IBX News

There were 12,180 students enrolled in Craven County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.5% more than the previous year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

New Bern High School registered the highest enrollment among Craven County's 26 schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 1,578 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
New Bern High School	1,554	1,578	1.5%
Havelock High School	1,050	1,022	-2.7%
West Craven High School	817	783	-4.2%
H. J. MacDonald Middle School	720	708	-1.7%
West Craven Middle School	664	632	-4.8%
Grover C. Fields Middle School	508	551	8.5%
Creekside Elementary School	-	522	-
Arthur W. Edwards Elementary School	528	521	-1.3%
Tucker Creek Middle School	518	510	-1.5%
Albert H. Bangert Elementary School	422	461	9.2%
Brinson Memorial Elementary School	457	448	-2%
Vanceboro-Farm Life Elementary School	442	427	-3.4%
Bridgeton Elementary School	352	388	10.2%
Trent Park Elementary School	393	367	-6.6%
Havelock Middle School	386	358	-7.3%
Oaks Road Academy	367	353	-3.8%
Ben D. Quinn Elementary School	368	351	-4.6%
W. Jesse Gurganus Elementary School	373	347	-7%
Roger Bell New Technology Academy	378	347	-8.2%
James W. Smith Elementary School	320	295	-7.8%
Havelock Elementary School	268	276	3%
J. T. Barber Elementary School	241	236	-2.1%
Graham A. Barden Elementary School	218	201	-7.8%
Early College EAST High	199	196	-1.5%
Craven Early College High	225	182	-19.1%
Craven Virtual Academy	-	120	-