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B+

Dare County Schools

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 6 towns

Serves Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores, Manteo and Duck.

Kill Devil Hills’ School Grade B+ better than 74% of North Carolina school districts

Students
4,968
Schools
11
Spent per student
$15,072
NC $13,045
Students per teacher
14:1
Free or reduced lunch
46%
Debt
$12.8M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Dare County Schools

  • Its letter, B+: results better than 74% of North Carolina districts
  • Math proficiency 6 pts above the state
  • Reading proficiency 7 pts above the state
  • Graduation rate 7 pts above the state
  • Spends 16% more per student than the NC average
  • 14 students per teacher
  • Enrollment down 5.4% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $12.8M, about $2,586 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B+: better than 74% of the 325 North Carolina school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
B+
GraduationFour-year graduation well above the state, class of 2023
A
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
B+Kill Devil Hills 7,731B+Kitty Hawk 3,670B+Nags Head 3,117B+Southern Shores 3,110B+Manteo 1,585Duck 736

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Kill Devil Hills. Grade by grade →

PK–5First Flight Elementary SchoolThis district
6–8First Flight Middle SchoolThis district
9–12First Flight High SchoolThis district

Test scores vs. NC

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency57%
State average 50.8% · 2,500 students tested
Reading / language arts57%
State average 49.9% · 2,732 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)93%
State average 86.5% · 474 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$15,072 per student · 16% above NC
Spending
Classroom instruction 64%Support & administration 32%Other 3%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 41%State 50%Federal 9%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
5,250’20
5,244’21
5,181’22
5,102’23
4,968’24

Down 5.4% since 2020–21.

Students
White 71%Hispanic 21%Two or more races 6%Black 1%Asian <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

11 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with North Carolina’s other public schools.

Manteo Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Manteo
C
636 students13:1
Kitty Hawk Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Kitty Hawk
A−
487 students14:1
Nags Head Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Nags Head
B
484 students13:1
First Flight Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Kill Devil Hills
B
285 students10:1
Cape Hatteras Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Buxton
C
284 students12:1
First Flight Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Kill Devil Hills
B
604 students13:1
Manteo Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Manteo
B−
383 students12:1
Cape Hatteras Secondary School
High · Grades 6–12 · Buxton
B+
364 students16:1
First Flight High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Kill Devil Hills
B+
874 students20:1
Manteo High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Manteo
B+
528 students19:1
Dare Learning Academy
High · Grades 9–12 · Kill Devil Hills
D
39 students24:1

Left off: 1 school reporting no students for 2024–25.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within North Carolina.