While the U.S. is one of the most educated countries in the world, it doesn’t provide the same quality elementary school or secondary school education to all students. In many states, more affluent school districts receive a greater amount of funding per student than poorer districts, with one estimate claiming that low-income districts are underfunded by around $6,700 per pupil.
Discrepancies between the rich and poor were exacerbated a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low-income students suffered the greatest “learning loss” due to partial or total remote learning. One contributing factor was that people in low-income districts are less likely to have the technological resources they need. Now, less fortunate students must struggle to make up the educational ground that they lost due to this lack of resources.
States that provide equitable funding to all school districts can help prevent poor students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers. The difference is dramatic: College graduates have $154 - $1,115 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.
North Carolina has the 2nd most equitable school districts in the U.S. overall, but some districts within the state are fairer than others. To find out where school funding is distributed most equitably, WalletHub scored 115 districts in North Carolina based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
Main Findings
Note: For visual purposes, we included only the top 7 school districts by enrollment from each category. Rank 1 on the “Expenditures Ranking” means highest expenditures and Rank 1 on “Income Ranking” means lowest income.
Most & Least Equitable School Districts in North Carolina
| Rank* | School District | Score | Expeditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools per Pupil | Income by School District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henderson County Schools | 0.46 | $10,038 | $59,928 |
| 2 | Alexander County Schools | 0.51 | $11,228 | $55,041 |
| 3 | Beaufort County Schools | 0.57 | $11,796 | $51,894 |
| 4 | Elkin City Schools | 0.61 | $10,909 | $55,901 |
| 5 | Swain County Schools | 0.61 | $12,267 | $49,739 |
| 6 | Graham County Schools | 0.96 | $13,937 | $41,977 |
| 7 | Edenton-Chowan Schools | 1.04 | $13,220 | $46,288 |
| 8 | Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools | 1.28 | $10,626 | $56,830 |
| 9 | Mitchell County Schools | 1.57 | $12,468 | $48,320 |
| 10 | Person County Schools | 2.05 | $11,250 | $55,759 |
| 11 | Greene County Schools | 2.23 | $13,474 | $45,766 |
| 12 | Clay County Schools | 2.33 | $12,636 | $47,155 |
| 13 | Avery County Schools | 2.88 | $13,414 | $46,383 |
| 14 | Warren County Schools | 2.94 | $14,234 | $39,588 |
| 15 | Perquimans County Schools | 3.14 | $11,954 | $53,138 |
| 16 | Craven County Schools | 3.34 | $10,497 | $56,325 |
| 17 | Caswell County Schools | 3.40 | $11,161 | $53,279 |
| 18 | Madison County Schools | 3.43 | $12,372 | $51,396 |
| 19 | Stokes County Schools | 3.54 | $11,287 | $52,637 |
| 20 | Montgomery County Schools | 3.73 | $11,710 | $50,618 |
| 21 | Catawba County Schools | 4.04 | $9,604 | $60,005 |
| 22 | Harnett County Schools | 4.18 | $9,660 | $59,676 |
| 23 | Granville County Schools | 4.20 | $10,431 | $60,606 |
| 24 | Yancey County Schools | 4.54 | $12,782 | $45,324 |
| 25 | Lee County Schools | 4.66 | $10,046 | $57,674 |
| 26 | Lincoln County Schools | 4.67 | $9,430 | $65,399 |
| 27 | Rowan-Salisbury Schools | 5.66 | $10,804 | $53,707 |
| 28 | Cherokee County Schools | 5.73 | $13,086 | $43,319 |
| 29 | Jackson County Public Schools | 5.74 | $11,711 | $49,547 |
| 30 | Haywood County Schools | 5.77 | $11,153 | $52,063 |
| 31 | Gaston County Schools | 6.03 | $10,074 | $56,819 |
| 32 | Newton Conover City Schools | 6.44 | $10,420 | $55,033 |
| 33 | Mcdowell County Schools | 6.45 | $11,393 | $50,615 |
| 34 | Onslow County Schools | 6.64 | $10,233 | $55,776 |
| 35 | Stanly County Schools | 6.78 | $10,066 | $56,462 |
| 36 | Iredell-Statesville Schools | 6.87 | $9,505 | $66,221 |
| 37 | Guilford County Schools | 7.55 | $11,254 | $58,646 |
| 38 | Alamance-Burlington Schools | 7.56 | $10,280 | $55,078 |
| 39 | Johnston County Public Schools | 8.01 | $9,681 | $66,026 |
| 40 | Bertie County Schools | 8.14 | $14,072 | $37,571 |
| 41 | Franklin County Schools | 8.38 | $10,538 | $62,332 |
| 42 | Edgecombe County Public Schools | 8.49 | $11,896 | $47,258 |
| 43 | Buncombe County Schools | 9.44 | $11,425 | $58,868 |
| 44 | Hoke County Schools | 9.49 | $10,406 | $53,489 |
| 45 | Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools | 9.74 | $11,980 | $56,510 |
| 46 | Davidson County Schools | 9.77 | $9,233 | $58,661 |
| 47 | Martin County Schools | 9.97 | $12,927 | $41,798 |
| 48 | Watauga County Schools | 10.06 | $11,376 | $48,786 |
| 49 | Jones County Schools | 10.18 | $15,142 | $42,401 |
| 50 | Surry County Schools | 10.61 | $10,586 | $52,079 |
| 51 | Davie County Schools | 10.74 | $10,301 | $64,657 |
