Outer Banks Times

There were 8,012 students enrolled in Carteret County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.2% less than the previous year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

West Carteret High School registered the highest enrollment among Carteret County's 18 schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 1,059 students.

North Carolina’s student-teacher ratio is roughly 15.4 students per teacher, aligning with the national average. However, rising teacher turnover threatens to push class sizes higher, making it harder for students to get individualized attention.

If vacancies continue to grow, schools may struggle to maintain this ratio, impacting the quality of instruction. Districts in lower-funded areas face the biggest challenges, as limited budgets make it harder to attract and retain teachers.

School name	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2023-24	% Change
West Carteret High School	1,103	1,059	-4%
Croatan High School	957	965	0.8%
White Oak Elementary School	746	754	1.1%
Broad Creek Middle School	715	742	3.8%
Newport Elementary School	650	625	-3.8%
Morehead City Middle School	481	526	9.4%
East Carteret High School	515	521	1.2%
Morehead City Primary School	522	512	-1.9%
Bogue Sound Elementary School	460	439	-4.6%
Newport Middle School	372	375	0.8%
Beaufort Elementary School	367	353	-3.8%
Beaufort Middle School	256	256	0%
Morehead Elementary at Camp Glenn	290	254	-12.4%
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary School	231	233	0.9%
Tiller School	197	198	0.5%
Harkers Island Elementary School	116	112	-3.4%
Atlantic Elementary School	74	76	2.7%
Bridges School	12	12	0%