Notable School Districts in North Carolina

This directory-style guide highlights 50 school districts in North Carolina. Each institution is identified by its full profile name and location so similarly named organizations are easier to distinguish. “Notable” is a directory label, not an evaluation of quality or an endorsement.

Entries were selected and ordered using enrollment values available in COSMIQ profiles. Enrollment figures are intentionally omitted. The order is an estimate of institution size, not a ranking of academic quality, outcomes, or fit.

Institutions in this guide

• Wake County Schools — Cary, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools — Charlotte, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Guilford County Schools — Greensboro, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools — Winston Salem, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Cumberland County Schools — Fayetteville, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Union County Public Schools — Monroe, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Johnston County Public Schools — Smithfield, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Cabarrus County Schools — Concord, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Durham Public Schools — Durham, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Gaston County Schools — Gastonia, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Onslow County Schools — Jacksonville, North Carolina. Public school district.

• New Hanover County Schools — Wilmington, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Pitt County Schools — Greenville, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Alamance-Burlington Schools — Burlington, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Buncombe County Schools — Asheville, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Public Schools of Robeson County — Lumberton, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Iredell-Statesville Schools — Statesville, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Harnett County Schools — Lillington, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Rowan-Salisbury Schools — Salisbury, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Davidson County Schools — Lexington, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Wayne County Public Schools — Goldsboro, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Catawba County Schools — Newton, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Randolph County School System — Asheboro, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Nash County Public Schools — Nashville, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Cleveland County Schools — Shelby, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Moore County Schools — Carthage, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Brunswick County Schools — Bolivia, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Henderson County Schools — Hendersonville, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Craven County Schools — New Bern, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Burke County Schools — Morganton, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Lincoln County Schools — Lincolnton, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools — Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Rockingham County Schools — Eden, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Pender County Schools — Burgaw, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Caldwell County Schools — Lenoir, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Wilson County Schools — Wilson, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Duplin County Schools — Kenansville, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Lee County Schools — Sanford, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Chatham County Schools — Pittsboro, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Hoke County Schools — Raeford, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Wilkes County Schools — North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Stanly County Schools — Albemarle, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Lenoir County Public Schools — Kinston, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Carteret County Public Schools — Beaufort, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Sampson County Schools — Clinton, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Franklin County Schools — Louisburg, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Rutherford County Schools — Forest City, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Surry County Schools — Dobson, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Orange County Schools — Hillsborough, North Carolina. Public school district.

• Granville County Schools — Oxford, North Carolina. Public school district.

Selection and source notes

Where enough eligible profiles were available, this guide includes the top 50, 25, or 10 by available enrollment; smaller groups include all eligible profiles. Profile source year: 2024. Check each institution directly for current information.

Sources: NCES Common Core of Data. Inclusion does not imply endorsement by COSMIQ, and it does not mean that any listed institution endorses COSMIQ.