| 52 | Pender County Schools | 11.03 | $10,109 | $65,681 |
| 53 | Yadkin County Schools | 11.75 | $10,614 | $51,348 |
| 54 | Kannapolis City Schools | 11.93 | $11,057 | $49,245 |
| 55 | Macon County Schools | 12.15 | $11,269 | $48,169 |
| 56 | Moore County Schools | 12.55 | $9,898 | $67,440 |
| 57 | Roanoke Rapids City Schools | 12.93 | $10,683 | $50,415 |
| 58 | Alleghany County Schools | 13.24 | $13,179 | $38,930 |
| 59 | Hickory City Schools | 13.32 | $10,171 | $52,527 |
| 60 | Gates County Schools | 13.59 | $13,511 | $51,599 |
| 61 | Thomasville City Schools | 13.74 | $13,161 | $38,745 |
| 62 | Ashe County Schools | 13.77 | $12,012 | $43,938 |
| 63 | Scotland County Schools | 13.86 | $12,900 | $39,866 |
| 64 | Randolph County School System | 13.88 | $9,697 | $54,380 |
| 65 | Washington County Schools | 13.96 | $14,416 | $32,937 |
| 66 | Carteret County Public Schools | 14.49 | $11,366 | $61,805 |
| 67 | Pitt County Schools | 14.56 | $10,491 | $50,422 |
| 68 | Polk County Schools | 14.84 | $12,894 | $55,058 |
| 69 | Rutherford County Schools | 14.84 | $11,543 | $45,500 |
| 70 | Cumberland County Schools | 15.21 | $10,286 | $51,007 |
| 71 | New Hanover County Schools | 15.47 | $11,358 | $62,362 |
| 72 | Hertford County Schools | 15.88 | $11,858 | $43,523 |
| 73 | Transylvania County Schools | 16.44 | $12,470 | $57,830 |
| 74 | Nash County Public Schools | 16.96 | $10,270 | $50,157 |
| 75 | Bladen County Schools | 17.03 | $12,664 | $39,259 |
| 76 | Halifax County Schools | 17.68 | $14,488 | $30,646 |
| 77 | Whiteville City Schools | 19.21 | $11,967 | $41,272 |
| 78 | Wilson County Schools | 19.28 | $10,619 | $47,348 |
| 79 | Vance County Schools | 19.62 | $11,043 | $45,243 |
| 80 | Caldwell County Schools | 19.94 | $10,277 | $48,549 |
| 81 | Wayne County Public Schools | 20.00 | $10,063 | $49,488 |
| 82 | Wilkes County Schools | 20.33 | $10,776 | $46,079 |
| 83 | Anson County Schools | 20.39 | $12,140 | $39,862 |
| 84 | Cleveland County Schools | 21.35 | $10,753 | $45,646 |
| 85 | Rockingham County Schools | 21.55 | $10,432 | $46,993 |
| 86 | Sampson County Schools | 21.82 | $10,767 | $45,332 |
| 87 | Brunswick County Schools | 22.44 | $11,721 | $64,400 |
| 88 | Burke County Schools | 22.69 | $10,046 | $48,142 |
| 89 | Mooresville Graded School District | 22.81 | $10,606 | $69,648 |
| 90 | Weldon City Schools | 23.61 | $17,873 | $37,114 |
| 91 | Northampton County Schools | 23.91 | $17,323 | $39,764 |
| 92 | Camden County Schools | 24.34 | $11,025 | $68,560 |
| 93 | Asheboro City Schools | 24.46 | $10,790 | $43,832 |
| 94 | Clinton City Schools | 24.82 | $10,519 | $44,871 |
| 95 | Tyrrell County Schools | 25.32 | $17,229 | $40,938 |
| 96 | Pamlico County Schools | 27.32 | $14,996 | $52,124 |
| 97 | Duplin County Schools | 28.52 | $9,896 | $45,744 |
| 98 | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools | 28.76 | $10,534 | $73,124 |
| 99 | Columbus County Schools | 31.06 | $10,806 | $40,271 |
| 100 | Richmond County Schools | 31.95 | $10,999 | $38,926 |
| 101 | Dare County Schools | 32.27 | $11,742 | $69,500 |
| 102 | Lenoir County Public Schools | 33.29 | $10,366 | $41,092 |
| 103 | Mount Airy City Schools | 33.50 | $11,205 | $37,173 |
| 104 | Durham Public Schools | 35.96 | $12,723 | $67,000 |
| 105 | Public Schools Of Robeson County | 39.98 | $10,546 | $36,736 |
| 106 | Cabarrus County Schools | 40.00 | $9,927 | $81,816 |
| 107 | Lexington City Schools | 41.57 | $11,095 | $33,407 |
| 108 | Currituck County Schools | 42.13 | $10,704 | $79,416 |
| 109 | Chatham County Schools | 43.82 | $11,480 | $76,791 |
| 110 | Asheville City Schools | 43.97 | $14,266 | $64,232 |
| 111 | Union County Public Schools | 50.95 | $9,737 | $88,465 |
| 112 | Wake County Schools | 52.35 | $9,899 | $88,471 |
| 113 | Orange County Schools | 63.58 | $13,042 | $80,150 |
| 114 | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools | 70.13 | $14,165 | $78,517 |
| 115 | Hyde County Schools | 76.96 | $21,562 | $48,577 |
*1=Most Equitable
Methodology
In order to rank the states with the most and least equitable school districts, WalletHub first scored 12,870 school districts throughout the U.S. based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
For expenditures, for each 1 percent above the state's average we removed 1 point from a base score of 50 points for each district. For household income, for each 1 percent above the state's average we added 1 point to a base score of 50 points for each district. The inverse was true for each 1 percent below the state's average.
The final score for each district was calculated by taking the absolute difference between the score for expenditures and the score for household income. We then ranked the districts based on the total score, with the lowest value, representing the most equitable, being ranked 1.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from of the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics.
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