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Rankings › North Carolina › School Districts

North Carolina School Districts Ranked by Expenditures

Normalized from state-comptroller audits and annual financial reports. Every agency is a live report card — click through for peer percentiles, fund balance, and distress indicators.

Cohort size 116
Median expenditures $75.0M
25th–75th percentile $37.6M  –  $152.9M
Total spend $19.19B
  1. #1
    Charlotte-mecklenburg Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 143,244
    Expenditures $2.29B
    Revenue $1.90B
  2. #2
    WAKE County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 160,099
    Expenditures $2.25B
    Revenue $1.99B
  3. #3
    Guilford County SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 69,173
    Expenditures $953.8M
    Revenue $997.5M
  4. #4
    Forsyth Co-winston Salem Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 52,681
    Expenditures $747.8M
    Revenue $723.8M
  5. #5
    Cumberland County SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 48,860
    Expenditures $634.3M
    Revenue $634.8M
  6. #6
    Durham County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 31,754
    Expenditures $556.5M
    Revenue $524.6M
  7. #7
    Union CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 40,600
    Expenditures $478.7M
    Revenue $481.9M
  8. #8
    Johnston CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 37,823
    Expenditures $429.7M
    Revenue $436.9M
  9. #9
    Cabarrus CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 33,562
    Expenditures $413.0M
    Revenue $418.3M
  10. #10
    NEW Hanover County SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 24,933
    Expenditures $361.1M
    Revenue $362.3M
  11. #11
    Gaston CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 30,045
    Expenditures $356.2M
    Revenue $392.5M
  12. #12
    Alamance County-burlington School District
    FY 2022 pop. 22,158
    Expenditures $347.9M
    Revenue $278.6M
  13. #13
    Buncombe County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 22,079
    Expenditures $326.4M
    Revenue $331.4M
  14. #14
    Onslow CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 27,264
    Expenditures $311.2M
    Revenue $323.0M
  15. #15
    PITT CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 23,790
    Expenditures $310.5M
    Revenue $300.9M
  16. #16
    Robeson CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 20,783
    Expenditures $295.7M
    Revenue $299.3M
  17. #17
    Iredell-statesville Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 20,686
    Expenditures $258.1M
    Revenue $265.3M
  18. #18
    Harnett CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 19,705
    Expenditures $226.1M
    Revenue $240.7M
  19. #19
    Rowan County SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 18,104
    Expenditures $223.1M
    Revenue $223.1M
  20. #20
    Wayne CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 17,602
    Expenditures $216.0M
    Revenue $227.4M
  21. #21
    Davidson CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 17,894
    Expenditures $206.2M
    Revenue $209.7M
  22. #22
    Chapel Hill-carrboro CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 11,563
    Expenditures $203.1M
    Revenue $194.3M
  23. #23
    Catawba CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 15,494
    Expenditures $193.8M
    Revenue $198.5M
  24. #24
    Brunswick CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 12,640
    Expenditures $188.2M
    Revenue $194.7M
  25. #25
    Randolph CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 15,221
    Expenditures $187.8M
    Revenue $187.0M
  26. #26
    Cleveland CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 14,324
    Expenditures $179.7M
    Revenue $186.0M
  27. #27
    Nash-rocky Mount Public Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 14,397
    Expenditures $179.0M
    Revenue $182.6M
  28. #28
    Craven CO Sch/new BERN
    FY 2022 pop. 12,666
    Expenditures $155.4M
    Revenue $159.6M
  29. #29
    Henderson CO SCH DIST
    FY 2022 pop. 12,768
    Expenditures $154.4M
    Revenue $160.4M
  30. #30
    Moore CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 12,828
    Expenditures $152.4M
    Revenue $155.0M
  31. #31
    Burke County Board OF Education
    FY 2022 pop. 11,632
    Expenditures $145.4M
    Revenue $148.3M
  32. #32
    Rockingham County SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 11,083
    Expenditures $144.2M
    Revenue $144.4M
  33. #33
    Wilson County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 10,410
    Expenditures $143.8M
    Revenue $152.2M
  34. #34
    Chatham CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 9,009
    Expenditures $138.5M
    Revenue $141.7M
  35. #35
    Caldwell County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 10,906
    Expenditures $134.3M
    Revenue $153.9M
  36. #36
    Lincoln CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 11,314
    Expenditures $127.1M
    Revenue $131.6M
  37. #37
    Pender CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 10,332
    Expenditures $124.7M
    Revenue $130.5M
  38. #38
    Rutherford County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 7,572
    Expenditures $124.2M
    Revenue $128.2M
  39. #39
    LEE CO SCHS
    FY 2022 pop. 9,241
    Expenditures $116.4M
    Revenue $143.3M
  40. #40
    Duplin County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 9,725
    Expenditures $115.1M
    Revenue $116.7M
  41. #41
    Orange CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 7,200
    Expenditures $112.0M
    Revenue $111.0M
  42. #42
    Carteret CO School District
    FY 2022 pop. 7,964
    Expenditures $110.0M
    Revenue $107.0M
  43. #43
    Wilkes County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 8,643
    Expenditures $107.9M
    Revenue $116.2M
  44. #44
    HOKE CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 8,874
    Expenditures $106.7M
    Revenue $110.9M
  45. #45
    Lenoir CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 8,303
    Expenditures $104.8M
    Revenue $103.7M
  46. #46
    Sampson CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 7,853
    Expenditures $103.8M
    Revenue $105.2M
  47. #47
    Franklin CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 8,021
    Expenditures $103.6M
    Revenue $109.2M
  48. #48
    Stanly CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 8,315
