in fiscal year 2024, with a published per-pupil current expenditure of $13,782. NPEFS per-pupil figures are computed by NCES from current expenditures and fall membership in the finance collection; they are the standard source for state-to-state spending comparisons because every state reports through the same accounting handbook. District-level spending, where the F-33 file supports it, appears on individual district pages and can differ sharply from the state average in both directions.
Completions
Public schools in North Carolina awarded 109,161 regular secondary school diplomas in 2023–24, per the CCD Completers file. A diploma count is a flow of credentials in one year, not a graduation rate; the federal cohort graduation rate is produced separately by EDFacts from tracked ninth-grade cohorts. We publish the count, labeled as a count, and explain the distinction on our measurement methodology page.
Largest districts in North Carolina
Ranked by 2023–24 fall membership. The largest district alone accounts for 10.5% of statewide enrollment. Linked districts have full pages on this site.
| # | District | Enrollment 2023–24 | Schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake County Schools | 161,481 | 197 |
| 2 | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools | 144,116 | 184 |
| 3 | Guilford County Schools | 67,832 | 124 |
| 4 | Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools | 52,157 | 81 |
| 5 | Cumberland County Schools | 49,314 | 86 |
| 6 | Union County Public Schools | 41,687 | 52 |
| 7 | Johnston County Public Schools | 37,289 | 48 |
| 8 | Cabarrus County Schools | 35,021 | 44 |
| 9 | Durham Public Schools | 31,339 | 56 |
| 10 | Gaston County Schools | 30,253 | 56 |
| 11 | Onslow County Schools | 27,592 | 39 |
| 12 | New Hanover County Schools | 25,028 | 42 |
Browse all states in the state index or return to the district index.
Frequently asked questions
How many public school students are in North Carolina?
1,544,289 students were enrolled in North Carolina public schools in the 2023–24 school year, per the NCES Common Core of Data state membership file.
What is the student–teacher ratio in North Carolina?
15.3 students per teacher statewide in 2023–24, from 1,544,289 students and 100,994 FTE classroom teachers in the CCD files.
How much does North Carolina spend per pupil?
$13,782 per pupil in current expenditures in fiscal year 2024, the published figure in the NCES National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS).
Data: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and EDFacts, retrieved October 2026, from nces.ed.gov. Enrollment, staffing and lunch figures are for the 2023–24 school year; finance figures are fiscal year 2024 (school year 2023–24) unless a page labels them otherwise.
Disclaimer: Public School Stats republishes official federal statistics for general information only. Figures are reported as published by NCES and EDFacts and may include imputed or revised values; for decisions affecting a specific school or district, confirm the figure with the district or the NCES source file. See our full Disclaimer.