    Expenditures $100.1M
    Revenue $103.5M
  49. #49
    Mooresville CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 5,982
    Expenditures $98.8M
    Revenue $82.2M
  50. #50
    Surry CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 7,300
    Expenditures $97.2M
    Revenue $99.4M
  51. #51
    Haywood CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 6,658
    Expenditures $90.6M
    Revenue $93.8M
  52. #52
    Richmond CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 6,810
    Expenditures $89.5M
    Revenue $91.2M
  53. #53
    Beaufort CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 5,926
    Expenditures $89.0M
    Revenue $89.2M
  54. #54
    Granville CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 6,835
    Expenditures $86.6M
    Revenue $95.4M
  55. #55
    Scotland CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 5,450
    Expenditures $83.1M
    Revenue $82.4M
  56. #56
    Mcdowell CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 5,881
    Expenditures $79.7M
    Revenue $83.5M
  57. #57
    Edgecombe County Public School System
    FY 2022 pop. 5,467
    Expenditures $76.4M
    Revenue $82.3M
  58. #58
    Vance CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 5,323
    Expenditures $75.1M
    Revenue $78.6M
  59. #59
    Stokes CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 5,519
    Expenditures $74.9M
    Revenue $76.2M
  60. #60
    DARE CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 5,244
    Expenditures $73.7M
    Revenue $76.2M
  61. #61
    Davie CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 6,107
    Expenditures $73.7M
    Revenue $75.6M
  62. #62
    Asheboro CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 4,429
    Expenditures $72.9M
    Revenue $60.6M
  63. #63
    Columbus CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 5,212
    Expenditures $71.7M
    Revenue $74.5M
  64. #64
    Asheville CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 4,218
    Expenditures $70.7M
    Revenue $78.6M
  65. #65
    Macon CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 4,473
    Expenditures $70.0M
    Revenue $62.1M
  66. #66
    Kannapolis CITY SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 5,379
    Expenditures $69.7M
    Revenue $75.4M
  67. #67
    Yadkin County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 5,198
    Expenditures $66.4M
    Revenue $68.6M
  68. #68
    Elizabeth City-pasquotank CO SCHS
    FY 2022 pop. 4,840
    Expenditures $65.7M
    Revenue $70.1M
  69. #69
    Watauga CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 4,673
    Expenditures $62.0M
    Revenue $63.0M
  70. #70
    Bladen County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 3,981
    Expenditures $61.8M
    Revenue $63.8M
  71. #71
    Person CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 4,333
    Expenditures $61.2M
    Revenue $65.5M
  72. #72
    Alexander CO SCHS
    FY 2022 pop. 4,509
    Expenditures $60.5M
    Revenue $61.1M
  73. #73
    Currituck CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 4,414
    Expenditures $58.3M
    Revenue $59.4M
  74. #74
    Montgomery County SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 3,587
    Expenditures $55.2M
    Revenue $55.9M
  75. #75
    Jackson County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 3,516
    Expenditures $50.7M
    Revenue $53.3M
  76. #76
    Cherokee County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 2,944
    Expenditures $49.6M
    Revenue $52.0M
  77. #77
    Transylvania County SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 3,328
    Expenditures $47.7M
    Revenue $48.6M
  78. #78
    Hickory Public Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 3,869
    Expenditures $46.7M
    Revenue $47.5M
  79. #79
    Greene CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,734
    Expenditures $44.1M
    Revenue $44.2M
  80. #80
    Lexington CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 3,012
    Expenditures $43.8M
    Revenue $44.2M
  81. #81
    Anson CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,924
    Expenditures $42.7M
    Revenue $43.4M
  82. #82
    Martin CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,659
    Expenditures $42.4M
    Revenue $44.5M
  83. #83
    Caswell CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,229
    Expenditures $40.5M
    Revenue $32.7M
  84. #84
    Halifax CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,161
    Expenditures $40.1M
    Revenue $41.7M
  85. #85
    ASHE CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,768
    Expenditures $39.2M
    Revenue $40.3M
  86. #86
    POLK CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,129
    Expenditures $38.8M
    Revenue $39.2M
  87. #87
    Hertford CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,482
    Expenditures $37.9M
    Revenue $38.3M
  88. #88
    Clinton CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 3,002
    Expenditures $36.7M
    Revenue $38.6M
  89. #89
    Newton Conover CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 2,870
    Expenditures $36.1M
    Revenue $36.9M
  90. #90
    Roanoke Rapids CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 2,710
    Expenditures $36.0M
    Revenue $37.0M
  91. #91
    Madison CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 2,137
    Expenditures $35.9M
    Revenue $33.2M
  92. #92
    Avery CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 1,885
    Expenditures $35.0M
    Revenue $35.6M
  93. #93
    Thomasville CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 2,232
    Expenditures $32.1M
    Revenue $33.2M
  94. #94
    Bertie CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 1,832
    Expenditures $32.0M
    Revenue $31.9M
  95. #95
    Whiteville CITY Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 2,103
    Expenditures $31.6M
    Revenue $33.3M
  96. #96
    Warren CO SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 1,783
    Expenditures $29.8M
    Revenue $30.0M
  97. #97
    Yancey County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 1,962
    Expenditures $29.3M
    Revenue $31.8M
  98. #98
    Swain County Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 1,919
    Expenditures $29.2M
    Revenue $29.0M
  99. #99
    Edenton-chowan CO Schools
    FY 2022 pop. 1,937
    Expenditures $29.2M
    Revenue $29.5M
  100. #100
    Northampton County SCH
    FY 2022 pop. 1,343
    Expenditures $28.9M
    Revenue $29.8M